WHAT TO EXPECT:
Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes
Fluffy cheddar scones bursting with the savory flavors of sharp cheddar cheese and an abundance of dried chives.
*For helpful tips and how-to’s, make sure you read the whole post.
Colder weather means cozier savory bakes. Enter, these savory cheddar scones with chives. A little salty, soft and fluffy on the inside, with extra dimension from the sharp cheddar cheese and generous addition of chives.
I love these scones. I mean, I love most scone recipes, period. But the first time I made them, my husband and I ended up eating all of them for dinner… no shame here! A friend of mine even went as far as to say “these are better than Starbucks!” So naturally, I had to share them with you.
What You’ll Find in This Post
- What You Will Need (Ingredients & Equipment)
- Helpful Tip: Grating Frozen Butter
- Helpful Tip: If You’ve Got it…Add Some Bacon Grease
- Helpful Tip: Be Gentle With the Dough
What You’ll Need to Make Cheddar Scones with Chives
Ingredients for Cheddar Scones with Chives
- All-Purpose Flour
- Kosher Salt
- Baking Powder
- Garlic Powder
- Buttermilk
- An Egg
- Unsalted Butter
- Chives
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Optional: Solid Bacon Grease
Helpful Equipment – A Cheese Grater
You can make these by hand and actually, that’s how I encourage you to make them.
The only “special” equipment you need is a cheese grater to grate the frozen butter. More on that to follow 😊
Grating the Frozen Butter Means Lift for the Perfect Cheddar Scones
A lot of scone recipes call for cutting in cold butter, which is a great method. However, I’ve found more consistent results by using frozen grated butter. So make sure you set your butter in the freezer a day before you plan to make these scones.
The reason we use frozen butter for these cheddar scones with chives is because cold butter is essential when it comes to scones. If your butter is already melted when the dough goes into the oven, you won’t get any lift in your scones.
Butter that is solid in the dough when it goes into the oven will melt as it bakes, resulting in steam within the scones which gives them a beautiful lift and rise. This is exactly what you want.
When you use a cheese grater to grate the butter into the dough for your cheddar scones, you want to use the finest level of grating that you have on hand. The smaller your butter pieces, the more crumbly your dry mix will be once you pinch it together. Small butter pieces will provide better lift and give your scones that fluffy texture everyone is always looking for.
Bacon Grease? In Cheddar Scones? That Sounds Weird…
Yes, it does. That’s a totally valid reaction.
Solid bacon grease is an entirely optional ingredient in this recipe (you can keep the rest of the recipe the same if you decide to omit it), but I found that it adds an extra level of WOW to these cheddar scones.
If you don’t have bacon grease on hand, do not fret. There is no reason for you to cook off a bunch of bacon for the sake of making cheddar scones with chives (although no judgement if you do! We’re a very pro-bacon household over here). They’ll still be dang good without the bacon grease, I promise.
I personally keep a jar of bacon grease in the fridge that I can have on hand for situations like this where I want just an extra oomph of flavor.
The next time you make bacon, go ahead and pour the liquid grease into a sealable container and pop it in the fridge after it’s cooled. Boom – solidified bacon grease for whenever you need it.
Be Gentle with the Dough for Delicate Cheddar Scones
It is vital that you are gentle with the dough when you’re making these cheddar scones – or any scones for that matter.
If you over-knead/over-mix you’ll run the risk of gluten beginning to develop which will result in a tough texture instead of that light and fluffy texture we’re looking for.
Mix things together gently and until just combined and you’ll be all set.
If you make these cheddar scones with chives, be sure to let me know your thoughts and leave a review! And be sure to tag me at @ficklebea on Instagram so that I can see your amazing creations.
New to baking or nervous about spending more time in the kitchen? Check out My Kitchen Commandments for some helpful tips!
PrintCheddar Scones with Chives
Fluffy cheddar scones bursting with the savory flavors of sharp cheddar cheese and an abundance of chives.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1/2 cup Buttermilk (*see note)
- 1 Egg (whisked)
- 8 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter (frozen)
- 2 Tbsp. Chives (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese (plus more to top)
- 1 Tbsp. Solid Bacon Grease (optional, can omit without altering anything in the recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grate your butter with a fine cheese grater into a bowl and then immediately place back into the freezer.
- Whisk together your dry ingredients in a medium bowl (flour, kosher salt, baking powder, garlic powder)
- Incorporate the shredded cheddar cheese and chives in to the bowl with the dry ingredients
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and whisked egg
- Combine the butter, bacon grease, and dry ingredients with your hands (using a pinching motion) until you have a crumbly mixture
- Pour the wet ingredients (milk and egg mixture) into the crumbly mixture and gently fold together with a stiff spatula, being careful not to over-mix. You will have a fairly dry mixture with no wet pockets.
- Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead with lightly floured hands just until a solid mass begins to form. Be careful not to over-knead.
- Divide the dough into two portions with a sharp kitchen knife. Mold each portion into a disk of about 1/2-3/4 inch in thickness.
- Cut each disk into 6 triangles of equal size and gently transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper of a silicon baking mat. Arrange the triangles into two circles with about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch of spacing between each triangle.
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are slightly firm. Halfway through the bake, rotate the try and top each scone wiht a small amount of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Allow to cool before enjoying! These are best the day they are baked. After a day they start to get a little dry.
Notes
*If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make your own by mixing together 1/2 a cup of milk with 1/2 Tbsp. of white vinegar before you begin the recipe.
To help with your shopping list, here are the ingredients based on where they’re located in the grocery store and the total quantity you will need for the recipe:
Produce:
- Fresh Chives (4 ounces whole, or 2 Tablespoons finely chopped)
Dairy:
- Buttermilk (1/2 cup ) – see note above
- 1 Egg
- Unsalted Butter (8 Tablespoons, or 1 stick)
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese (just over 1/2 cup)
Pantry:
- All-Purpose Flour (2 cups)
- Kosher Salt (1 teaspoon)
- Baking Powder (1.5 teaspoon)
- Garlic Powder (1/2 teaspoon)
Deli:
- OPTIONAL: Bacon – to cook and reserve the grease
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