It’s almost time for the new season of ‘Bridgerton’, and you just know their chefs used real vanilla beans to infuse their scones with heavenly vanilla flavor.
Have you ever treated yourself to the flavor that comes from real vanilla beans in a baked good? Scones have a butter cookie–meets–biscuit–meets–shortbread cookie kind of flavor that is activated by the taste of real vanilla beans and, if you haven’t noticed, I’ve been obsessed with scones lately. Just flip through my scones recipes; most of them have been posted within the past six weeks: Raspberry, Blackberry, and Blueberry Scones, Keto Blueberry Lemon Scones, even Chocolate Chip Scones. That’s because sweet scones are the perfect accompaniment to breakfast, an afternoon meal, afternoon tea, or after dinner, while savory scones like my Classic Scones, in which I stir fine bits of ham, cheese, paprika, and garlic powder, and sprinkle with kosher salt (instead of sanding sugar, of course) are the perfect pairing for whenever you’d normally serve a sandwich or biscuit. And when paired with the right creamy vegetable soup, like my take on Tomato Basil Soup or my Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, you’ll never go back to boring soup and sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, brunch, or dinner again!
If you absolutely adore the taste of vanilla—I actually prefer vanilla white cakes, tea cakes, panna cottas, vanilla-based ice creams (like vanilla cheesecake with raspberry jelly oooh la la), and desserts—you’ll love my Vanilla Bean Scones. Like, I love chocolate, but if it were one of those If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only eat white or chocolate cake for life kind of predicaments, I’d choose vanilla-flavored white cake every time.
So I love these vanilla scones because of that real vanilla flavor. And the enhanced flavor and aroma that real vanilla bean brings to baked goods of all kinds are truly worth it. Plus, you use much less of the bean than you might think.
Vanilla bean-infused baked goods will fill your kitchen with intoxicating, heavenly aromas that will bring the whole family to the kitchen going, “Honey/Mom/My only love, what IS that you’re baking?”
The Secret to Vanilla Bean Scones That Are Beyond Delicious
Vanilla beans have been used since the Aztecs to flavor beverages all the way back in the 15th century. In fact, vanilla extract wasn’t even invented until 1847. So, did the characters in Bridgerton feast on all kinds of baked goods and flavored teas infused with the vanilla bean?
There are different varieties of vanilla beans. Madagascar Vanilla Beans are known for having the finest, richest flavor of all the vanilla beans. They are typically more expensive for this reason. They are not as expensive as, say, those beautiful little strands of saffron, but they’re full of flavor.
To use a jarred vanilla bean pod (usually, several come in a jar), you scrape a knife all the way down the inside of a bean as the pod’s black vanilla innards collect upon your knife. Then stir those collected bits into your cream or milk and let it just sit there and diffuse throughout the liquid. You’ll want to stir it occasionally because you want that vanilla bean to fully dissolve throughout the liquid so all of your scones can be drenched in that heavenly vanilla bean glaze.
How do I store these scones?
Scone dough stores better than baked scones, which is unusual for baked goods, but true. Just make sure to separate the wedges with parchment paper or they will fuse together. You can store baked scones in an airtight container at most two to three days before they suffer a bit. Refrigerating helps but let them come to room temperature before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these scones Bridgerton-style with a pot of one of my fruit-infused iced teas served hot, like my Raspberry-Citrus Mint tea, or another hot delicious beverage like my (superior) take on Seattle’s Best Iced Mocha.
Vanilla Bean Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick, cold and cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Seeds scraped from one vanilla bean
- 1 1/2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the cold butter pieces to the flour mixture and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Pour in the cold heavy cream and vanilla extract, then stir just until the dough comes together. Be careful not to overmix.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead it into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disc about 3/4-inch thick, then cut into 18 equal wedges.
- Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 16 minutes, or until the scones are lightly golden.
- While the scones are baking, prepare the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, vanilla bean seeds, and milk until smooth.
- Once the scones are done, let them cool for a few minutes before drizzling with the vanilla bean glaze.
Leave a Comment