Petite Vanilla Bean Scones
Petite Vanilla Bean Scones are the perfect size sweet treat for breakfast, coffee time, or a fancy brunch! Tender pastry, dipped in sweet vanilla glaze, for a coffee-shop style scone that travels well, and feels like a special indulgence.
Think of these Petite Vanilla Bean Scones for a special Mother’s Day Brunch or High Tea. The addition of these elegant little vanilla jewels will elevate any brunch to something really special. Grab a good cup of tea, and let’s get baking!
A Little Primer on Vanilla
Vanilla comes from a seed pod, also called a bean, of the vanilla orchid. Vanilla orchids are commercially-grown in tropical climates, most notably Madagascar, South Pacific, Central and South America, and Mexico. The pods are dried to lock in the flavour and keep them from rotting, for transport and to extend shelf life. A real vanilla bean imparts the most beautiful, floral flavour and distinctive “speckles” into your dessert creation!
Artificial vanilla can be made from vanillin, a by-product of pulp or paper making. Clear vanilla extract is great to use for white cakes, icing, and cake decorating, as it keeps that pure white look, perfect for wedding cakes, for example. Some artificial vanilla is made from tonka beans, which contain a toxic ingredient, so be careful to get your artificial vanilla from known sources.
Which Vanilla should I use for Petite Vanilla Bean Scones?
There are 3 main types of vanilla you can use for these Petite Vanilla Bean Scones, all of which are considered real or pure vanilla. I’ve ranked them here as Good, Better, and Best; I also touch on the costs for each of these options. Check grocery sources in your area for exact pricing, as vanilla prices can fluctuate greatly due to extreme weather.
Good: Pure Vanilla Extract
You can achieve excellent flavour in your desserts with pure vanilla extract. It is the most affordable option, with a variety of bottle sizes. I usually get my vanilla extract from Costco, as it is good quality for a good price.
Better: Vanilla Bean Paste
Vanilla Bean Paste combines the affordability of vanilla extract with the quality of the whole vanilla bean. It combines quality pure vanilla extract, with seeds from pods that are unsuitable for whole bean sale, as well as fillers to make it into a paste consistency. It has a long shelf life and you don’t need to use a lot to get the same impact of whole vanilla bean pods, making it a more affordable option. With paste, you get the same distinctive speckled look as beans with an excellent flavour profile that’s better than extract alone. It is more expensive than extract, but less expensive use-for-use as real vanilla bean pods. I usually use one teaspoon of paste to equal one vanilla bean. Vanilla bean paste is my choice for these Petite Vanilla Bean Scones!
Best: Vanilla Beans
To get that beautiful, speckled look for the vanilla glaze, you take vanilla beans, cut them in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a sharp knife. The seeds are what give the beautiful speckles and a delicate, floral flavour that is unmatched. You can also steep liquids with the sliced beans, to infuse delicate, floral flavour. The downside is that the vanilla bean pods are very expensive, and can be difficult to find.
Ways to serve Petite Vanilla Bean Scones
These tiny pastries are the ultimate in elegance! Try these ways of serving them:
- Mother’s Day brunch
- Easter brunch
- Christmas morning breakfast
- Breakfast buffet
- High Tea
- Baby or wedding shower
- Coffee cart
- Dessert grazing table
- Church group meetings
- Gift basket
- Bake sales
The list is endless!
How to make Scones
Making scones it pretty easy! You can make them with all kinds of ingredients to get a sweet or savory pastry. The only thing to keep in mind is to treat the dough gently and to never overmix.
First, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients until mixed. You can use a food processor, a handheld pastry blender, or even two knives. Then mix together all the wet ingredients, and add to the butter/dry ingredient mixture. Mix that until you get a dough ball.
Next, gently pat the dough into a rectangle about a half of an inch thick. A few cuts later and you will end up with 24 triangle-shaped scones.
Last, bake the scones and when cooled, completely dip each cooled scone in the vanilla glaze. I find using a couple of forks to roll the scones around in the glaze is much less messy. Allow the excess glaze to drip off the scones by putting the freshly-dipped scones on a cooling rack. If you put a sheet of parchment paper underneath, clean-up will be so much easier!
Store in sealed container.
The inspiration for these scones is this recipe from Iowa Girl Eats.
Petite Vanilla Bean Scones
Equipment
- food processor or handheld pastry blender
- Rolling Pin
- Baking sheet
- parchment paper
- Cooling rack
Ingredients
Vanilla Scones
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter cubed, cold
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 2 tsp vanilla extract or seeds from 2 vanilla beans
Vanilla Bean Glaze
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 8 to 12 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F.
- In a food processor with metal blade attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. (You could also use a hand-held pastry blender).
- Add cubed, cold butter and pulse until blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together heavy cream, egg and vanilla paste. Add to flour mixture and pulse until mixture forms a dough ball.
- Turn dough out onto a floured board or countertop. Gently roll out, or using your hands, pat into a rectangle about 1/2” thick.
- Cut rectangle into 6 equal pieces. Then cut each piece diagonally. Cut each diagonal piece AGAIN to form 24 mini scones.
- Place cut mini scones onto a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving space around each scone. You may have to bake them in batches. Bake 8-9 minutes or until just barely turning colour on the bottom.
- Cool completely.
- While scones are cooling, make the glaze. In a large bowl, add icing sugar, vanilla bean paste, and 8 tablespoons of the heavy cream. Mix until blended. Keep adding cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until glaze drips off a spoon in a steady stream.
- Dip each scone in glaze, getting all sides covered. Place glazed scones on a cooling rack until dry.
- Store scones in a sealed container.