Vanilla Scones are light, fluffy and melt in your mouth. Pure vanilla bean paste takes these vanilla scones to the next level. If you’re a scone lover like me, you have to make these! They are delicious!
I could eat breakfast treats every morning.
Are you a sweet or savory breakfast person? Or both?
I would say I’m both. As a kiddo I was definitely sweet, but I think most kids go for the sweet stuff like french toast (was my favorite!) instead of the veggie omelet (which is now my favorite!). Just my assumption.
As an adult, I now know that pancakes, donuts, muffins, scones and french toast just are not always the best way to start the day.
I sure wish it was though…
However? Every once in awhile it’s completely and totally fine with me. This is why I made Vanilla Scones this week! I was having a little coffee breakfast craving for something sweet and I wasn’t about to whip up pancakes before work. 36 weeks pregnant here – we need our sleep!
Scones don’t seem to be as popular as donuts or muffins for breakfast treats, but I actually like them so much more. I find them incredibly satisfying (for my sweet tooth), but at the same time, not overly sweet or filling. They are so awesome with coffee. It’s like the best thing ever. Scones and coffee? I die.
I know I say this all the time, but they’re not all that hard to make either. The ingredients are very straight forward and the best part about scones? They’re rustic looking so don’t worry about making them look a certain way – they’re not supposed to look perfect by any means. I also use my KitchenAid Mixer and find it to be way faster than using my hands or a pastry blender. Don’t get me wrong, totally fine – I’ve made them that way too. Do what you want!
I love the idea of making scones for neighbors/friends/families as a nice gesture. If someone just had a baby or needs a pick-me-up, meals are always great because they’re hard to pull together with a newborn, but scones are also a nice treat to bring as they serve as a “meal.” Now, it’s not a healthy meal, but they can wake up and enjoy a scone with coffee and fruit and be done. And…who really goes out all that often and buys scones for breakfast? It’s usually donuts or something. Surprise them with scones!
Are you a scone fan now?
I used Nielsen-Massey Vanilla Bean Paste for this recipe. Do you see the specks of vanilla?
You can purchase it by clicking on the image below.
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to your Pinterest board by clicking the image below!
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
- ¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1½ cups confectioners sugar
- 2 tablespoons water (may need more)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking mat with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.
- In a stand-alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and granulated sugar. Add cold cubed butter and mix on low-speed until course crumbs forms - careful not to over-mix.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla then add it to the mixer and mix until dough comes together. It will be crumbly.
- Flour a clean service and kneed dough just a bit until it comes together. Form it into a circle about 1 inch in thickness. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut scones into 8 wedges. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
- While scones are cooling, add all the glaze ingredients into a bowl and whisk - glaze will be slightly thick but should drizzle off a spoon. Use a spoon to spread glaze over cooled scones. Let stand until glaze is set.
Being stuck at home during this pandemic has had me go from “Oh, I don’t bake”, to making all sorts of breads and desserts these days, lol. My oldest was craving Starbucks coffee cake and I was craving their scones. I made the cake and decided to try this recipe. Oh. My. Goodness! So delicious! I’m at around 7000 altitude and had to use a lot less flour and almost double the baking time (covered with tented foil after the 1st 20 minutes), and it turned out AMAZING. I used vanilla paste and scraped half a vanilla bean into both the batter and the glaze. Again, sooo delicious! I’ll be making these over and over. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
You’re so welcome! Glad you enjoy them!
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
you can freeze them! Otherwise 3-4 days in an airtight container
I don’t have a stand mixer, just the usual mixer that’s used to blend ingredients together. Will that work instead?
yep!
This looks so good! Do you use this glaze in any other recipes?
Do you think this would make a good base for topping with fresh strawberries ? Making like a strawberry shortcake? I don’t like ‘cakes’ with strawberries, or the biscuit type–even though this might fall into that category. Thoughts please ? Need to know ASAP
Yes! It would be very good.
Would I be able to grate my butter for easier mixing?
sure!
Hi I haven’t use this recipe In a minute because I haven’t had vanilla beans. Now that I do I realize that the vanilla bean paste recipe isn’t here anymore and I was wondering if you could help me with that?
it’s there! But here it is just in case.
Ingredients
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
½ cup milk
1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
¾ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
Vanilla Glaze
1½ cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons water (may need more)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking mat with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat; set aside.
In a stand-alone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and granulated sugar. Add cold cubed butter and mix on low-speed until course crumbs forms – careful not to over-mix.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, and vanilla then add it to the mixer and mix until dough comes together. It will be crumbly.
Flour a clean service and kneed dough just a bit until it comes together. Form it into a circle about 1 inch in thickness. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut scones into 8 wedges. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.
While scones are cooling, add all the glaze ingredients into a bowl and whisk – glaze will be slightly thick but should drizzle off a spoon. Use a spoon to spread glaze over cooled scones. Let stand until glaze is set.
I’ve always loved scones and these are by far the best I’ve made. I found this recipe probably a year or more ago. I had the unpleasant task of trying to make these without a mixer and to be honest the mixer makes a big difference lol! This is a great recipe and super easy to double. Thank you so much for sharing this!
yay! you’re welcome!
Can you use salted butter
yes!
Do you think these would freeze well? I’ve made them a couple of times and they’re great.
yes I do!
I’ve made these multiple times, always perfect and delicious!
glad you like them!
Store in refrigerator or counter? Only storing for one day…
Either one works!
Beyond great!! I literally just finished them and they’re already gone (thanks to a family of 6). This recipe is one of the best I’ve made and the perfect way to break in my new stand mixer.
So glad!!
These scones came out AMAZING! So simple to make. I was wary of using a pastry blender but my mixer worked just as good! Thank you for sharing!
you’re welcome! Glad you liked them!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I made these a couple of times before already, my son loved them so much he specifically asked for them for Father’s Day, Happy Fathers Day son!
SO glad!!
These were amazing! I have tried a lot of scone recipes and always thought they were pretty good, but these are next level😍. I used a half vanilla bean for the icing because I didn’t have the paste, I think I’m in love.
so glad!
Ive been into making scones lately, but when I ice them the icing has melted into the scones. How do I get the icing to harden and not melt into the scone. Any advice
are you icing them when they are warm? If so, make sure they are completely cooled first. Your icing might be too runny. I suggest using less liquid in your icing or add more powdered sugar to thicken it up.
These really are amazing scones! So easy to make and my friends always love them! I love that I always have the ingredients and don’t need to go grocery shopping!
Thanks Meredith!
I made these this morning since school was cancelled again and our boss asked us to stay home so everyone was safe. The. Best. Scone Recipe. EVER. Seriously, I have made a few and never got it right. These were easy and sooo good. I didn’t have vanilla bean paste and just used pure vanilla extract, I want to get the paste and try it, I can’t imagine them being better but maybe so! We wanted some chocolate chips, so I kneaded in about a cup of dark chocolate chips, baked for 13 minutes. Omg so good!! Thank you!
so glad you like them! They’re my favorite, too!
I have been making these for about a year now and they are hit among my friends and family! Sometimes I’ll swap the vanilla extract in the glaze for almond extract and that is also delicious.
Love the almond! I am going to try that!
Do these freeze or store well? I love scones but I’m the only one who eats them and don’t want any to go to waste
I have not tried it but I think they would be fine!
This is an older comment but yes, by all means freeze them. You should freeze them before you bake them though. We do this frequently, I’ll make chocolate chip cookies and form them into balls and then freeze them baking as many or as few as are needed at the time. We do this also with scones, biscuits or any sort of item that you would want to bake, prepare freeze and then bake as many as you need when you want them fresh.
I made these this morning for our missionary group and everyone absolutely LOVED them. A couple people said it was the best scone they’ve tried and I’m right there along with them. Also, thankful that the recipe was super easy and required only the basic ingredients!
So glad you liked them!
Making these for Mothers Day brunch tomorrow morning. I made them a bit smaller (about 12 of them instead of 8) I baked them at 425 for about 6-7 minutes. they are to die for!! First time making scones but I have had store bought ones before and I am blown away with how amazing these are. I will never buy store bought ones ever again. For those not lucky enough to have a stand mixer I used a hand blender and had a to squish the pieces of cold butter to make it crumble in with the dry ingredients. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
you’re welcome Jenn! Glad you liked them!!
On our way to high school in the mornings, we stop in at our favorite coffee place and my daughter buys their petite scones (over-priced and dry, so I won’t buy them 🙂 !). I am a baker, so I convinced her to try making these instead! LOVE, LOVE, and LOVE! Plus…she’s so proud of herself for making them herself and saving her cash! Simple and delicious! Thank you for the great scone recipe!
You’re welcome! Home baked treats are the best!!
I have made these numerous times in the last month. Every since person who has one….falls in love. This is my “go-to” scone recipe now. They are divine! I make 16 smaller scones with this recipe, more love to share with friends 🙂
Thanks for the comment Melissa! So happy you love them!
Jessica Erin! There are no words except that these are utterly amazing! I followed your recipe exactly with the exception of using a pastry blender instead of my kitchen aid mixer and adding the innards of a whole vanilla bean split between the scone and glaze. I’m a night shift maternity nurse and just made these at midnight for an English friend of mine who is battling breast cancer. (The English love their scones!) I couldn’t have found your recipe on Pinterest at a better time. Thanks so very much for posting. Hope your little one is healthy and able to enjoy this confection one day!
So happy you friend enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing your kind comments and sending all the love and prayers to your friend!
I’ve made these at least twice a month since I found this recipe and they are by far the best scones I’ve ever had. Moist and flaky and such a wonderful basic vanilla scone to work with to change the flavor profile. My kids love it when I add in chocolate chips!! Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re so welcome! Glad you and your family like them!
Hi Jessica! How far in advance have you made these? I’m hoping to make these for Christmas morning at my parents and wondering if they’ll be ok for a few of days while we travel or if I should opt to make them there. Thank you!
Hi Jill! A few days should be fine, just make sure they are tightly covered. Enjoy!
Oh.My.Gosh. I just made these 30 minutes ago and i am in LOVE! I have been craving scones for the last week and these definitely fixed my craving 🙂
Thanks!
So glad you love them!
Have you ever made these onto mini scones?
I haven’t, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would just watch them to make sure they don’t burn…they might not need as long in the oven.
I make 16 small scones instead of 8. Easier for the little hands and tummies to handle. Cut the bake time to approximately 9 minutes.
Made these this afternoon for my friends and I to eat tomorrow morning. They turned out beautifully, and I added half a vanilla bean to the icing and they are perfect! Thanks for the awesome recipe 🙂
So glad you enjoyed them! I just love scones and this recipe is a favorite of mine! Thanks for the comment!
Can I add fruit to these?
sure! Just make sure they are not too wet.
These are my go-to scones. So much better than other scones. But, I went blueberry picking and would love to try a blueberry scone. Do you have any tips for how to modify this recipe to include fresh blueberries?
so glad you like it! I would toss them with a little flour and just fold them in!
My daughter made these today. They are WONDERFUL!
If i substitute the vanilla bean paste for just liquid pure extract, will it still turn out the same, just without the flecks of vanilla?
Hi Sasha – yes that should be fine! Enjoy!
These are amazing! I used a different glaze but the scones themselves were perfect. Nice and flaky and soft. My family loves them!
Wonderful Susan!
I love a good scone for breakfast! Can’t wait to try these!