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English Scones
Cheddar Chive - Lemon Basil - Smoked Gouda
With a grandma who moved to Canada from London in 1953, scones have always been a part of my life. So when I realized they tasted just as good when I baked them myself, this opened a world of opportunity! The best part about this recipe is that it's easy to customize to whatever flavour you'd like. All you have to do is mix in a cup of fillings (cheese, berries, dried fruits) to the dough just before you roll it out! In this post I am sharing with you my secrets to these magically fluffy biscuits, and 8 of my favourite variations.
Recipe makes 20 scones.
Ingredients
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar, diced into 1/4" pieces
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives (my quick trick is to just cut these with a pair of scissors!)
*Swap out the cheddar and chives with whichever fillings you decide
1/2 cup sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar, diced into 1/4" pieces
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives (my quick trick is to just cut these with a pair of scissors!)
*Swap out the cheddar and chives with whichever fillings you decide
Step 1
Preheat oven to 425°.
Step 2
Sift flour into a large bowl. Mix in sugar, baking soda and salt.
Step 3
Cut butter into cubes and cut into flour mixture until the texture resembles crumbs.
Step 4
Beat milk and eggs on high for about a minute.
Step 5
Add beaten milk and eggs to flour mixture and mix to form a loose dough. I use my hands for this! Then add cheddar and chives and continue to mix until fillings are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
Step 6
Roll out dough to 1" thickness on a lightly floured surface.
Step 7
Using a 2 1/2" diameter circular cookie cutter (I just use a small wine glass!), cut out your 20 scones and place on a greased and then lightly floured cookie sheet.
Step 8
Bake scones for 10-12 minutes, or until tops are a light, golden colour.
Serve right out of the oven with butter!
Flavour Variations
Replace the cheddar and chives with any of the following ingredients.
Lemon Basil
zest of 2 lemons1 tbsp dried basil
Smoked Gouda
1 cup smoked gouda, diced into 1/4" pieces
Raspberry
1 cup fresh raspberries
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon Raisin
1 cup raisins
1 tbsp cinnamon
Serve with apple butter
Salted Orange
zest of 1 large orange
extra 1 tbsp sea salt
Caramelized Onion Cheddar
1 cup caramelized onion infused cheddar, diced into 1/4" pieces
Lavender Vanilla Bean
2 tbsp dried culinary lavender blossoms
1 tsp pure ground vanilla bean
Brie
1 cup brie, cut into 1/4" pieces
Serve with red pepper jelly