Cheddar Scones with Chives and Bacon Butter

5 from 2 votes

These easy, buttery Cheddar Scones made with chives or spring onions are the perfect addition to any breakfast, brunch or dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: British

Servings: small scones

Author: Spoonful of Flavor

3 cups all purpose flour plus a little more for your work surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese shredded
1/2 cup COLD unsalted butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup green onions thinly sliced (most of the way down the stalk but stopping about 2" from the bottom)
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water egg wash
4 slices bacon cooked and finely crumbled
3 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
kosher salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°F. You can line a baking sheet with parchment but it is not required.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and crushed red pepper. Add the cheese and incorporate it into the flour with your fingers.
Using a box grater, grate the COLD butter into the bowl. Use your fingers (or a pastry cutter) to incorporate the butter into the dough until mostly uniform crumbles form, the largest being about the size of a pea. Add the onions and toss them into the dough until you have green flecks distributed evenly.
Pour in the buttermilk and gently incorporate it using a rubber spatula. The less you mix the better, but you want the dough to come together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead the dough 2 to 3 times. Pat it out to about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough using a 1 1/2" biscuit cutter. You should have about 30 little scones (see note)
Place them on the baking sheet about an inch apart. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for 10-12 minutes. The tops will be a pretty golden hue and the scones will have puffed up a lot.
While the cheese scones bake, use the back of a spoon to smash and mix the bacon and butter, adding just a little salt to taste.
Scones are best served warm but will keep in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.

You can cut these into traditional triangular scones. When patting out the dough, you will make a circular shape that is about 1 1/2" thick. Cut the circle in half, and then across, and then 2 swipes diagonally to yield 8 equal triangle pieces. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Similarly, you can cut these in any size or shape you like, but make sure to adjust the bake time accordingly.
COLD butter is crucial to tender scones. After you cut them and put them on the baking sheet you can put them in the fridge for a few minutes to chill before baking if you'd like.
Cutting the butter in with a box grater is my favorite way to quickly incorporate cold cold butter into biscuits or scones yielding uniform pieces. No more chasing cubes around the bowl with a fork or wishing you had a pastry cutter.