Vanilla Bean Cardamom Scones

Vanilla Bean Cardamom Scones are the perfect morning treat. The aroma of these scones will have you swooning. The sweet creamy floral notes of the vanilla bean pair perfectly with the warm subtle spice of cardamom, making this scone a fan favorite!

Easter morning always calls for a sweet treat of some sort, Vanilla Bean Cardamom Scones are the perfect sweet! However, not too sweet to enjoy with your Sunday coffee. I made these scones with Easter in mind because I normally make Braided Cardamom Bread for Easter morning, I thought I would mix it up this year! This is the best scone recipe, it is very versatile as far as scone recipes go. See variations below in the Tips & Variations. If you can make biscuits you can make scones! A few simple ingredients, a bowl, a fork, and a baking sheet are all you need.

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Why I love Vanilla Bean Cardamom Scones

I love the smell of cardamom. MMM! It smells so dang good. I just want to rub it behind my ears. Nutmeg too! In fact, there are a few ingredients that I would love to make into a perfume. cardamom being one, then ginger, Oh and Basil, OMAGERD I LOVE BASIL, nutmeg, and let us not forget citrus. I think I may be on to something. I can see it now, I’m sitting at a volleyball game and the person next to me says “you smell so good, may I ask the name of the perfume you’re wearing?” and I say “why yes, but it’s not a perfume” and then I haul a scone out of my pocket “scone anyone?” Or a little baggy with a hunk of ginger, basil, and a lime. I’m gonna bring back potpourri people, only it’s for your body. Pocket Potpourri. Pockpourri? Is that a thing? If it’s not, don’t steal my idea. I’m calling that Sharks show right now.  That QVC chick is going to be all over this!

If this is your first time making scones, do not let the process freak you out! This is an easy recipe. You can do it. They will be better than any scone you can get at a coffee shop. Whip some up put the kettle on and have your friends over for afternoon tea!

How to make scones

1. Using a sharp knife cut a slit in the pod revealing all the tiny seeds.

2. Measure out half and half into a saucepan add the vanilla bean and heat to the point of just starting to bubble around the edge, stirring a bit, but not a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

3. remove the vanilla bean from the warm milk and with a pairing knife scrape the seeds from the pod and put them back into the liquid.

4. while vanilla infused half and half is cooling, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cardamom, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add butter pieces.

5. cut butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, or a fork if you don’t have a pastry cutter, your fingers work as well, but you will need to work very quickly because the heat from your fingers will start to melt the butter and you don’t want that! Butter and dry ingredients should be like a fine crumble, its ok to have a few larger chunks of butter. If butter seems to be melting, place bowl in refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up butter.

6. When completely cooled whisk egg and vanilla extract into vanilla bean cream.

7. Add wet ingredients to the flour butter mixture, gently combine until dough just starts to come together.

8. turn scone dough out on to a lightly floured surface and coax dough into a flat oval shape, being careful not to overwork dough, if it seems like its getting sticky and the butter is melting in the dough, put back in mixing bowl and refrigerate for a 10 minutes. Its important that the butter pieces stay intact in the dough, this is what makes for a tender, flaky scone.

9. divide dough into two rounds

10. Shape each into rounds or you could place on parchment lined baking sheet and form into a large rectangle and cut as in the photo below, you can also cut them out as you would biscuits into small rounds. I usually always stick the the pie shape cutting each into six pieces.

10. At this point you want to put the unbaked scones in the freezer for 10 minutes. No more no less, set a timer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Before placing the scones in the oven, using a sharp knife cut the scones into pie pieces, cutting all the way through. Do not skip this step!!

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

11. Above are the ingredients for the icing. If you have an bits of vanilla bean seeds left in pods scrape it out and add to the icing.

Whisk icing ingredients together.

11. Drizzle icing over top of the scones. See the nice vanilla flecks you get in the icing if you add some of the seeds in? It doesn’t take much just a tiny bit will go a long way.

Tips & Variations

• tip 1 do not use a food processor to mix the dough, it will over work it and your scones will become tough. Enjoy the process and use a fork or your hands.
• tip 2 whole milk, or heavy cream can be used in place of the half and half
• tip 3 unsalted butter or salted both work, but do not use margarine or shortening
• tip 4 over working the dough will produce tough scones, the less you work with the dough, and the more intact you are able to keep the butter pieces the flakier your scone will be. Less working of the dough equals flaky texture!
• tip 5 after removing the golden brown scones from the oven use a large spatula to place scones on a wire rack, you can place the wire rack over the baking sheet before drizzling icing over the scones. ** I did not show this step in my photos, its fine if you also do not do this, the reason behind removing scones to a wire rack is to stop the baking process.
• tip 6 vanilla bean scones will last for several days, make sure to store them in an airtight container or cover tightly with plastic wrap.
• variation 1: If you have vanilla bean paste this can be used to replace the process with the bean. 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste = 1 vanilla bean
• variation 2: Orange Cardamom Scone, cardamom lends itself well to citrus. Add orange zest or lemon zest to the dough and then replace the milk with the juice of the fruit for the icing. Add the zest of one whole lemon or one whole orange to the dough.
• variation 3: Chocolate Chip Cardamom Scones, add 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips to the dough. Use the delicious vanilla bean glaze as in the original recipe.

I’m still perseverating on the pocketpourri idea. I personally, would like to smell like lemongrass, ginger, and lime. Or maybe orange, cardamom, nutmeg, and vanilla bean? Clove, and maple, YES maple!! Not sugar. Have you ever smelled sugar unless it’s burnt it does not smell good. It smells like feet. Weird. But true. What would your pocketpourri scent be?

I hope you enjoy this recipe! I’d love to see your creations. Please share on all the things and remember to tag me!! Thanks for taking the time to stop by! Cheers, Sheila

Vanilla Bean Cardamom Scones

Sheila

Buttery tender scones, flecked with real vanilla bean with a hint of warm cardamom. Topped off a perfect amount of vanilla bean glaze.

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going to sleep

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course baked goods, Breakfast, brunch, coffee time

Cuisine baked goods

Servings 12 scones

Calories 187 kcal

Equipment

• baking sheet
• parchment paper

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 cups Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 cup cold Butter two sticks
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 large Vanilla Bean split down the center
• 1 Egg
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tblsp half and half or milk
• 1/8 tsp vanilla bean paste just a pinch for visual effect

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Measure half and half into small saucepan, add split vanilla bean to cream, heat until just beginning to bubble on edge, do not boil. Turn off heat and set aside to cool. When cream is cool, take a sharp knife and scrape the inside of the vanilla bean out and add back to liquid.
• Cut cold butter into small squares, add to dry ingredients, and cut in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles oatmeal. Set aside.
• Whisk egg and vanilla extract into vanilla bean cream.
• Create a hole in the middle of the dry ingredients, add liquid to hole, gently combine until dough comes together.
• Place dough onto a lightly floured surface, split in half and create two rounds about 1 inches thick and 8-10 inches in diameter. Place dough on a parchment lines baking sheet and place in freezer for 10 minutes.
• Remove from freezer and cut each disk like a pie, 6 pieces each. Place in preheated 350 oven for 25 minutes.

Notes

Vanilla Glaze
1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1 + tablespoons Half and Half

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Add more milk if glaze is too thick.
When scones have cooled drizzle glaze over scones.

Nutrition

Calories: 187kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 4gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.002gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 362mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 53IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 91mgIron: 2mg

Keyword baked goods, cardamom, scones, vanilla bean

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