Starbucks-Style Gluten Free Vanilla Scones

Name: Gluten Free Vanilla Scones Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 5/8 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend; 1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it); 5 tablespoons dry milk powder; 3 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (chopped into chunks (about 3/8-inch square) and chilled); 1 egg (beaten and chilled); Seeds from half of a vanilla bean; 2 tablespoons Lyle’s Golden Syrup; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream (chilled); Seeds from (other half of a vanilla bean); 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar; 2 tablespoons milk (plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful, if needed)

By Nicole Hunn | Published: March 20, 2019 | Posted In: Breakfast & Brunch, Pastries, Scones

gluten free vanilla scone on small white plate with cup of coffee

5 from 24 votes

Prep Time : 20

Cook Time : 10

These gluten free petite vanilla scones are flaky, tender, and sweet, and a little firmer than a "regular" gf scone.

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Light and sweet, these miniature gluten free vanilla scones are just like the two-bite Starbucks treats. Perfect for your morning coffee.

A close up of an iced vanilla scone with a cup of coffee on a plate

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Why make a Starbucks copycat gluten free vanilla scone?

Do you know how sometimes parents will go to Starbucks and get themselves a coffee and order their child a cake pop, a cookie or a scone? Well, I might have been inclined to do something like that when my son was little, but there are no gluten free cake pops at Starbucks. And no two-bite, light and no sweet petite gluten free vanilla scones.

My son is 15 now, and he won't set foot in a Starbucks (or nearly anywhere) with me these days. But if he were little and I had this option, I'd be sure to stock my freezer with these little scones and pop a few in my bag when we set out to drop his big sister at preschool.

The Starbucks petite vanilla scones are perfectly sweet (they're meant to be a treat, so don't get all upset about the sugar!), tender and light, and the vanilla flavor in the pastry and the icing is the real deal.

Since these pastries are petite, we get a full 16 scones from the recipe. I think these would be perfect for a lunch, brunch, baby shower, and perfect for Easter.

How to make light and flaky scones

Scones are very similar to biscuits (since I'm in the U.S., biscuits are pastries, not cookies!), but they tend to be a bit firmer and aren’t quite as flaky as biscuits. They’re still a pastry, but they’re a bit drier than biscuits.

But the technique for making these scones light and flaky is the same as for our extra flaky gluten free biscuits—and for any pastry, really. Large chunks of chilled butter get tossed with the dry ingredients. If you aim for pieces of butter that resemble “small peas,” as many pastry recipes recommend, you'll make flat pastry.

What makes this recipe for gluten free vanilla scones so special

These scones aren't exactly like my typical gluten free scone recipe, as there's an egg in the dough. The Starbucks petite vanilla bean scones have eggs, as listed in their ingredient list. My copycat recipes always begin with the original product's ingredient list. Sometimes, what's in there surprises me.

You only bake them for 10 minutes, which is just enough time for these sweet little scones to become puffed and pale golden. They should be cold before they go in the oven. Making your raw scones super cold really helps them to puff.

And don't skip the folding and the puff-pastry-like turns in the recipe instructions. They make all the difference. Well, the real vanilla bean seeds don't hurt either.

Can you make these petite gluten free vanilla scones ahead?

Yes, you absolutely can make these scones ahead of time. All forms of pastry tend to store really well in the freezer, both shaped and raw, and after they've been baked.

How to freeze these gf vanilla scones raw

Like biscuits, these scones can be frozen once they've been shaped. Just freeze them, once cut, in a single layer on a baking sheet and then pile them into a freezer-safe bag before returning them to the freezer.

They can be baked as directed in the recipe instructions as frozen, without defrosting them first. You will need to add a minute or two to the baking time. If you place them on a baking sheet as you're preheating your oven, though, extra baking time likely won't even be necessary.

How to freeze baked gf vanilla scones

The icing on these scones is made very thick so it's dry to the touch once it's set. That means that you can even make the recipe all the way to end, including the icing, before freezing them.

Just place the baked, cooled and iced scones in an even layer on a baking sheet and place the sheet in the freezer. Once they're frozen solid, just pile the scones into a freezer-safe bag, squeeze out the air as best you can and return them to the freezer.

I recommend defrosting them at room temperature. That can be on a plate on the counter, or in a portable container in your bag.

Can you add blueberries or other fruit to these scones?

No, I don't recommend that. Berries or other fruit contain more moisture than this recipe can accommodate, as it gets released in the oven.

Instead, try our recipe for gluten free blueberry scones. For other types of mix-ins, try our master gluten free scones recipe.

Starbucks-Style Vanilla Gluten Free Scones: Ingredients and substitutions

Dairy free gluten free vanilla scones

In place of the chopped and chilled butter in this recipe, try using Melt or Miyoko's Kitchen brand vegan butter. They are a bit softer than butter even when chilled, so make sure your other ingredients are ice cold.

You can also try using Spectrum nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening (butter-flavored, if possible). Shortening will become absolutely solid, though, if it's chilled too much (and certainly if it's placed in the freezer for any length of time), so you can't work with the dough in exactly the same way.

I recommend measuring out the shortening by weight and then placing it in the refrigerator until it begins to firm up. Then, add it to the dry ingredients as you would the butter by adding it in small scoops. It will flatten easily as you mix in the wet ingredients.

In place of the heavy cream, you can use canned coconut milk. The nonfat dry milk can be replaced with powdered coconut milk, which is more and more readily available all the time.

Gluten free egg free vanilla scones

Since there is only one egg in this recipe, you can try replacing it with a “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground white chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel). A “flax egg” will add color and an unpleasant flavor, so I recommend staying away from that.

Gluten free corn free vanilla scones

In place of cornstarch, try using arrowroot. It's usually a great substitute for cornstarch in baking.

What is Lyle's Golden Syrup, and how can I make gluten free vanilla scones without it?

This is a British invert sugar that adds liquid sweetness without the added flavor of honey. I like it best in this recipe. However, if you can't find it in the imports section of your grocery store, you can replace it with light corn syrup or even honey if you don't mind the added flavor.

Petite gluten free vanilla scones recipe

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Gluten Free Vanilla Scones Recipe

These gluten free petite vanilla scones are flaky, tender, and sweet, and a little firmer than a "regular" gf scone.

Course: Breakfast, Pastry, Scones

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 10

Chilling time: 10

Yield: 16 small scones

Author: Nicole Hunn

Ingredients

For the scones

1 ⅝ cups (227 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for appropriate blends), plus more for sprinkling
1 teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
5 tablespoons (30 g) dry milk powder
3 tablespoons (27 g) cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter chopped into chunks (about 3/8-inch square) and chilled
1 (50 g (weighed out of shell)) egg beaten and chilled
Seeds from half of a vanilla bean
2 tablespoons (42 g) Lyle’s Golden Syrup
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
⅔ cup (5.33 fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream chilled

For the vanilla bean glaze

Seeds from other half of a vanilla bean
1 ½ cups (173 g) confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons milk plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful, if needed

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.

Make the scones.

In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, nonfat dry milk, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well.
Add the chopped and chilled butter, and toss to coat it in the dry ingredients. Flatten each chunk of butter between your thumb and forefinger.
Whisk the egg, seeds from half a vanilla bean, Lyle’s Golden Syrup (or honey) and vanilla extract into the milk or cream.
Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk or cream mixture. Mix gently until the dough begins to come together. The dough will be somewhat sticky, unlike most other pastry dough.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured piece of unbleached parchment paper and press into a disk. Sprinkle the top lightly with additional flour and roll out into a rectangle that is about 1-inch thick.
Fold the dough over on itself like you would a business letter and then press into a square. Sprinkle the dough again lightly with flour, and roll out the dough once again into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.
Repeat rolling and folding if you are willing (it really does make for flakier, smoother pastry).
Finally, sprinkle the dough lightly with additional flour and roll it into a 7-inch square that is about 3/4-inch thick. The dough should have a smooth, even surface. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into 4 equal squares.
Cut each square into 4 equal triangles by cutting an “X” through the center of the square. Place the wedges about 2 inches apart from one another on the prepared baking sheet, and chill in the freezer until firm (about 10 minutes).
Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the scones are puffed and very pale golden (about 10 minutes).
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze.

In a small bowl, mix the seeds from the (other) half of a vanilla bean into the confectioners’ sugar until the seeds are evenly distributed throughout the sugar.
Add 2 tablespoon of milk, and mix well, until a very thick paste forms. Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a very thick but pourable glaze.
Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it.
Either dip the tops of the cooled scones into the glaze, or spoon it on top of the scones and spread into an even layer. Allow the glaze to set at room temperature before serving.