Cheese scones are a delicious savoury treat perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or a bowl of soup. They are an integral part of a savoury afternoon tea or a welcome addition to a traditional afternoon tea, as a foil to sweet cakes and pastries.
I first had cheese scones about 20 years ago when I lived in Burton-on-Trent, in the Midlands. My friend Alice had recently lost her husband and was experiencing some health issues, so she had not been baking as much as she usually did. Alice’s cakes and scones were the stuff of legend, so I was delighted when she came out of the kitchen bearing a tray of beautiful, puffy cheese scones topped with grated cheese. It made my heart happy to see her baking again, and my goodness those scones were good. Having only had sweet scones before, it was a revelation to me that you could enjoy them in savoury form as well.
My Cheese Scones Recipe
Sadly I never did get Alice’s recipe, so when it came to making my own cheese scones, I developed my own. I based it on my Grandma’s sweet scone recipe and swapped the flavours round to make them the scones all gorgeous and cheesy.
Just a little note about salt. If the cheese you are using is very salty, be careful how much salt you add to the dough. Baking powder is the ingredient which creates the rise in scones, so the salt is only there for flavour. I like to sprinkle a little flaky Maldon salt over top of the scones with the extra grated cheese before baking, but again, go carefully if your cheese is salty.
What Kind of Cheese Do You Use in Cheese Scones?
Alice’s cheese scones were made with cheddar cheese and that is how I make mine too. Any hard cheese that you can grate is fine, but do not use pre-grated packaged cheese or the recipe simply will not work.
Pre-grated packaged cheese contains potato starch and preservatives to help it keep better and to stop it from clumping together in the bag. This means the cheese does not melt as well. In addition, the potato starch acts like flour and ruins the scones’ texture. I learned this from bitter experience one day when I was recipe testing and trying to take short cuts. Seriously, do not use pre-grated cheese!
Red Leicester or other hard orange cheese will give the cheese scones a lovely colour, but when push comes to shove, I prefer the flavour of cheddar. Cheddar is sometimes coloured orange in North America but here in the UK it is nearly always white.
What About Adding Chives?
Many people add chives to their cheese scones. I have had scones with chives in them and enjoyed them, but on the whole, I prefer them without. If you really want to add chives, chop them very finely and stir them into the flour and butter mixture just after you have blended it. About a tablespoon of finely chopped chives should be more than enough for this recipe.
Tips for Making Scones
- Be sure to preheat the oven. It’s important the cheese scones go into a very hot oven and that you leave the door shut until they are done.
- Press out the dough using the flat of your hand. Do not use a rolling pin as this will squash the air out of the dough.
- Cut out the scones with a round, fluted cookie or biscuit cutter. Position the cutter over the dough and push down firmly so that the dough puffs up inside the cutter. There are some photographs of me doing this with sweet scone dough here.
- Use a cutter that is approximately 6 cm round (just shy of two and a half inches) for best results. These smaller scones bake up better and look cuter too.
- Depending on how fierce your oven is, the scones may take more or less time to cook. I recommend watching them for the last five minutes of cooking time to be sure they do not burn.
Serving Cheese Scones
You can serve these scones for breakfast or a snack, or try them alongside your favourite soup or stew instead of biscuits. And of course, it goes without saying that they are in their element at afternoon tea!
Cheese Scones – Printable Recipe
Cheese Scones
Ingredients
- 1½ cups flour
- ¼ cup butter, fridge cold, cut in small squares
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese plus extra for topping
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup cold milk you may need more or less
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Put the flour and pieces of cold butter in a large bowl.
- Cut the butter and flour together with a pastry cutter (also known as a dough blender) or rub between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Using a fork, stir in the salt, baking powder and cheese.
- Gradually add the milk, a bit at a time, stirring with the fork until the mixture just begins to come together.
- Using clean, cold hands, bring the dough together completely in the bowl. (If you have warm hands, run them under cold water and dry them first.)
- Turn the dough out on to a piece of greaseproof paper or a floured surface.
- Using both hands form, form the dough into a round ball. Avoid handling the dough too much as you need it to stay cool.
- Quickly use the flat of your hands to push the dough out to nearly an inch (about 2 cm) thick. Do not use a rolling pin or you will press out all the air and the scones will not rise properly.
- Cut out the scones by positioning the biscuit/scone/cookie cutter over the dough and then pushing it down very quickly so that the dough puffs up into the cutter.
- Place each of the cheese scones on the greaseproof paper lined baking tray one at a time.
- When you have cut as many scones as you can, form the dough back into a ball and press it out one more time. Try to avoid doing this more than once.
- When you have cut out all the scones and placed them on the baking tray, sprinkle each one with a bit of grated cheese.
- You can also sprinkle some flaky salt over the top, provided your cheese is not too salty to start with.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until the scones have begun to turn golden brown. Keep an eye on them for the last five minutes so they do not burn.
- Cheese scones are best served warm from the oven. However, they will keep in a sealed container for up to 48 hours. Reheat gently before serving. They can also be frozen in an airtight container. Defrost thoroughly and rewarm gently before serving.
Notes
Equipment
- 1 dinner fork
- 1 6 cm round or fluted cookie cutter 6 cm is just over 2 inches
did you make this recipe?
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Comments & Reviews
Elizabeth@pineconesandacorns says
April your scones look delicious! Have a wonderful week.
April Harris says
Thank you so much, Elizabeth! I hope your week is wonderful too 🙂
Claire Justine says
Love cheese scones, yours looks so tasty, April. I would love to eat one right now 🙂
April Harris says
Thank you so much, Claire!
Donna Reidland says
These look so yummy! I want to try them soon!
April Harris says
Thank you, Donna! I hope you enjoy them!
Catherine Sokolowski says
I can’t wait to have an excuse to make these scones. It was very interesting what you said about the prepackaged shredded cheese. Now I know why some of my recipes don’t taste as good when I use it!
April Harris says
I hope you enjoy them, Catherine!
Tammy says
Your scones look so delicious, April! I love savory scones…sounds perfect with the grated cheddar!