Cheddar scallion scones are tender, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. They are the perfect addition to dinner, with just 10 ingredients and 10 minutes of active time needed! This recipe is egg and dairy-free optional.
I am on a total scone kick lately, but this is actually my very first scone recipe on the blog. I'm usually more of a homemade buttermilk biscuit or sweet potato biscuit gal, but something about the soft, flaky, yet firm layers of a cheddar scone is hard to beat.
These cheddar scallion scones are very similar to my cast iron biscuit recipe. They use classic biscuit/scone ingredients plus shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sliced green onions for an extra kick of flavor.
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📋 Recipe features
- Simple: Made using just 10 ingredients (mostly pantry staples) with just 10 minutes of active time, 10 minutes chill time, and 18-20 minutes of baking time.
- Texture: Filled with pillowy layers, yet firm enough to hold. Buttery, rich, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
- Makes 8 triangular scones. No special equipment is needed, but I include a few of my favorite scone-making products to make the process easier.
- New to making scones? It's easy! I place it between drop biscuits and Southern biscuits on a scale of biscuit-baking difficulty. Unlike Southern-style biscuits, scones contain eggs which makes the dough a touch easier to work with.
- Savory scones are the perfect side with soup, shepherd's pie, or anywhere you want an extra side of comfort.
🧾 Ingredients
- All-purpose flour produces a tender, high-rising scone. I have not tested this recipe with any gluten-free flours.
- Unsalted butter: If using salted butter I recommend decreasing the added salt to ¼ teaspoon.
- White sugar: This adds a touch of sweetness that balances out the rich, savory butter and cheddar flavors.
- Sharp shredded cheddar: I use a standard shred size, but farm style thick cut and thinly shredded work too.
- Milk: Whole milk produces the most tender, fluffiest cheddar scones. But feel free to use any kind of milk (I've even made these with non-dairy milk).
- Green onions or chives: Thinly sliced green onions or chives add a pop of herby flavor and color to the scones. I list both as an option because chives are often out at my grocery store, so I've used green onions as a replacement.
- Black pepper: I like to add a fair amount of freshly ground black pepper, which is hard to measure. Either add it to taste or add in ¼ teaspoon black pepper from a spice jar.
👩🏻🍳 Scone baking tips
While these tips aren't necessarily required to make delicious cheddar scallion scones, they do make it more likely that your scones will turn out fluffy and tender.
- Chill the equipment: Like biscuits, scones benefit from cold or chilled equipment. This is because butter tends to melt quickly, and it needs all the help it can get to slow down the process (especially if working in a hot kitchen). I freeze the mixing bowl and pastry cutter for at least 15 minutes before starting. This is optional but recommended for best results.
- Chill the butter: I like to dice the butter into pea-sized pieces and then place it in the freezer for about 10 minutes. If you plan to use a pastry blender instead, you can just slice the stick of butter into thin pieces before freezing it.
- Dough texture: The scone dough should be a little sticky and not completely dry. If the dough is too wet to work with, add 1 tablespoon of flour until it holds together. If the dough is too dry to work with, add 1 tablespoon of milk until it holds together.
- For flaky scone layers, fold the dough on itself a few times. Don't roll the scone dough out to shape it. Instead, gently pat it down until it is about a 9-inch round (the size of a small dinner plate).
- Spoon and level flour into the measuring cup for the most consistent results. To do this, use a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring up until overflowing. Use the back of a knife to wipe off excess flour. Don't shake or pat down the flour in the measuring cup.
- For a golden appearance, brush the scones with melted butter or an egg wash before baking.
🔪 Instructions
Whisk together the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, salt, sugar) in a large mixing bowl. Add the cubed butter to the dry ingredients.
Use a pastry blender, forks, or clean hands to cut the butter into pea-sized pieces. Alternately, finely dice the butter before adding it to the flour (this takes more time but is a good option if you don't have a pastry blender).
Pour in the whisked egg and ½ cup of milk. Stir into the flour until a rough, shaggy dough forms.
Transfer to a clean, lightly floured work surface. The dough should be lightly tacky but holding together. Fold onto itself 3-4 times, patting down gently each time.
Form into a 9-inch round. Use a bench scraper or knife to slice into 6-8 triangles.
Transfer the scones to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 18-22 minutes, until the scones are firm on top with a deepened color. The scones will not appear golden unless they are brushed with additional butter or an egg wash.
🍴 Helpful tools
- Pastry blender: This is a quicker way to cut up butter into pea-sized pieces. If you don't have a pastry blender, simply cut the butter with a knife before adding it to the flour or cut it in the flour with two forks.
- Bench scraper: Use this to cut the scone dough into scones. If you don't have a bench scraper, any chef's knife works.
- Silicon baking mat: I use this to shape the scone dough on. It has a slick surface that makes clean-up and working with breads, rolls, and doughs a lot easier.
- Oven thermometer: "Trust no oven" is one of my favorite kitchen sayings. If your oven has a thermometer, I still recommend having an oven thermometer to double check.
🍳 Vegan or egg-free option
I tested these scones a lot, and in the process I tested an egg-free version. I also tested this with unsweetened, unflavored soy milk. Here's how to make these swaps:
- Egg-free: Simply omit the egg and add an extra 1 tablespoon of milk. Add another tablespoon if the dough is crumbly or dry. Omitting egg results in slightly denser but still fluffy enough scones.
- Dairy-free: Stick vegan butter works in place of dairy butter. I don't recommend spreadable butter. An equal amount of unsweetened, unflavored soy milk also works. I have not tested this with vegan shredded cheddar, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Looking for more savory baked goods?
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📖 Recipe
Cheddar Scallion Scones
- Pastry blender optional
- Bench scraper optional
- Silicon Baking Mat optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour spoon and level into measuring cup
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper or freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1 large egg whisked
- ½ cup plus 2-3 tablespoons whole milk
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup sliced scallions or ¼ cup chopped chives
- 1-2 tablespoons melted butter for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
- Add the sliced butter. Use a pastry blender, forks, or clean hands to cut the butter into pea-sized pieces.
- Pour in the whisked egg and ½ cup of milk. Stir into the flour until a rough, shaggy dough forms. Add the remaining 2-3 tablespoons of milk if the dough is too crumbly and won't hold together. The dough should be lightly tacky but holding together.
- Fold in the shredded cheddar cheese and scallions.
- Transfer to a clean, lightly floured work surface. Fold the dough itself 3-4 times, patting down gently each time.
- Form into a 9-inch round by gently pressing the dough. Don't use a rolling pin! Use a bench scraper or knife to slice into 6-8 triangles.
- Transfer the scones to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving at least an inch between each scone. Brush with melted butter for a golden crust. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to chill. This prevents the butter in the scones from melting before the scones bake.
- After chilling, bake the scones on the middle oven rack at 400F for 18-22 minutes, until firm on top and golden. Let rest for 5 minutes before enjoying.
Video
Notes
- Leftovers: Good within 2-3 days but best immediately after baking. Let cool before storing at room temp in a closed container.
- Dough texture: The scone dough should be a little sticky and not completely dry. If the dough is too wet to work with, add 1 tablespoon of flour until it holds together. If the dough is too dry to work with, add 1 tablespoon of milk until it holds together.
- Chill the equipment: Like biscuits, scones benefit from cold or chilled ingredients. I chill the mixing bowl and pastry cutter for at least 15 minutes before starting. This is optional but recommended for best results.
- Vegan option: Simply omit the egg and add an extra 1 tablespoon of milk to make egg-free. The scones will be slightly flatter. To make dairy-free, use your favorite vegan stick butter, unsweetened/unflavored soy milk, and vegan shredded cheddar.
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