Sunday, March 11, 2012

Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Scones



You might be able to see from the photo that these scones were very flaky with many many layers. They seemed like a cross between a scone and a croissant. I skipped the glaze on these and they were still fantastic. However, for the real Starbucks experience, go for the glaze.

Starbucks also sells a mini version of these. If you want to make those, divide the dough into thirds before rolling out and cutting, then cut each round into smaller triangles and bake, keeping an eye on baking time. They will probably require a few minutes less than the full-sized scones.



Starbucks Copycat Vanilla Scones
Makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
5 tbsp very cold butter (frozen is best)

1 cup regular sour cream
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
water as needed to achieve desired consistency

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Use the “Grating Method” to add the butter: Grate a block of cold butter against the large holes of a box grater. Toss the butter ribbons with the flour mixture, and then use two knives to cut the flour-coated ribbons into 1/4-inch pieces.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg yolk and vanilla extract until blended. Add this to the flour-butter mixture and stir with a fork until dough forms a cohesive ball. Use a spatula to get the dry bits fully incorporated. It may not seem to have enough liquid at first, but the dough will eventually come together.

3. Place the sticky dough onto an ungreased baking sheet and pat into a disk about 1-inch in height. Cut the dough into wedges and place on the baking sheet.

4. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.

5. Prepare glaze while scones are baking. Place powdered sugar in a medium bowl, and add water one teaspoon at a time, mixing vigorously until smooth and runny. Use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of glaze over the hot scones. Tip: Brushing rather than drizzling gives a smoother appearance and requires less glaze. Store cooled scones in an airtight container.

7 comments:

yummychunklet said...

Always fun to make copycat versions at home. Very cost effective!

Bergamot said...

This looks really good. wonder if a whole wheat version will be equally flaky.

eatme_delicious said...

These look WAY better than the Starbucks ones! The Starbucks ones are cute but I found them dry and too cakey. These ones look perfectly flaky.

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

omigosh, i love starbuck's petite vanilla scones!! just a quick question. why is the butter grated? i have much to learn about baking, and want to know what is the grating method for butter for? thanks :)

Val said...

What a great recipe.

Liz (Little Bitty Bakes) said...

SB vanilla scones are my favorite! And lately I can't find them anywhere :(

Anonymous said...

This was my first attempt at making scones. They came out wonderfully. I thought this recipe was really pretty easy to make since the dough is put right onto the baking pan (no counter mess). I just cut up the butter into small chunks and used a pastry cutter to mix it in. I found that much easier than grating the butter since I was using a 1 lb. brick of butter to start with, which I then cut down to the amount I needed. Absolutely marvelous recipe and I will be making many more scones in the future.