These little vanilla scones are supposed to be a copycat of the Starbucks’ petite vanilla bean scone. The question that I always ask with copycat recipes is “Does this really taste like the original?” See below for my exciting conclusion.
When I saw this recipe I instantly thought of two things. One, they are scones… hello, of course I want to make them. Two, they are smaller than the average sized scone so that means that I can eat one and not feel guilty (or that’s what I keep telling myself). My husband points out that being smaller also makes them automatically cute. It didn’t matter to me that they were a copycat recipe because I’d never actually eaten the Starbucks’ version. Yes, really. I admired them from afar (okay, just through the glass of their display case) but I resisted the temptation of buying one (at least until recently).
I finally had an excuse to make these for my niece’s 2nd birthday party. My sister did a wonderful job hosting a princess party themed brunch. She had cute names for each of the food items and she dubbed these scones as “Sleeping Beauty’s Pillows.” Adorable, right?!!
These little pretties were a HUGE hit! They are everything you could possibly want in a scone. They are a tad crumbly, have awesome flavor, and are covered in a sweet frosting.
My husband and I usually use our scone pan to make scones so I have to admit that I had reservations about making these without one. I’m a perfectionist so the idea of forming the dough with my hands terrified me. Rest assured that my husband’s help and gentle nudging got me over my fears and it was quite easy to make them without my trusty pan.
I placed these little scones next to my favorite mug to try to give you an idea of the actual size of them. The idea kind of back fired when I realized after taking the pictures that this mug is actually bigger than the average sized one. Oh well, I had good intentions.
Let’s get back to the initial question at hand… Do they really taste like the Starbucks ones? I indulged and bought one for my husband and I to do a side by side taste test. It was as good an excuse as any to buy one. Drum roll please. Both my husband think that these have a stronger vanilla flavor and that these have more of a traditional texture for a scone. The Starbucks’ version has a vanilla flavor but we also sense a lemony flavor and their texture is more like a soft dense cookie. In conclusion, both taste delicious, both are fattening, and these are way cheaper to bring to a party. In the end we both prefer these scones over the Starbucks ones. If you make these I’d love to hear how you think that they compare.
Plus there’s the added benefit of being able to enjoy one of these little guys by simply walking to the kitchen in your pajamas.
Petite Vanilla Scones Recipe
(Makes 16 miniature sized scones)
Ingredients for the Scones:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons butter, cold and diced
- 1 box (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (Use the good stuff, not the imitation.)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream (divided per the directions)
Ingredients for the Frosting:
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Directions for the Scones:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Using a pastry blender, cut in the diced cold butter until the mixture forms small crumbs. You can also use a fork, but it’s WAY easier with the right tool.
- Stir in the pudding mix.
- Add in the vanilla extract, egg, and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Mix all of the ingredients together using a fork until everything is just incorporated.
- Place the dough onto your working surface and divide the dough in half.
- Form each half into a round that is about 6 inch across.
- Cut each round into 8 triangles (like you would do for pizza) and place the pieces onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the top of each triangle with a the remaining 1 tablespoon of heavy cream.
- Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes or until just golden.
- Allow them to cool before frosting them.
Directions for the Frosting:
- In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and powdered sugar.
- Beat in the vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream until smooth. If you need the additional 1 tablespoon then go ahead and use it. I used all 3 tablespoons.
- Frost the scones using a knife or dip them upside down into the frosting.
Source: Crazy For Crust
Here are some other morning guilty pleasures.
Peach Blueberry Scones with Spice Frosting
When I was traveling in Asia, good coffee was hard to come by, I know you guys dig Starbucks, we Aussies are coffee snobs, so Starbucks is generally a last resort. We ended up there a lot, I would grab a snack to go too, these little scones were delicious. Will have to have a crack at your recipe to see how close it is.
Lovely pictures, Im hungry for an afternoon tea snack now. Going down to the kitchen to beg the chefs for food. LOL! Happy weekend to you lovely lady.
Coffee snobs, ay?! I DEFINITELY need to come visit you and check out the coffee scene!!! #coffeerules
Aw these are so cute. I agree with your husband – small things are instantly cute 🙂
And how adroable you called them Sleeping Beauty pillows. I totally get why they were a hit
Thanks Josefine! I hope you have a lovely week!! 🙂
Oh how I love a good scone! What I would give for one of these with my tea right now! They look awesome! I’ve never had the starbucks ones but I would bet that these are better! Homemade always wins 🙂
Every time my husband and I ate one of the ones I made we kept saying how much better they are. Love it when homemade goodies wins the day. 🙂
I’m down with flu/strep, but the upside is that I get a few days to myself to just stroll around in pajamas and bake wonderful little goodies such as these! I’ve never had the Starbucks version, but I love the idea of a strong vanilla flavor and an authentic scone texture 🙂
I hope you feel better soon!!
I could eat vanilla scones for every meal!! These look so delicious!
You’d get along fabulous with my husband because he says the same!! Thanks Kelly. 🙂
How fun to do a taste test of the two scones! These are gorgeous and look pretty darn perfect to me 🙂
Thank you so much Megan! 🙂