Recipes to Make with Kids: Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Bean Scones

Good recipes for scones are hard to find. The best person to teach you how to make scones is our friend and former teacher Heather Farmer of Boston Girl Bakes. The explanations on her blog and the detailed steps will turn you into a scones expert before you know it.

Nothing compares to Heather's Orange Cranberry Scones. But, this recipe for Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Bean scones made with actual vanilla beans is a close second.

I modified Heather's basic recipe and boosted it with the delicious power of pure vanilla. I think these scones taste just like the ones at Starbucks, but you decide. Bake and batch and do a side-by-side comparison. Let me know what you think in the comments!

I make all my scones "mini" but you can make these full-size, too.

Here's some pictures of my 5 year old son and I making these together.

weighing our dough before forming discs

making sure we got the height right

cutting mini scones is fun!

Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Bean Scones

Makes 24 mini scones

Ingredients: For scones: 2 cups bread flour or all-purpose flour ⅓ cup granulated white sugar 1 ½teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter

½ cup cold heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean

1 ½ tablespoons whole milk

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cut butter into 1/2-inch cubes and return to refrigerator.

3. Whip the cream and vanilla with a hand-held electric mixer just until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Place into the refrigerator.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

5. Add the butter to the bowl. With a fork, toss it to coat with the flour. Press the butter cubes between your fingers to form very thin, pea-size flakes.

6. Make a well in the center of the butter and flour mixture. Pour the whipped cream and vanilla mixture into the well. With a spatula, stir the flour mixture with the cream mixture until it’s all moistened.

7. Lightly knead the dough in the bowl just until it holds together. Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter. Gently knead the dough a few times until it is slightly stretchy and can be shaped into a ball.

8. Once the dough is in a ball, divide it into three equal portions. Flatten each portion into a round disc shape, about 1 inch thick. (Note: if you think the dough will si out too long, wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.)

9. Cut each disc into 8 small, triangle-shaped wedges, like a pizza. (Can also be cut into 4 wedges for larger scones, if desired.) Place wedges about one inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.

10. Bake the scones for 12-16 minutes or until slightly golden. Place on a wire rack to cool.

11. Make the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds and milk in a bowl until smooth. Once the scones have cooled for at least 10 minutes, dip the top of each scone into the glaze. Enjoy!

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For more baking inspiration, check out Recipes to Make with Kids on our blog, or consider signing your child up for a baking class in your area. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @ittybittybakers and tag us in your photos!

Happy baking!