Cheddar Chive Scones

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Cheddar chive scones are an easy, delicious, and savory addition to any breakfast or brunch. Packed with flavor, flaky and tender, and something everyone will love!

Are you a brunch fan? I AM! Especially a boozy brunch - sign me up! Give me a good array of savory and sweet options, bottomless mimosas, good friends, and a free day and I am in heaven!

You will love these cheddar chive scones if you are a savory brunch person. Even if you are not, you won't be able to resist these tender and flavorful cheesy breakfast treats that are really good any time of day!

Perfect for year-round brunches, weddings, and baby showers, or Christmas morning breakfasts. You can't go wrong with how you serve them so let's get baking!

Cheddar Chive Scones on green plates and a silver plater.

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TOOLS I USE WHEN BAKING SCONES
Ingredients Needed
How to Make
Scone Tips
How To Prep Ahead and Freeze
Frequently Asked Questions
More Breakfast Recipes
Cheddar Chive Scones

TOOLS I USE WHEN BAKING SCONES

Here are a couple of tools I use when making scones, and just baking in general that are super helpful! (*all affiliate links)

Pastry Cutter - to help cut the butter into the flour
Pastry Brush - for brushing the egg wash on top of the scones
Pastry Knife - used to slice the scones - a regular knife or cake scrapper edge can be used as well
Cheese Grater - for grating the cheese or butter even sometimes!

A pastry knife cutter into a butter and flour mixture.

Ingredients Needed

Flour - I always use King Arthur brand in all my baking recipes
Baking Powder - make sure your baking powder is fresh! Otherwise, the scones or any baked good will not rise. I always write the date in a sharpie on the top of mine when I buy it and toss it to get a new one after 6 months regardless if it is empty or not
Salt
Black Pepper
Butter
Cheddar Cheese - buy a block and grate your own - it's way better - trust me!
Fresh Chives
Buttermilk - skip buying a carton of buttermilk - just make your own! Fill a glass measuring cup of whole milk almost to the 1-cup mark. Add in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar making it one full cup. Let sit and curdle for 5 minutes. Use as needed in the recipe. This can be adjusted more or less depending on how much you need but it is roughly 1 tablespoon of white vinegar added to almost a cup of whole milk
Egg + Water - for the egg wash

Clear bowls of flour, milk, cheese, butter, chives, and salt.

How to Make

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix.
Add cubes of cold butter and cut into the flour with a pastry cutter until it's mixed in small peas size pieces. It should be crumbly.
Add in the chives, cheddar, and buttermilk. Mix well. If the mixture is dry, add more buttermilk 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the dough can be formed into a ball.
Transfer to a lightly floured countertop and gently roll out to a 6x12" rectangle. Cut into 6 rectangles that are roughly 3x4" in size, then slice down the middle making 2 triangles. You will have 12 triangles in total.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the tops with the egg wash (the egg and water mixed well together). Place in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove, cool for 10 minutes, then enjoy!

Scone dough rolled into a ball on a floured counter top.

Cutting out scone triangles on a floured counter top.

Scone Tips

In my years of baking and learning from my mom, I have learned a couple of tricks a lot the way. There are TWO important things I do to any scone, no matter the flavor, they yield a delicious treat!

ONE - grating in the COLD butter. You want the butter to be cold for all scones! Using cold butter ensures that it doesn't start melting before baking. That way the cold butter melts WHILE baking resulting in a flaky and perfect scone. Just like with pie crust. Using a cheese grater helps you get super fine flakes of butter and makes it easier to cut into the flour. Or you can do it by hand by adding in small cold butter cubes and using a Pastry Cutter. Either will work.
TWO - brush with egg wash. The egg wash gives these savory cheddar chive scones a nice shine to the top making them look pretty.

12 unbaked scones on a baking sheet before going into the oven.

12 scones after they have baked on a baking sheet.

How To Prep Ahead and Freeze

You know I love to be able to prep recipes ahead of time when I can AND stock up my freezer always. Scones freeze so well and this recipe is no exception!

Make scones all the way up to baking but skip the egg wash. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Store in a freezer-safe container once frozen solid for up to 6 months.
To bake: remove from freezer frozen, brush with egg wash, and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store Leftovers

Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 4-5 days. Warm in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

Can I Use Milk Instead of Cream in Scones?

This cheddar chive scone recipe calls for buttermilk. This gives it a nice acidic tang that pairs perfectly with the cheddar and other savory flavors. Skip buying it at the store just for this recipe and make your own at home - fill a glass measuring cup of whole milk almost to the 1-cup mark. Add in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar making it one full cup. Let sit and curdle for 5 minutes. Use as needed in the recipe. This can be adjusted more or less depending on how much you need.

Do Cheddar Scones Need to Be Refrigerated?

Yes, keep these stored in the fridge if you have leftovers because of the cheese and butter inside of them.

1 Cheddar Chive Scones on a green plate with a napkin, fresh chives, and more scones next to it.

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