Vanilla Bean Scones

Bulk, where have you been all of my life?

Seriously, I am lovin’ me some bulk right now.  Give me bulk and lots of it!!!

Oh wait a minute.  Not the around-your-tummy kind…let me just be clear on that.

No, no no…I don’t want that kind of bulk.  Nuh uh.

Let me clarify.  Bulk as in the bulk food aisle kind!  And, that’s how I learned a BIG lesson today.  H-U-G-E!  It just dawned on me that I’ve been over-paying.  Waaaaayyy over-paying.  And I was nearly shocked out of my shoes by just how much.

For years I’ve been buying Vanilla Beans in jar.  At 11.38 or 13.69 for ONE vanilla bean.  At those prices, there’s no way I would’ve sprung for 3-4 vanilla beans just so I could have a Vanilla Bean Scone that’s better than Starbucks.

That’s right – I said it.  These are better than Starbucks.  IMHO, of course.

Anywhooo, as I was saying – enter bulk – where you can buy these sweet little vanilla beans for roughly .61 cents.

I know!  Outrageous, right?

I even talked about how expensive vanilla beans were in my Strawberry Grand Marnier Tarts with Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise post.  How wrong I was!  Because that’s complete hogwash!

Back to this delightful, sweet, moist, cake-like scone.  I think you’ll like these because they are soft, spongy, light and have a strong vanilla flavor that isn’t overpowering.  Lightly glazed with the right amount of sweetness and so cute dotted with little freckles of vanilla bean.  Who doesn’t like freckles?

If you have yourself a bulk aisle in your grocery store, I highly recommend you take advantage of buying your vanilla beans there and saving yourself a whole bunch of money.  Now, don’t be frightened if the bulk tub says $61.49 per pound (’cause that’s how much they are in these parts), you’re only buying a few ounces – you just aren’t paying for that spendy glass jar.

I can’t leave just yet, until I share one more little tip.  When you buy them from bulk, use them within a day or two so they don’t dry up on ya!

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Vanilla Bean Scones

Filled with Vanilla Bean flavor, these petite scones are light, sweet, and cake-y.

Course: Desserts

Author: CJ

Ingredients

Scones

• 2 whole vanilla beans
• 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks 1/2 pound unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 whole large egg

Frosting

• 2 whole vanilla beans
• *1/2 cup whole milk
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

Scones

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla beans inside; stir into the cream and set it aside for roughly 15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut the cold butter into pats, and using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Mix the egg with the vanilla cream mixture and combine with the flour mixture. Stir gently with a fork until it comes together.
• Turn the dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rectangle. The mixture will be fairly crumbly, and this is OK! Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a rectangle about 12-by-7 inches and 1/2-to-3/4-inches thick. Use your hands to help shape the rectangle, if necessary.
• Cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.
• Transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 17-18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Glaze / Frosting

• Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape out the beans. Stir the beans into the milk. Set aside for 15 minutes.
• Mix the powdered sugar and salt with the vanilla milk. Addg more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the desired consistency. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.
• Glaze the scones by either:
• • dunking the top of the scones in the glaze
• • brushing the glaze on with a pastry brush
• • drizzling the glaze over the top
• Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour.

Notes

*You can glaze both the tops and bottoms of the scones if you prefer more glaze. I don't recommend glazing the bottom of the scones, just because they stick to the parchment paper or your plate, but it's whatever you prefer!

Recipe slightly modified from The Pioneer Woman Mini Vanilla Scones recipe found on Food Network.