Mini Vanilla Bean Scones

These Mini Vanilla Bean Scones pack all the buttery, flaky goodness of a bakery-style scone into an elegant petite treat. They're full of real vanilla flavor, made even better with a simple vanilla glaze. Enjoy them for brunch, afternoon tea, a coffee break, or whenever you want a little sweet treat!

Sometimes you just want a small bite of scone. But not just any scone - if it's going to be small, you want that scone to pack in a lot of flavor.

That's why these Mini Vanilla Bean Scones fit the bill perfectly!

These scones layer vanilla flavor by combining vanilla bean paste in the dough with vanilla bean powder in the glaze (see the Ingredient Notes for more info on these products). Together they create rich vanilla flavor and beautiful vanilla flecks without the expense of using whole vanilla beans.

Unlike traditional bakery-sized cream scones, these mini vanilla bean scones are perfect when you want just a little something sweet. Similar to my Mini Lemon Tartlets, they're easy to serve at brunches, showers, and afternoon teas, and their smaller size means every bite gets a little more of that sweet vanilla glaze.

Arrange them on a tiered tea stand with berry jam, lemon curd, and clotted cream for a classic afternoon tea spread, or enjoy one alongside your morning coffee whenever you're craving a bakery-style treat.

Recipe ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients to make this mini vanilla bean scone recipe:

Ingredient Notes

The basic ingredients for cream scones don't vary a whole lot: all-purpose flour, heavy cream, butter, sugar, baking powder, an egg, and salt.

Butter: How you cut up your butter isn't as important as keeping it cold. Generally I'll grate frozen butter on a box grater before cutting it into the flour mixture. You can also cut chilled butter into small ½-inch cubes. Either way, make sure the butter is well chilled before cutting it into the flour mixture.

Some cream scones recipes use more butter than the 3 : 1 : 2 recipe ratio of flour, butter, and cream (the given amounts in this recipe use a 9 : 3 : 6 ratio). For this recipe, you can add another 2 tablespoons of butter for more richness if you'd like.

Baking powder: This scone recipe uses a generous amount of baking powder to insure you'll have tall, tender scones. Don't substitute baking soda as the scones will have a metallic taste to them.

Heavy cream: Enriches the dough for a tender crumb while keeping the texture light instead of cakey.

Vanilla bean paste: Made from vanilla extract and real vanilla bean seeds, vanilla bean paste adds concentrated vanilla flavor and beautiful vanilla flecks without the expense of whole vanilla beans. It's my favorite choice for these scones because it gives rich vanilla flavor and those classic specks throughout the dough.

You can use the same amount of vanilla extract or scrape the seeds from one fresh vanilla bean if you prefer.

Vanilla bean powder: Made from finely ground whole vanilla beans, vanilla bean powder provides concentrated vanilla flavor and the signature dark vanilla flecks without adding liquid. Unlike some products labeled simply "vanilla powder," pure vanilla bean powder contains only ground vanilla beans. 

However, vanilla bean powder does darken the icing's coloring (that's why the icing looks dark in these photos). You can use the same amount of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract to keep the color neutral, if desired.

See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

How to make Mini Vanilla Bean Scones

Step 1: Make the dough

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt (photo 1).

Step 2: Portion the dough

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a rough square about 1-inch high.

Fold the dough in half (using the bench scraper helps) into a rectangle. Flatten the dough with the bench scraper, then refold the short edge and flatten again (photo 5). Reshape the dough into a square, about 6- x 6-inches.

Do this "fold and flatten" method a few times. Folding creates alternating layers of dough and butter. As the butter melts in the oven, it releases steam that separates those layers, giving the scones their tender, flaky texture.

Storage and make-ahead instructions

Storage instructions: Scones are best enjoyed right away, though leftover scones keep well at room temperature or in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container, for about 3 to 5 days. Glazed or plain scones freeze well, in an airtight bag, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then warm to your liking before enjoying.

Make-ahead instructions: For freshly baked scones anytime, freeze the cut, unbaked scones in a ziplock bag. Take out as many as you want to bake (there's no need to defrost them first), and bake at 375 °F
for 20 to 25 minutes. Drizzle on the icing after cooling.

Yield Notes

The recipe as written makes 16 mini scones, and doubles easily if you're baking for a brunch, shower, holiday gathering, or afternoon tea. Prepare and shape the dough as directed, then bake in batches or freeze the extra unbaked scones so you can bake them fresh later.

Troubleshooting tips

Here are some issues you might encounter when making vanilla bean scones:

• My dough won't come together: Humidity affects flour. Add more heavy cream one tablespoon at a time until the dough just holds together
• My scones are dry: Too much flour can make scones crumbly. Using a kitchen scale to measure out the flour (or at least spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off) is the best way to make sure you have the correct amount of flour
• My scones spread instead of rising: The butter became too warm and blended into the flour. Don't over-mix the dough - you want to see pockets of butter in the finished dough, and be sure to chill the dough well before baking
• My scones aren't flaky: The butter likely became too warm and blended into the flour (see above) or the dough wasn't folded enough. Folding insures the dough has layers of flour and butter, and it's those pockets of butter that steam and spread during baking, creating flakiness
• My scones are tough: Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour. Stir only until the dough comes together, then stop
• My glaze is too thin: Add more powdered sugar in one teaspoon increments
• My glaze won't drizzle: Add milk in one teaspoon increments