Starbucks Petite Vanilla Scones
March 14, 2008 by Marye Audet
Filed under Recipes
I know I write about Starbucks a lot. Well, I go there a lot. You have to understand that I totally do not like the coffee, nor do I like the stale pastries that have been moldering in their cases for weeks…no..I go for one reason, and one reason only.
My kids are not there.
I love my children, and they love me. I have kids that will tell you, even as teenagers, that they have the best , coolest parents in the world. Their friends think so too. Why? Because seriously, we are the coolest, best parents in the known world and we pay our kids big bucks to say so in public.
Anyway. We have a large house. 4300 sq ft of potential. We are trying to restore it, because it is a 1910 farmhouse and has some beautiful possibilities. Please note the words potential and possibilities. Somewhere in the grand plan the money ran out. That is a long story and has nothing to do with Starbucks. When you have 12 people in a big house the house is not so big. We have six kids still at home, but then our oldest daughter moved in with her husband and two kids in December…the house is not so big. This means that if Marc and I are sitting in the kitchen, trying to talk about something we get interrupted. If we are, God forbid, in the bedroom, we get interrupted. Starbucks has become our shelter, so to speak. We can go there and talk without interruption. The downside is we have to drink their coffee but it is worth it for the one on one time we get.
I usually don’t buy pastry at Starbucks. I think it is overpriced and over aged, if you know what I mean. The little vanilla scones look great though, and really they weren’t too bad. However, $1.95 for two bites of vanilla flavor is not very frugal so…
Here is my version of the Starbucks scones. For them to look authentic you have to shape them in a round, and then cut in wedges. Keep them small and dainty.
Starbucks Vanilla Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar, or vanilla sugar
5 tablespoons organic, unsalted butter, cold
1 cup full-fat sour cream
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Scrapings from a 1/2″ piece of vanilla
Rub the cold butter into the dry ingredients until flour is crumbly.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, egg yolk, vanilla scrapings, and vanilla extract until blended. Add to the flour mixture and stir with a fork until dough forms a ball.
Dough will be sticky.
Place the dough onto a silpat lined baking sheet and pat into a disk about 1-inch thick.
Cut the dough into wedges but do not separate.
Sprinkle tops with sugar and let stand twenty minutes, so the gluten can relax.
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden.
Make the glaze:
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
enough heavy cream to make a thick glaze
Mix all ingredients and spoon over warm scones.
Seriously, of the things I have tried there I like these and the petite vanilla scones the [...]
You are mean! Quit talking about one of my dearest friends!
Betsy-sipping her Starbucks!
I agree that the Starbucks pastries need serious help. They almost never taste fresh. But if I am going to get something there, I go for a scone or biscotti.
But mostly I’ve been making my own coffee at home. I used to go to Starbucks more as an afternoon escape from my job. Now I work at home and there’s nothing to escape except the cat. I go for a walk when I need to escape him!
Sorry Betsy…LOL!
Peggy- If my kids were in school and I had the house to myself once in awhile I would not go out for coffee either because I really like my stuff better
I’m on an afternoon tea group on Yahoo and found your website thru someone else’s blog. I love the idea of your rose and cinnamon scones, and now these vanilla ones. I’ve posted about your website with the link to your recipe. I hope they taste as good as they sound! Thank you, Val
Welcome, VAl, I am glad you visited! I think they taste good, but try them for yourself!
if by overaged do you mean left out over night ect?
cuz, my boyfriend works there and they throw out whatever they dont use that day in the pastry shelf. its a good waste of food. : (
nope..I mean they are stale from the beginning. Blah.
I live in Seattle and at my Starbucks there is such a high turnover of people the pastries are frequently sold out. I have never had bad coffee or pastry there.
I never buy pastries out -unless I am in Paris or italy but the vanilla scones at Starbucks are the BEST! My daughter turned me onto them and I will now treat myself occasionally. The same daughter is getting married in January and i am thinking of making theses myself to take home as favors at the reception-IF I acn make them taste like Starbucks!
Oh, I am sure you can, Pat!
The petite vanilla scones are NOT $1.95 each.. that’s for 3… and the pastries are NOT stale… they come in daily… the cookies and some of the slices are held for 2 days.. that’s it.. I know this ’cause I work there…. Love the place
Obviously you do not work at the one where I live..The petite vanilla scones, which they do not have anymore certainly WERE 1.95 I know because I paid that for ONE of them.
As far as being stale…baked goods get stale quickly when they are sliced and held…Being a food writer and a baker..I know stale.
Glad you like it…I like the people. I like the salted caramel hot chocolate…I even like soem of the lattes…but the rest?
not.
Obviously you need to change to a different Starbucks. Yours isnt following the rule… the pastries are great at mine..
Is this your site?
yes it is.
Mimi, my starbucks (all 10 of them around me) have stale pastries. Maybe it would be better if they were made onsite?
Peggy,
the problem with that is that it requires a totally different set of inspections and requirements for a commercial kitchen. It is much easier to run a coffee bar and sell pre-made items than to make them on site. In a perfect world they would rely on local Mom and Pop type bakeries to supply their pastry needs…and that would be good for both the local economy and the taste and flavor of the items.
Hi Marye,
I’m not necessarily the biggest Starbucks fan, however I think your overall condemnation of the coffee shop is quite unfair. In Seattle, they do get some of their pastries from the local shops (i.e., my favorite TopPot Doughnuts – mmmmmm…). And being from Seattle, I would like to remind you that Starbucks used to be that little local coffee shop at the Market.
I find it a bit hypocritical for those of you who wish success to the local mom and pop shops and then vilify them when they do become successful… As far as supporting the local economy. I promise you that Starbucks is definitely supporting the local economy here. I have many friends and family that count Starbucks as their employer (and one that happens to provide other benefits (such as full medical) to their part time employees – I don’t see a lot of other companies contributing to their local economies in this way…)
Perhaps they have different methods in different parts of the country. Here they open 4 -6 shops on a cross roads, run the other , smaller,places out of business, and then close several stores and move on leaving empty shells. Very Wal-Mart-esque.
I respect your opinion but mine is based on my local experience.
Peggy…If you are getting stale pastry I would bet it is the lemon pound cake and the pumpkin loaf….. they are held the longest but ours never have a chance to get stale.. we sell so much of it.
If you receive a stale piece of pastry… give it back… and complain to the manager…. it should never happen…
The breakfast items are fresh daily….. aka AM pastry….so they should never be a problem.
Every employee’s goal is to make your visit a good one…. and if they don’t they arent doing their job.
Marye, I think all the Corner Bakery places in Chicago spoiled me when I visited recently. They are a restaurant and coffee place, so all pastries are made there and very fresh – coffee cake to die for.
Mimi, thanks for your response. I know I should complain, and I’ll try that next time. I have gotten some very good cupcakes at Starbucks and those new hot chocolates are wonderful!
Mimi- that may be the difference. We live in a smaller area and really not many people buy the pastries.
Peggy- That is awesome. I sure do miss the days of indi (independent) coffee shops and cafes. sigh.
I used to have the mindset that everything is better if I bake it myself, and make the espresso myself, and it probably is, but I like the social aspect of going to Starbucks, it gets me out of the house, I can interact with others, read, go on my computer- no mess, no overeating, with 1 petite scone.
That is a good point Karen
What temp do these bake at?
oops..sorry Amy! 400F
I am not sure why the pastries taste stale they get them delivered fresh daily. Maybe your going in 12 hours after they are delivered. In any case if you have a problem I would you suggest you go to http://www.starbucks.com and tell them. Complaining on blogs gets nothing accomplished.
Ah, but Tapestry that is where you are wrong. Part of what I do here is to REVIEW various coffee shops and products…telling my readers that Starbucks often has stale pastry is part of that, just like telling them that the Thanksgiving Blend coffee is great is part of that.
It is my understanding that Starbucks pastries are made locally by contracted bakers. Lucky for me and the SF Bay Area, the pastries in our Starbucks stores are also fresh and delicious. The Petite Vanilla Scones (3/$1.95) are golden and tender, and the glaze is perfectly speckled with vanilla. The Berry Stella and blueberry scones are also quite yummy. Considering that my work cafeteria charges $1.50 for questionable brownie wrapped in plastic, I’m happy to pay 45 cents more for a Starbucks pastry that is consistently good.
I couldn’t find the temp to bake them at.
350?
I also didn’t bake any vanilla scrapings – at $12 a bean, I felt like I was losing the whole zen of doing this on the cheap.
You might check costco for vanilla beans… I got 10 vanilla beans there the other day, at a markdown price of $3.97!!!! (they were originally fourteen dollars) I don’t know if they are still there on sale or not, but it’s worth a try. Any price at Costco that ends in $0.97 is a markdown.
Thanks Emilie.
wow, SHelly, you must live in an expensive area…there is no way I would pay nearly that. yeah…350. sorry for the omission.
Just wanted to say thanks for a spot on recipe. My seven year old, who is a huge fan of these at Starbucks, said they were WAY better.
They are quite yummy and when they’re still warm – oh, man.
Thanks Shelly
hey Marye. i’ve been eating these petite vanilla scones at Starbucks ever since they put free slices of em out on a little plate at my local shop. i’m a huge fan of them and have turned at least one of my friends onto them. theyre not too sweet but just sweet enough to encourage another nibble. and three is maybe two bites more than i need but for less than two bucks its good. i’m trying your recipe tomorrow so at my house they’ll be home baked fresh at least for the first day i have them anyway. thanks for posting your recipe!
Great! Let me know how they work for you.
Sooooo…I need a vanilla scone fix…but I am CONFUSED!!!
Please?
On November 16, 2008 you say to bake them at 400.
Then on March 3, 2009 you say to bake them at 350…????!!!!!!
Help a jonesing girl out!
Thanks!
Cathy- I have actually baked them at both with good results. Try the 350F
Marye,
I googled Starbucks vanilla scones and your site came up. I’ll try these even though I do not bake. I for one get the scones as a treat. They make it hard to stay on weight watchers so I only eat one……actually I’ll eat all 3 if I’m in a mood! Since I am a horrible cook, you mention 2 different temps here. 350 and 400. which one and do you grease the pan or cook on parchment? Maybe I’ll make these for the Thanksgiving desert instead of the Oreos I was going to bring….just kidding
Janice – go ahead and use the 350F, I use silpat but if you have parchment that is fine too.
I’m so excited for my 2 year old son to wake up from his nap. I’ve got the scones in the oven and I thought it would be great for a sweet little treat for him! Thanks for the temperature answer…was looking for it and then got caught up in all the opinions on Starbucks pastries!!! Whew! All I care is that my son loves him some vanilla scones! Thanks for posting the recipe. Happy Baking!
thats awesome heidi.. I hope he liked them