Vanilla Bean Scones
October 5, 2009 | Print | E-mail | Filed under scones, vanilla
I’ve been wanting to make vanilla bean scones for quite a while, and now that I have plenty of vanilla beans in my pantry, I finally decided to go for it. The scones I’ve made in the past have always been a little on the flat side however, albeit still very tasty. So this time, I adapted my recipe from King Arthur Flour’s basic scone recipe, and they came out perfectly tall and fluffy. These are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even an afternoon snack!
- 3 cups unbleached flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
For the topping:
- 2 Tbsp milk
- A little bit of vanilla bean
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
Cut the butter into tablespoon-sized pieces and incorporate it into the dry ingredients.
In another large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean.
Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and knead to combine.
Separate the dough into halves. Shape each half of the dough into a circle and then cut each half into four wedges. Pull the wedges apart just a bit and then brush with the milk and vanilla extract mixture. Sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
Place the pan of scones in the freezer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the scones from the freezer and put them right in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
When the scones are done, remove them to a wire rack to cool. I can’t get enough of those gorgeous vanilla flecks!
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October 5th, 2009 at 11:51 am
I LOVE SCONES! And these look fabulous – I would like to have one of these for breakfast right now and drizzle a little lemon glaze on top! yum
October 5th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
those look really good! It’s what I always order with my coffee at starbucks! I bet homemade are much better!!
October 5th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Gorgeous! I love those vanilla bean specks peeking out!
October 5th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I’ve always wanted to make scones, but I’ve been afraid to since recipes focus a lot on the importance of keeping everything cold. But you make it seem so simple! I’m so tempted!
October 6th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Vanilla beans are the best. I love the simple yet intense, sweet flavor. The scones look amazing!
October 6th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I’ve been meaning to make scones for a while… the vanilla bean addition sounds perfect!
November 22nd, 2009 at 3:40 pm
I am desperately in love with Starbuck’s Vanilla Bean Scones – they are heaven! So I’ve been looking around for a recipe to duplicate their awesomeness and I tried your recipe last night. They are the closest match I’ve had and I’m ecstatic – thank you so much!!!
December 11th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Well, I told you I was going to bookmark this and try it as soon as possible. I did and I loved how the scones came out! I varied the recipe a bit and will be posting it up on Taste As You Go soon, but I just wanted to come back and thank you for the inspiration!
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:31 pm
Can I substitute the half&half with milk or double cream? Would appreciate an email notification of your reply.
BTW, I just got my first batch of vanilla beans ever and tried using the first bean last night in the custard for cream puffs. Lovely! I’m all voer the net now looking for recipes using vanilla beans. Your scones are a perfect place to dunk another pod in. Hope they turn out. Wish me luck!
March 10th, 2010 at 1:47 am
Hey, I wanted to let you know that i’ve always wanted to bake, but thought that wasn’t for me. I admired ppl who baked. & then a friend posted this site & I must admit it sounded too easy to not try. Yep ofcourse I did make them, they turned out good. Thanks.
But I had a few questions for you & would appreciate a reply. 1st of all I wasn’t too sure of how big/small you wanted the butter to be cut into & after baking the scones I had some melted butter in the dish – is that what should be happening?? Just curious. This is my first ever baking experience.
Thanks, it was great & easy
March 10th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Saba – I’m glad to hear you tried baking for the first time, and that my site could be a good resource for you! As for the butter, I cut it into tablespoon-sized pieces and then blended it into the flour mixture with my pastry blender so that the entire mixture became crumbly – you want to make sure it’s well-blended. While baking, if there happen to be a few chunks of butter in the dough here and there, it’s not a problem. Like you said, some melted butter will be present on the bottom of the dish, and it’s nothing to worry about.
March 25th, 2010 at 11:08 pm
Thanks for the reply, I really appreciate it.