
Mini Vanilla Bean Scones
I love the petite vanilla bean scones offered at Starbucks. Even better, they sell them in sets of three for a discount but I tend to run into a little problem each time that leaves me empty handed. I’ll order one set of three, hand them back to a pair of hands ready for the sweet vanilla bean goodness, who then passes out the other two, and poof they are gone. I end up wondering why I didn’t just order four in the first place.
Solution. Make my own!
Here is a simple and delicious recipe for mini vanilla bean scones that won’t leave you empty handed. Remember to bake them before you make your coffee run ;-)!

Mini Vanilla Bean Scones
adapted from Allrecipes – Simple Scones
2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cut
1/2 cup nonfat vanilla greek yogurt
1 egg
1 vanilla bean (scrape 3/4 of the vanilla bean, save 1/4 for glaze)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla Bean Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 of the vanilla bean
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in food processor. Add butter and process until butter is combined and resembles coarse meal. In small bowl combine, egg, yogurt, vanilla extract, and 3/4 of the vanilla bean. Add to food processor and pulse until dough forms a ball. Remove to a lightly floured surface and divide dough into two balls. Pat each ball into a 3/4 inch thick circle. Cut each circle into 8 triangles, making a total of 16 mini scones. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake until lightly golden, about 10-12 minutes,. While scones are cooling make the glaze. Combine 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with milk, vanilla extract, and remaining vanilla bean. You can use a spoon to spread on the tops of each scone or dip each scone to coat top.
Note: You can use vanilla bean paste as an alternative if you don’t have a vanilla bean on hand.
23 Comments
julia
Lats night my husband and I decided vanilla is an under appreciate flavor and that we both LOVE it. Totally need to try these.
Jennifer Lewis
Yes, I totally agree. Love, love vanilla!
Andrea
I love a good scones and your look delicious.
Jennifer Lewis
Thank you! They were very good indeed and so simple to make.
Connie
Thanks for bring these delicious scones to life group the other night! Super yummy! If I were to make the blueberries lemon scones, then do I make it the same way as well?
Connie
Daralynne
How exactly do you make the glaze? Do you just put it all in a mixing bowl and use a hand mixer? And does the glaze harden at all?…Like the Starbuck’s ones… 🙂 I’m really excited to try and make these but I’m not really an experienced baker.
Jennifer Lewis
Hi Daralynne! Sorry for the late reply. To make the glaze you simply add all ingredients to a small bowl and stir with a spoon. No need to use a hand mixer here ;-). Add the glaze after the scones have cooled for at least 10 minutes. You can take each scone and dip the tops into your glaze to coat or you can spread with a spoon over each scone. The glaze will harden just a little and will stay put after it sets. I usually put a piece of parchment paper or paper towels under the scones to catch the excess glaze. Hope this helps!!!
Michelle
How close do these taste to the original?
Jennifer Lewis
Hi Michelle! I think they come pretty close to the original. Happy baking and hope you like them as much as we do ;-).
Cheryl
These scones don’t just look delicious…they ARE delicious. Took them to work, and everyone raved about how incredible they were.
Jennifer Lewis
Hi Cheryl! I’m so glad you loved these scones along with everyone at your work ;-)! Thank you for the review. Take care!
Kim - Liv Life
I spent nearly half of an hour searching for Vanilla Bean Scones… your recipe was the 2nd on I found, and ultimately the one I baked. Thank you for a fabulous recipe! You made a carpool of teenaged girls very happy last week.
I hope you don’t mind, but I blogged about the scones today, linking back to your blog. Thank you for a wonderful recipe, and I love the addition of the yogurt!
Jennifer Lewis
Thank you so much for the feedback and so happy to hear I made a group of teenage girls happy! Thank you for sharing the recipe and linking back to my site too ;-).
Linnea
I cannot wait to try this! I’ve been looking for the closest looking scones that starbucks has and seems to me that people love your recipe!
Mary
Hi! I had these exact scones at a baby shower and demanded the recipe!! They are to die for 🙂 I want to make them for a brunch I am hosting and wanted to know if I could make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate over night and make the next day? Also, how should I store them overnight once they are made? Fridge? Tupperware?
Thanks
Leticia
I just made this recipe and I am very happy with how easy it was to make! I researched a few recipes and am glad this was the one I made… Tastes delicious!!!! Will be making these again for sure!!!
Jennifer Lewis
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe turned out great for you! Happy Baking!
TiffanyH
If you do not have a food processor, is there another way to do this? My daughter loves anything vanilla, and her birthday is Sunday, so I was thinking of making them for a special breakfast treat! 🙂
Jennifer Lewis
Hi! So sorry for the late reply! Yes, you can still make scones even if you don’t have a food processor :). Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until dough forms a ball. I hope this helps! Happy baking!
Sara
These look wonderful. If I made full size instead of mini scones, how long would they need to cook? I saw 10 min for the minis…
Jennifer Lewis
Hello Sara! Sorry for the late reply and I hope you were able to make these delicious scones. I would suggest checking them at 12 mins with 15 mins being the average cook time for a full size batch of 8. Happy baking!
Kerri
Can I make these without the vanilla bean? It is just so expensive 🙁
Jennifer Lewis
Hi Kerri! Yes, you can definitely make these without a vanilla bean. I know what you mean, they are expensive! I would suggest 1 to 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract for the scones and use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in the glaze. Happy Baking!