Vanilla Bean Scones

Vanilla bean scones are simple to make but packed with flavor. Whip up these scones for a special brunch or afternoon treat any time!

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I have been smitten with scones from the first time I ate one. They’re one of my favorite treats to pick up at the coffee shop and have become one of my favorite breakfasts or afternoon snacks to make.

I like that you can make scones with so many different ingredients – sour cream, buttermilk, heavy cream, and even yogurt.

Take these Vanilla Bean Scones. I used vanilla yogurt to give them even more flavor, and I am so glad I did. 

We could not stop eating them – fresh out of the oven they smelled divine. Once cooled, I topped them with a smooth vanilla glaze – vanilla overdrive, friends. And it is SO good.

COPYCAT STARBUCKS VANILLA BEAN SCONES

Like a lot of people, I certainly have a habit of visiting the Starbucks drive thru a couple of times a week. Sometimes I just need a “me” moment, and sometimes I just really need some caffeine to make it from school pickup to karate practice or piano lessons and back home again.

Even though sometimes I give in and get myself a pastry to go with my drink, I can usually refrain when I remember: I’m a baking blogger. Surely I can make a copycat version at home.

My Cranberry Bliss Bars are one of my favorite Starbucks copycat recipes, especially since they aren’t available in stores year round. 

I will sometimes even make myself some vanilla coffee syrup to recreate my favorite lattes at home.

And these scones are perfect for anyone who loves those cute petite vanilla bean scones they carry. Except you can make them any size you want – and you know I always opt for a full-size scone!

HOW TO MAKE VANILLA BEAN SCONES

If you’ve made my orange scones or blueberry scones, then you’ll be pretty familiar with my favorite way to make scones.

Ingredients you’ll need

These Vanilla Bean Scones are light, fluffy, and heavenly with vanilla flavor. The ingredients are simple:

• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 5.3-ounce container vanilla yogurt
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

To really get that vanilla flavor to shine through, I like to use vanilla in 3 ways here. I use vanilla yogurt in the scones (grab a vanilla bean yogurt if you can find it) along with vanilla bean paste. 

I also add vanilla bean paste to the simple glaze that goes on top of the scones after they cool.

If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, you can always use vanilla extract instead. But the paste is so flavorful and gives us those beautiful vanilla specs in the scones and the glaze!

(Psst! Make sure that you have brushed up on how to measure flour so your scones turn out great every time!)

Tools you’ll need

I bet you already have the equipment you’ll need to make these scones:

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Box grater
• Baking sheet and parchment paper

You can also use a silicone baking mat in place of the parchment paper if you like.

Making this recipe

Get started by whisking together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl.

Use your box grater to grate the frozen butter into the dry ingredients, then use your fingers to work the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal.

If you can’t grate the butter, you can add the dry ingredients into a food processor, then cut the butter into pieces and add it in. Pulse the food processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal, then transfer it to a bowl and continue with the recipe.

Whisk together the yogurt, egg, milk, and vanilla bean paste, then stir this into the flour mixture with a fork until large dough clumps form.

Now it’s time to use your hands to gently press the dough into a ball. Doing this in the bowl is helpful because you can use the walls of the bowl to help you out.

Place the dough onto a floured surface and cut it into 8 triangles. If you’d like to make mini scones, you could pat it into a rectangle and cut 16 smaller triangles instead.

Put the scones on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15-17 minutes, or until golden.

Once they have cooled for about 10 minutes, whisk together the glaze and dip the tops of the scones.

STORAGE AND FREEZING TIPS

Keep any leftover scones in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. I actually prefer them on the 2nd or 3rd day – I think the vanilla flavor just gets deeper and more fragrant, although they will get a bit moist on top from the glaze.

Freezing scones

You can freeze your after baking them – place them in an airtight zip-top bag and freeze for up to a month. But the best way to freeze these Vanilla Bean Scones is before they are baked!

Prepare the scones up to cutting them into triangles. Place the scones on a lined baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the freezer for 1-2 hours, until the scones are pretty much frozen solid.

Put the frozen scones in an airtight container or zip-top bag (wrapping them each in plastic wrap is a good idea as well) and freeze for no more than a month.

When you’re ready to bake, place as many scones as you’d like on a lined baking sheet while your oven preheats. Bake according to the recipe instructions, adding 1-2 minutes if necessary. 

Glaze and enjoy having a fresh scone at a moment’s notice!

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Save Recipe

Vanilla Bean Scones

By: Jamie

4.58 from 21 ratings

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

Servings: 8 scones

SaveSaved Pin Print

Vanilla bean scones are simple to make but packed with flavor. Whip up these scones for a special brunch or afternoon treat any time!

Equipment

• Pre-Cut Parchment Paper Baking Sheets
• Nordic Ware Aluminum Half Sheet Pans

Ingredients

1x2x3x

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ ⅓ cup sugar
• ▢ 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 8 tablespoons unsalted butter frozen
• ▢ 5.3 ounces vanilla yogurt
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 tablespoon milk
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• ▢ 1 cup confectioners’ sugar sifted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon plus 2-3 teaspoons milk

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
• Grate butter into flour mixture on the large holes of a box grater; use your fingers to work in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
• In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, egg, milk and vanilla until smooth.
• Using a fork, stir yogurt mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. The dough will be pretty sticky at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.
• Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on the prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and prepare the glaze.
• In a medium bowl, prepare the glaze by mixing together the melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean paste, and 1 tablespoon of the milk. Whisk until smooth. Add additional milk until the glaze reaches your desired consistency. Dip the top of the scones into the glaze and allow the glaze to harden. At this point, you can leave them as is or go for the double dip.

Video

Notes

• Scones store well in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• In lieu of grating the butter into the dry ingredients, you can pulse it in a food processor. Add the dry ingredients to the food processor, followed by the butter (cut into pieces). Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, then transfer to a bowl and continue with the rest of the recipe as written.

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone, Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 257mg, Potassium: 93mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 526IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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