bite-sized vanilla bean scones.
Suz Bakes has had nearly 6,500 visits in the past three months, what!
This probably means I should apologize for neglecting you all for the past few weeks... so, I'm sorry. I honestly don't know how people can blog so frequently, especially when baking is involved. Researching, prepping, baking, photographing, taste-testing... it all is such a process. And let me tell you, the taste-testing phase takes the longest. ;)
I've had a busy schedule and it's only getting busier - I'm baking for a wedding in a few weeks and am so excited! The bride is amazingly relaxed and go-with-the-flow, so I threw out a few suggestions for her big day and she responded with a "Sure! Do whatever!" How often does that happen??!
I guess I saw way too many Bridezillas back in the day on television.
It seems relatively important to sample recipes before baking mass quantities and totally ruining someone's special day with a goopy, tasteless mess. So aside from using a few tried-and-true classics, I wanted to experiment with a new dessert that just seemed vintagey and fresh, and mini vanilla scones fit the bill oh-so-nicely.
I've never made scones before, so I was a little nervous to see how these would try out. Honestly, I've never really been a fan. The few I've tried have been tough or dry or really dense... and I guess I just don't know how they're actually supposed to taste, but I'd certainly hope it's not like that. Luckily, when these came out of the oven all was right with the world.
They were just so darn cute. And puffy. And tiny. And cute. And smelled delicious.
I told myself to wait, to not sample one until I'd dunked it in glaze - because that's how they're supposed to be eaten.
Self control is a bit of a struggle for me. I'm a borderline need-to-be attendee to gluttons anonymous.
But hey! On the bright side, these taste great without the glaze. :)
The great thing about this recipe is that you can make them whatever size you'd like, depending on how many sections you cut your dough into. Simply adjust your baking time by a minute or two, and presto! Cute little scones, ready for dipping.
Did I mention they're adorable?
I added a bit of extract to the glaze to give it a bit more depth, but other than that this recipe is just about perfect. The conversion from one vanilla bean to vanilla extract is about 1 tablespoon per bean, but I cut back just a tad so I wouldn't overpower my taste-testers. If you love vanilla, go for it! Add in the extra 2 teaspoons and enjoy the sweet, sweet flavor!
These have been dubbed the best thing I've ever made by a faithful taste-tester (aka my dad who only ever says, "yeah, these are good" when I ask for a critique).
Enjoy, from my kitchen to yours. :)
Vanilla Bean Scones
2 cups flour
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cubed
½ cup half & half
1 egg
2 vanilla beans, scraped (or 4 teaspoons vanilla extract)
GLAZE:
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons half & half
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a large food processor (or in a large bowl) add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then pulse or whisk to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until well incorporated and mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Alternatively, use a pastry blender to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together half & half, egg, and vanilla bean seeds or extract. Add to flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Alternatively, stir until the dough comes together in a ball.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface then gently knead 4 or 5 times to bring the dough together. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2″ thick then trim sides to make a rectangle. Cut rectangle into 6 or 9 rectangles, then cut each one in half diagonally. Cut each triangle in half to make 2 triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet then bake for 6-7 minutes, or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
5. Remove scones to a cooling rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients. Dip cooled scones in glaze then place back onto cooling rack to harden completely. Serves 24-36.
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cubed
½ cup half & half
1 egg
2 vanilla beans, scraped (or 4 teaspoons vanilla extract)
GLAZE:
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tablespoons half & half
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees then line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a large food processor (or in a large bowl) add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, then pulse or whisk to combine. Add cold butter and pulse until well incorporated and mixture is the texture of cornmeal. Alternatively, use a pastry blender to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together half & half, egg, and vanilla bean seeds or extract. Add to flour mixture and pulse until just combined. Alternatively, stir until the dough comes together in a ball.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface then gently knead 4 or 5 times to bring the dough together. Roll dough into a rectangle about 1/2″ thick then trim sides to make a rectangle. Cut rectangle into 6 or 9 rectangles, then cut each one in half diagonally. Cut each triangle in half to make 2 triangles. Transfer to prepared baking sheet then bake for 6-7 minutes, or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown.
5. Remove scones to a cooling rack to cool completely. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together glaze ingredients. Dip cooled scones in glaze then place back onto cooling rack to harden completely. Serves 24-36.
They look delicious and super cute. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!! They're remarkably easy to pull together, you should try them! :)
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