Petite Vanilla Scones

I have been searching for a good scone recipe. Actually, I’ve come across many recipes, have even ripped them out of cooking magazines or printed them from the web, but have never tried any of them. Thank God the first one I tried was the perfect scone recipe. I do not think I will EVER EVER EVER try another. Luckily, I didn’t even have to search for this one. It found me because I subscribe to this blog. And you should, too. I want the Pioneer Woman’s cookbook. But I want a lot of things. Mostly these scones.

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Long before I found this recipe I had already developed my Starbucks' Petite Vanilla Scone addiction. I introduced them to my mom. She's addicted, too, but doesn't live by Starbucks. Too bad for her (but good for her waistline). We think they taste like the best sugar cookie ever--except in the form of a thick, soft biscuit and covered with vanilla-bean-flecked glazed yumminess.

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And then I found the recipe. Or it found me. And I gathered all the ingredients and let the magic in my kitchen happen. My husband, trying to make me feel good, commented that my scones would probably be better than Starbucks’ version. Surely you’re kidding, I told him. How could that possibly be? Oh, it BE!

So you can go to the Pioneer Woman’s blog and see fantastic pictures of the recipe in progress. I don’t have an SLR camera (yet), haven’t taken a photography class (yet), and therefore am not very good at taking food pictures (yet). I want to do all of the above, but I want a lot of things. Mostly these scones.

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A few hints before you get to the recipe:

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VANILLA BEANS: You can purchase the McCormick version of vanilla beans at Meijer. You only get two beans and they cost $11.99. They’re all folded up and really quite sad looking. This recipe calls for three beans, so rather than take out a small loan just to make these scones, you could go to Penzey’s Spices if you’re so lucky to have one nearby and purchase the cutest little tube of THREE vanilla beans, all stretched out in their glory for a mere $7.25. There’s also a discount if you buy 5 tubes. Believe me, after you taste these scones, you’ll see that five tubes of vanilla beans won’t last you all that long.

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TRIANGLES: The Pioneer Woman divides up her dough into triangles, most likely because (a) Starbucks does and (b) that is the typical shape of a scone. The first time I made this recipe, I did, too. Starbucks Petite Vanilla Scones are much smaller than the triangles that come out here. So the second time, I used a small biscuit cutter so the scones would be petite—hence the name of the recipe.

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VANILLA GLAZE: I added more powdered sugar than the recipe call for because I wanted the glaze to resemble Starbucks’ glaze, which is nice and thick. I also triple-dipped the scones (allowing them to dry in between dips) for a nice, thick coating.

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The recipe is so valuable I will post it below, that way if the link ever messes up, it still lives here. Otherwise get on over to the Pioneer Woman’s blog. She’s much more witty than I am, so don’t forget to come back and visit me once in awhile!

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Ingredients

SCONES

3 cups All-purpose Flour

⅔ cups Sugar

5 teaspoons Baking Powder (yep, it's FIVE...not a typo)

½ teaspoons Salt

2 sticks (1/2 Pound) UNSALTED Butter, Chilled

1 whole Large Egg

¾ cups Heavy Cream (more if needed--I didn't need any more)

2 whole Vanilla Beans

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GLAZE

3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted

½ cups Whole Milk

1 whole Vanilla Bean

Dash Of Salt

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Preparation Instructions

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.

• Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs. This can take awhile, so be patient. It really does help to have a pastry cutter--I would buy one even if this were the only recipe you would ever need it. (I haven't tried yet, but you could probably get the same results in a food processor also--just a few pulses until the mixture looks crumbly.)

• Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

• Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

• Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles. (Or make whatever shape you want, like how I used a biscuit cutter.)

• Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes (I think my time was more like 15 minutes...will depend on how your oven works), removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

• To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

• One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.