Vanilla Bean Frappuccino Copycat & Almond Scones
Make the iconic Starbucks vanilla bean frappuccino at home with a secret ingredient: real vanilla bean ice cream. Pair it with tender, glazed almond scones for a coffee shop experience that costs a third of the price and takes only 50 minutes.
Equipment
- Blender
- Food Processor
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Knife and Cutting Board
Ingredients
Frappuccino
- 1 cup ice cubes
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 3 scoops vanilla bean ice cream (premium brand)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- to taste whipped cream (optional)
Scones
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (fresh)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
Glaze & Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extra extract
- handful sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Frappuccino
- In a blender combine the ice, milk, vanilla bean ice cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Blend until completely smooth — no ice chunks. The texture should be like a thick milkshake with tiny vanilla specks.
- Divide the frappuccino between two serving glasses. Add a generous swirl of whipped cream if desired. Place glasses in the fridge while you finish the scones.
Scones
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Scatter the cold butter pieces over the dry mixture. Pulse in short bursts — about ten 1-second pulses — until the butter is broken into pea-sized pieces. Some flour should still be visible.
- With the processor running, slowly pour in the heavy cream and almond extract. Process just until the dough starts to clump together — stop immediately once it forms a ball. Overprocessing makes tough scones.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 2-3 sections. Pat each section into a thick disk about 3/4 inch tall. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut each disk into 6 triangles (like a pie). Press straight down — do not twist the knife.
- Place the triangles on the lined baking sheet, spacing about an inch apart. Brush tops with a little extra cream. Bake at 375F for 18 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom and lightly golden on top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Let scones cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together the powdered sugar, heavy cream, almond extract, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable.
- Drizzle the glaze over the warm (not hot) scones. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top while the glaze is still wet. Let set for a few minutes or serve immediately.
Notes
Keep the butter very cold — if at any point the dough feels sticky, refrigerate for 10 minutes. Don't over-blend the frappuccino or it will become watery. Let scones cool before glazing or the glaze will melt into a puddle. Baked unglazed scones keep in an airtight container for 3 days; freeze unbaked triangles for up to 2 months and bake from frozen, adding 3-4 minutes.