Cheddar cheese and chives scones (2024)

These easycheddar cheese and chivesscones come together in a matter of minutes. Flavored with cheddar cheese, chives, and a hint of black pepper, enjoy these scones hot out of the oven with a smattering of butter.

Savory scones are popular in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. They are very similar to North American biscuits.

This cheddar chives scone recipe is based on my cheese scones and classic English scones recipes.

These cheddar chive scones can be enjoyed warm out of the oven, on their own, or with some extra butter and grated cheese or jam or they can be served at room temperature.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Here are notes on the ingredients used, please refer to the recipe card for full quantities.

• Flour- plain flour, standard grade, or all purpose flour is used to make these cheese scones. You can replace the plain all-purpose flour with self-raising or self-rising flour, but you will still need to add an additional ½ teaspoon of baking powder.
• Baking Powderto give the scones a bit of lift during the baking. Make sure your baking powder is fresh by placing a ¼ to ½ teaspoon into a heat-proof container, then pouring some boiling water into it. If it fizzes, then the baking powder is still fresh.
• Cold Butter (salted)adds flavor and gives a flakey tenderness to the scones. As the scones bake, the steam released from the butter raises the scone (in conjunction with the baking powder) and leads to a flakey, soft, and fluffy scone. I use New Zealand butter in all my recipes which is similar to European or Irish Butter.
• Cheddar- I like using mature or vintage cheddar cheese when making scones as the flavor is just more pronounced, however, you can use a regular cheddar or tasty cheese (in New Zealand.) To add even more flavor to these scones, substitute 60 grams of the cheddar with some parmesan, Parmigiano Reggiano, or Grana Padano.
• Fresh Chives add a nice mild oniony flavor to these scones. For something a bit different - swap out the chives with spring or green onions or scallions.
• Milkadds moisture to the scones. I like to use full-fat or whole milk for scones, but you can use a trim or 2% milk if that is what you have in the house.
• Black pepper adds a nice depth of flavor and a bit of spiciness to the scones.
• You can skip the additional salt if you have used salted butter, or feel that the cheese will be salty enough.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Top Tip- all ingredients must be cold for this recipe. Grated butter and cheese can be stored in the fridge while other ingredients are measured and prepared.

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 220°C/425F/Gas Mark7. Line a baking tray or baking sheet with parchment paper or baking paper.

Step 2 - Grate the cheddar cheese, keeping aside approximately 40 grams to place on top of the scones before baking.

Step 3 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper).

Step 4 - Either grate the butter or cut it into small blocks. Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with small pea-sized pieces of butter in the flour. This can also be done using a pastry cutter.

Step 5 - Add the grated cheese and chives to the flour mixture, and stir through until well distributed.

Step 6 - Pour the milk into the flour mixture, using a fork, and stir to make a rough dough.

Step 7 - Lightly flour a clean surface. Place the scone dough in the middle of the lightly floured surface and bring the dough together into a rectangle. Using a knife or bench scraper, cut the dough into thirds and fold the outer edges on the middle section. Press down using your hands or a rolling pin until the dough is about 3cm thick. Repeat the process twice more. This laminates the dough.

Step 8 - Either using acookie cutteror knife, cut 6 to 8 large scones. If using a round cookie cutter, bring together the left-over dough, by gently kneading the dough together and forming a disk or square to cut out additional scones. Try to work with the dough as little as possible.

Top Tip-for mini cheese and chives scones, divide the dough into 12-16 smaller pieces. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 9 - Place the scones onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 to 3cm apart. Then brush the tops of the scones with milk using a pastry brush, and sprinkle the leftover cheddar cheese on the tops of the scones.

Step 10 - Bake the scones in a preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. The scones would have risen and be a nice golden brown when they were done. Remove from the oven, and place the scone on a wire rack to cool down slightly before serving.

Expert Tips for this Recipe

• Weigh out your ingredients with a kitchen scale. This is the most accurate way to bake.
• Use cold ingredients when making scones. Keep all the ingredients in the fridge until you can make these cheese and chive scones.
• Grate the cheese and butter (or cut into small blocks) ahead making the scone dough, and store them in the fridge while you are preparing everything else.
• If it is particularly warm - chill your bowl and utensils in the fridge for 30 minutes before you get going.
• Handle the scone dough as little as possible - this will result in a delightful tender scone. I like using a bench scraper to keep my warm hands off the scone dough.
• When gathering up any scraps of dough, try to laminate them together.
• Laminating the dough creates a nice layer of butter and cheese, and adds to the flakiness of the scone. And I find that during the lamination process, the dough becomes nice and cohesive without too much handling with my hands.
• If you feel the weather is a bit warm or are waiting for the oven to fully preheat (which will take about 20 minutes), pop the scones on the baking tray or baking sheet into the fridge.
• If preparing the scone dough the night before, simply place the cutout scones on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and cover them with cling film or plastic wrap. Bake directly from the fridge once the oven is fully preheated.
• If using a fan-forced oven or air-fryer, reduce the temperature by 20-25 degrees.
• A fully preheated oven is a must for the perfect rise in a scone.

Storage and Freezing

Scone dough can be stored in an airtight container for a day or two before baking. The scone dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Baked scones can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 days. Baked scones can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Cheese and Chives Scones FAQ

Other Scones Recipes You May Like

Cheddar Cheese and Chives Scones

Mary-Lou

These easy, light, and fluffy cheddar cheese and chives scones come together in a matter of minutes. Flavored with cheddar, chives, and a hint of black pepper, enjoy these scones hot out the oven with a smattering of butter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1scone | Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g

Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. All temperatures stated are conventional, unless otherwise stated. Recipes tested in grams and at sea level.