Yield: 8 vanilla bean scones // Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links.

Light, tender yet flaky vanilla bean scones with a vanilla bean glaze.

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!

recipe tips

weigh your ingredients

Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. I do provide cup measurements but please note that I test all my recipes in grams and can not guarantee that your bake will turn out like mine. This kitchen scale is super cheap and a great starter scale!

keep the dough and ingredients cold

I know, I know – I’m always saying you need room-temperature ingredients. But with scones, it’s the opposite! 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 will want to keep your butter, eggs and sour cream in the fridge up until the last second that you need to use them!

freeze the dough before baking it

I know, I know, it’s annoying to wait. 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! Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight before baking them off.

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.

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.

ingredients and substitutions

For the 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!

For the 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 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 definitely taste the best on the day that they are baked. They will last for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

a note on oven temperature

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature and aren’t always at the temperature they claim to be. 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.

tools and ingredients

You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!

chai scones troubleshooting

why aren’t my scones light and fluffy?

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.) If they’re not fluffy because they didn’t rise that much, your baking powder is probably expired.

my scones spread a lot in the oven

I would say there are three main reasons that this might have occurred. The #1 reason would be that the scone 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 les spreading in the oven. Another reason could be that your oven isn’t getting to the right temperature. I recommend getting an oven thermometer, you might be surprised to find out that your oven runs too hot or cold! If those two reasons don’t apply to you – 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.