Petite Vanilla Scones

I have an obsession with these little triangles of goodness from Starbucks.  Unfortunately, an order of these along with a specialty coffee can get a little costly.  So, I was very excited to see that The Pioneer Woman had her own version, and was very anxious to make them.  They were great.


The first time I used this recipe, I made them "as-is" and loved them.  That vanilla cream is heavenly, however it was a little painful paying for the whole vanilla beans.  It was a little counter active to my making them at home to save money.  So, I decided to see how it would work to just use vanilla extract, and they still turned out great.  


Here is my version, and I really encourage you to try them.  You will not be sorry. Well, except for the fact that it's really hard to keep from eating the whole batch as soon as they come out of the oven. 

Scones

3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

5 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, chilled

1 egg

3/4 cup heavy cream (more, if needed)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Glaze

3 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into the flour until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla and cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.  Add another splash if needed.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

 Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla and milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

Dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.  Or freeze for up to 2 months.