Light, tender yet flaky vanilla bean scones with a vanilla bean glaze.
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vanilla bean scones
Scones deserve more love! And if you’re here, I know you probably think the same. These scones are flaky but moist at the same time (as all scones should be). They’re the perfect little afternoon treat to have with coffee, are so easy to make and gift to others, and are just all-around delicious. These scones are flavored with vanilla bean paste, and topped with a vanilla bean glaze. Below you’ll find a bunch of tips and tricks on making scones that (I hope) are helpful. Happy baking!
why you’ll love these vanilla bean scones:
- They’re moist and flaky. A lot of scones are sad and dry – and while scones need to be a little dry for their signature shape and rise, these are *way* more moist than you’d expect.
- Vanilla bean speckles. The little speckles of vanilla beans not only give these a ton of delicious vanilla flavor, but give us the perfect subtle design on top.
- They’re super easy to make. Scones are actually super easy to make, can easily be made ahead of time and baked off at a later date, and are *perfect* for sharing.
expert baking tips
Weigh your ingredients:
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
keep the dough and ingredients cold:
The trick to getting those flaky layers and butter pockets is to keep the dough cold. If you notice the butter getting too warm at any point while making the scones, just pop the dough into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden it up again. You’ll also want to keep your egg & sour cream in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.
Mix the dough carefully:
Be careful to knead the dough just until it comes together. Over-kneading the dough can lead to a drier, tougher scone.
freeze the dough before baking it
This step is super important because it ensures that the scones will not spread much in the oven, and will bake up nice and tall! Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before slicing them and baking them off. If you’re freezing the dough overnight or longer, make sure you wrap the dough up tightly in plastic wrap to avoid it drying out. Also – you will probably need to let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before it’s soft enough to slice in to.
how to cut butter into the scones
There are multiple different ways that you can incorporate butter into your scones. I find it’s easiest to cube up the butter and then smush it into the flour with my fingers until the pieces are fairly tiny. You can also use a pastry blender, or two forks to kind of cut the butter up into the flour. If you wanted to prep the night before, you could use a cheese grater to grate the stick of butter and then freeze it until you’re ready to make the scones.
A note on oven temperature:
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and might not always actually be at the temperature they claim to be at. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
ingredients and substitutions
vanilla bean scones:
- All purpose flour: for structure.
- Baking powder: for helping the scones rise.
- Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the scones.
- Unsalted butter: for tenderness and making those delicious flaky layers. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to remove the excess salt from the dough!
- Light brown sugar: for lightly sweetening and for moisture. You can easily substitute in granulated or dark brown sugar.
- Egg: for binding and for moisture.
- Sour cream: makes these scones nice and tender and keeps them from being dry. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best texture.
- Vanilla bean paste: for flavor of course!
vanilla bean glaze:
- Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.
- Vanilla bean paste & milk: for flavor, and for thinning out the glaze. Use your favorite milk here.
how to make vanilla bean scones
Here are some photos of the process of making these vanilla scones. The full recipe can be found at the end of this blog post.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream, and vanilla bean paste.
- In another bowl, cut the butter into the dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and form a cohesive dough.
- Freeze the scones, then slice them into 8 pieces and bake.
- Whisk all the vanilla bean glaze ingredients together. Once the scones have fully cooled to room temperature, top them with the glaze and enjoy!
vanilla bean scones recipe q&a
can I make these vanilla scones ahead of time?
Yes, you can! There are two ways you could go about this.
- Prepping the night before: After making the scone dough and shaping it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and leave in the freezer overnight. In the morning you can bake these scones off as stated in the recipe.
- Prepping further in advance: After making the scone dough and shaping it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Freeze the dough for up to 1 month before baking. You can bake the scones right from frozen, they will just need a couple more minutes in the oven!
can I double this recipe?
Of course! Simply double all of the ingredients in the recipe and divide the dough into even circles. I (even more) strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
how to store vanilla bean scones
Like most baked goods, these scones will taste the best on the day that they are baked, but will keep well for 3-5 days in an airtight container stored at room temperature.
american scones vs. british scones
These are very much American scones. British scones are more akin to American biscuits and likewise, do not contain any egg (while British biscuits are more like shortbread in America!) These scones contain one egg which helps make them light, fluffy, and moist.
My scones turned out super dry
The #1 reason for baked goods coming out super dry is not measuring the flour properly. I seriously can’t recommend using a scale enough for the best baking experience and outcome! They may also turn out dry if you over-kneaded the dough (only knead until it comes together), or if you browned the butter for too long and too much moisture evaporated.
My scones spread a lot in the oven
There are three reasons this may have occurred –
- The dough was not chilled for long enough. Freeze the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking. This allows all the ingredients to get cold again, which leads to less spreading in the oven.
- Your oven temperature is wrong. I recommend getting an oven thermometer, you might be surprised to find out that your oven runs too hot or cold!
- Your baking powder might be expired. You can test if your baking powder is active by dropping some in a small amount of water. If it bubbles, it’s active, if not, it’s expired.
tools and ingredients:
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
other recipes you might enjoy:
did you make this recipe?
I’d love to see and know your thoughts! please leave a comment and review below, and tag me on instagram @freshbeanbakery. #freshbeanbakery
Vanilla Bean Scones
Ingredients
Vanilla Bean Scones
- 1 egg
- 95 g sour cream (⅕ c. + 1 tbsp.)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- 240 g all purpose flour (2 c.)
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 35 g light brown sugar
- 113 g unsalted butter cold, cubed (8 tbsp.)
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 180 g powdered sugar (1 ½ c.)
- 2-3 tbsp. milk
- 1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
Instructions
Vanilla Bean Scones
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, sour cream and vanilla bean paste until well combined. Set the mixture in the fridge.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cube up the cold butter stick and add it to the dry ingredients.
- Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter pieces are quite small.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients mixture. Lightly mix the ingredients together in the bowl until you have a shaggy dough.
- Use your hands to lightly knead the scone dough together just until it becomes a cohesive ball.
- Form the dough into a circle that is 6" in diameter and 1" thick. Cover the dough and let it rest in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Slice the scones into 8 equally sized triangles. Evenly space them apart on the lined baking sheet.
- If desired, you can brush a little bit of heavy cream on top of the scones to encourage the tops to brown. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the scones start to turn golden brown on top and on the bottoms.
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla bean paste, and 2 tbsp. of milk to a small mixing bowl. Whisk together, adding in more milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency.
- Once the scones have cooled to room temperature, top them with the glaze. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
i’ve never made scones before and decided to try this recipe! i absolutely loved these & will make them again! thank you for an easy to follow recipe 🙂
Thank you so much Kendall, I’m so happy you liked them!! ☺︎
This recipe was delicious. The scone wasn’t too sweet but still got a nice flavor from the glaze. It was the perfect texture and was very moist. Would definitely make again.
i have baked this numerous times already and my friends and family LOVE these scones. they turn out so moist and tender and not dry at all. the scones are not too sweet at all, which is great !
Thank you so much Lilly! I’m so happy to hear that you and your friends & family love this recipe! 🙂
They came out great! My first time trying scones… I froze the dough overnight and had the hardest time cutting it this morning. I think next time (and there will be a next time, cause they are delicious and I’m excited to try all your other scones too!) I will cut the scones before freezing to make it a little easier!
Thank you so much Hila, I’m so happy you liked them! 🙂
Perfect vanilla scones! Will definitely make again
Thank you so much, Sophie! 🙂
Does this recipe have 1 egg in it? The ingredients list doesn’t have an egg but the instructions say to add egg. Does it have egg? How much?
Sorry about that! The card likes to delete the egg sometimes – there is one egg in the recipe 🙂
Thank you! I was worried it would be too late to get a response because the last comment was from 2020 lol. I will try the recipe soon. I was also thinking of trying vanilla bean paste in place of actual vanilla beans, because I have paste right now. Do you think that would work?
Yes you could definitely use vanilla bean paste! I actually just did an update to this recipe since it’s from so long ago and one of the first ones that was ever up so the measurements use vanilla bean paste now. Hope you enjoy if you do end up trying it!
I just so happen to have vanilla bean! I’ll see if I can make these…
That’s amazing! I would love to see a picture and know your thoughts if you try them! 🙂
I’ll make a post about them on my blog soon!
Just made a post on my blog about them!