Vanilla Bean Scones

I’ve been wanted to bake vanilla bean scones since I tried some last year at a Washington, DC Starbucks. Mini vanilla bean triangle scones that were just the perfect breakfast/cookie on the go. I searched for many recipes, including the classic one we have here at TFK. I remembered that I read that Ree Drummond from Pioneer Woman had the same experience, so I decided to try out her recipe!

Her recipe was such a success that after baking the scones on a Saturday, there were 3 left by Tuesday. Since I used a small biscuit cutter, I was able to get about 25 scones from this recipe. Since we were going away on a Holiday to the gorgeous Lake Atitlán, my mom asked me to whip up another recipe to take with us. Since I was tight on time, I woke up early Wednesday morning (we were leaving just after noon) and baked both recipes. Since I was able to double test the recipe, I decided to try the food processor the second time around to save some time. The scones came delicious as well, but I have to say they came out extra flaky when I used the pasty cutter.

Ree’s original recipe suggests that you dunk the scones in the glaze. For me, just dipping the top was enough for my sweet tooth – the recipe for the glaze is reduced from its original quantities. All around, this became a family approved recipe in just a few hours!

Kitty

Vanilla Bean Scones

About 25 1-inch scones
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Scone Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cups Sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
8 ounces of unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg
¾ cups of heavy cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

Glaze Ingredients
2 ½ cups of confectioners sugar
⅓ cup of whole milk, more if needed for thinning
½ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Dash of salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350º degrees.
If you’re using vanilla beans, stir into cream and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
Sift together flour, ⅔ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.
Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.
Turn dough onto a floured surface and roll about ½ inch to ¾ inch thick. Cut the cookies with a biscuit cutter. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary with the last few crumbs.
Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 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 Bean Glaze:

To make the icing, stir vanilla beans into milk; allow to sit for a while.
Sift the confectioners sugar along with the salt, and then add the vanilla bean milk to the sifted ingredients, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Whisk until completely smooth.
One at a time, carefully dip the top of each cooled scone in the glaze.
Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

20 Chocolate Recipes for Valentine’s

When you think about Valentine’s Day, the first thing that comes to mind (regarding food) is… Chocolate. To get a head start and get you inspired on treats for your significant other, or for your kids, we gathered the best Chocolate Recipes we’ve posted so far on our blog. To make it easier for you to see which picture goes with it’s recipe, we numbered them for you. Give them a try and treat yourself to some dark, sweet indulgence. You deserve it!

Kitty & Helga

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

The original recipe for these cookies calls for freeze dried strawberries. Where in the world will I find those?! I wanted to try the combination anyway, so I went ahead with fresh strawberries, knowing that using fresh fruit would probably result in a moister cookie. The verdict is… This cookie is great tasting! The tartness of the strawberries combined with the semi sweet chocolate from the cookies is amazing, BUT when you make them, make sure to eat them right away.

Because we’re using fresh fruit in this recipe, the cookie gets soft after a few hours. So, try them out if you can get your family to eat them in one afternoon! You can use half a recipe so you only get between 18 to 24 cookies.

As a variation, I think using dried fruits would be an interesting idea. The obvious choice would be dried cherries, or cranberries. But how would adding some dried apricots taste? I’ll definitely try it out and report back to you!

Helga

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipe adapted from Baking Bites

Yields: 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp honey
2 cups strawberries, diced
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In another large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs in one at a time and beat until fully incorporated. Stir in vanilla and honey.
Gradually blend in dry ingredients, followed by strawberries and chocolate chips (don’t worry about breaking up the strawberries; stir them vigorously!).
Drop tablespoonfuls (1-inch balls) of dough onto prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 10-11 minutes, or until cookies begin to brown and are set. Bake an extra minute or two for a crisper cookie. (recommended!)
Cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.