Starbuck's Petite Vanilla Bean Scones

This is a picture of my second attempt at baking the infamous Starbuck's Petite Vanilla Bean Scones. I got the recipe from recipezaar.com (click on the link or scroll down). The only thing I changed was the 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste that I purchased at Williams-Sonoma. I also used a scone pan, which proved to be very useful.

On my first attempt, I did not use a scone pan and I tried to cut them into triangles, but it didn't work out very well, so it just baked like a big slab. Also, I noticed that every time I mix the batter together and really incorporate the ingredients well and knead/roll out the dough, it bakes very cake-like and soft. But on my second attempt, I got really lazy and mixed the dough with a hand mixer but left the dough in a kind of "dippin-dots" consistency and spooned them into the pan and packed them in, they came out more 'scone-like' and i guess you could say 'crunchier,' which I loved, it was still soft but it had that nice sort of crunch. Another thing I did was instead of baking the scones "until golden brown on top" like it says on the recipe, I just pulled them out exactly at 15 minutes, because then it keeps the nice creme color that is even all around. I also added some vanilla bean paste to the glaze as well to have the lovely little specks of vanilla bean all around.

Anyway, I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. I really enjoy making them. If you do decide to attempt baking them, feel free to share your experience by leaving a comment.

DRY INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups weigh 9 oz)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces (5 TBL weigh 70 g)

WET INGREDIENTS

1 cup regular full-fat sour cream

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GLAZE

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

water, as needed

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. F.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. Using any method you prefer, cut the cold butter into the dry ingredients until flour resembles coarse meal, or use the following tip: The "grate" method: I grate a block of cold butter against the large holes of a box grater and weigh the butter ribbons to get the amount I need (1 TBL butter = 14 grams, so 5 TBL = 70 grams). Toss the butter ribbons with the flour mixture, and then use two knives to cut the flour-coated ribbons into 1/4-inch pieces.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg yolk and vanilla extract until blended. Add this to the flour-butter mixture and stir with a fork until dough forms a cohesive ball. Use a spatula to get the dry bits fully incorporated. (It may not seem to have enough liquid at first, but the dough will eventually come together.).
5. Place the sticky dough onto a parchment-lined (or ungreased) baking sheet and pat into a disk about 1-inch in height. Cut the dough into wedges but do not separate. Or scoop dough into a mini scone pan if available. (Yield will vary depending on how big you slice the wedges.).
6. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

PREPARE GLAZE WHILE SCONES ARE BAKING

GLAZE

1. Place powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and add water one teaspoon at a time, mixing vigorously until smooth and runny.
2. Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of glaze over the hot scones. Brushing rather than drizzling gives a smoother appearance and requires less glaze.
3. Serve immediately. Store cooled scones in an airtight container.