Muffins, Scones and Biscuits

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

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I love tea. Drinking it and baking with it. My tea infused lemon jasmine blueberry scones are incredibly delicious, with a delicate floral spin that takes these scones to the next level. Jasmine tea gives these flaky and tender scones a subtle floral flavor that really compliments the pops of lemon and blueberries. For more jasmine flavor, I drizzled a sweet jasmine tea glaze over the baked scones. A must bake for Spring.

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

Jasmine Tea

A good quality jasmine tea will have a jasmine fragrance. A lot of super market varieties fall short and neither have the fragrance nor taste of jasmine. You don’t at all need an expensive tea, just one that has a pronounced jasmine flavor. I used Rishi jasmine tea. If you’re a fan of jasmine tea, or floral teas, these scones are for you. Even if you’re not a fan of floral teas, I urge you to try it in this recipe. The jasmine goes so well with the floral flavors of the lemon and blueberry. They smell and taste absolutely amazing. But, you can omit it to make lemon blueberry scones.

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

How to Make Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

I like to use a stand mixer to make scones to avoid the headache of having to cut in butter by hand. I love this method. It’s faster too. You could also use a food processor instead, like I did with my bacon, cheddar and chive scones.

Flour, baking powder, jasmine tea, baking soda, sugar, salt and lemon zest are combined in the bowl of a stand mixer. Cold, cubed butter is added and beaten on low until the mixture is coarse and has pea sized pieces of butter throughout. It’s totally fine for some larger pieces of butter to remain as well.

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

Fresh blueberries are stirred in by hand with a spatula as to not smash them or break them up with the mixer paddle, followed by the cold buttermilk. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface to shape the dough into a circle about 1 1/2″ thick. Cut into 8 even size wedges and space them out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Brush the scones with buttermilk to help get that crispy, brown top.The scones are baked until golden and set to cool while preparing the jasmine glaze.

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

Jasmine Tea Glaze

Jasmine tea is steeped in a warm cream mixture to extract all the flavor of the tea into the glaze. The cream is strained, discarding the tea leaves. Powdered sugar is whisked into the cream to make a glaze for drizzling.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones, allowing the glaze to set for 30 minutes or so before serving. I love to serve these up slathered with butter and a cup of, you guessed it, jasmine tea.

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

If you make my lemon jasmine blueberry scones, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

Enjoy!

Ash xx

For more breakfast recipes, check out these posts:

Banana Bread Scones with Espresso Glaze

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones
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Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

Lemon, jasmine tea and blueberry scones drizzled with jasmine tea glaze
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Chill30 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Breakfast
Keyword: berry lemon pavlova, biscuits, blueberries, jasmine tea, scones
Servings: 8 scones

Equipment

Ingredients

Lemon Jasmine Blueberry Scones

  • 2 ⅓ cups (280g) all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon jasmine tea leaves
  • ¼ + ⅛ teaspoons baking soda
  • ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest
  • ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold cubed
  • ¾ cup (170g) buttermilk, cold
  • ¾ cups (105g) blueberries
  • 1 tablespoon buttermilk, for brushing on scones

Jasmine Glaze

  • 3 tablespoons cream (half and half or milk can also be used)
  • 1 teaspoon jasmine tea
  • 1 cup (114g) powdered sugar

Instructions

Make the lemon jasmine blueberry scones.

  • Combine the flour, baking powder, jasmine tea, baking soda, sugar, salt and lemon zest into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low to combine thoroughly.
  • Scatter the butter cubes over the dry ingredients. Beat the mixture on low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size chunks of butter mixed throughout.
  • Remove the bowl from the mixer. Stir in the blueberries.
  • Drizzle the ¾ cup cold buttermilk over the mixture and use a spatula to mix. Mix the dough until it just seems to hold together. If the dough still seems dry and isn't fully incorporating, add more buttermilk, a tbsp at a time. 
  • Turn out the dough onto the floured surface. With a light hand, shape into a disc, about 1 ½ inch thick. 
  • Cut into dough into 8 equal wedges.
  • Brush the scones with buttermilk.
  • Place the scones on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, 2-3 inches apart and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F.
  • Bake until the scones are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. 
  • Place the scones onto a cooling rack to cool.

Make the jasmine tea glaze.

  • Place the cream in a small saucepan over low heat.
  • When the cream begins to simmer (small bubbles around the edge of the pan), remove from the heat.
  • Place the tea into the cream and let steep for 5 minutes.
  • Strain the cream mixture over a medium size bowl with a fine mesh sieve, pushing as much liquid from the tea as possible. Discard the tea leaves.
  • Add the powdered sugar to the cream, and whisk to combine.
  • Drizzle the cooled scones with the glaze. Let the scones set for 30 minutes to firm up the glaze.

Notes

Scones are best served the day they are baked. Leftover scones can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Banana Bread Scones with Espresso Glaze

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Guys, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made banana bread in the past couple months. With the family being home, I can make a few loaves for a quick breakfast or snack, and they’re gone in no time. We always have bananas on hand for smoothies, but oftentimes they go beyond the point of no return. And, believe it or not, I found that it is possible to get bored with banana bread, no matter how many variations you make. Of course, overripe bananas can’t just be tossed (They’re perfect for baking!), and how many more bananas does one REALLY need in the freezer?

So I made these banana bread scones with espresso glaze one day, trying to use up one lone overripe banana. I’ll admit, I’m a bit in over the top for these. They have the browned, crisp exterior and the flaky, moist, buttery interior texture of a scone with the flavor of banana bread. The espresso glaze adds sweetness and a coffee flavor that just *makes* these scones. The glaze might just be my favorite part.

Banana Bread Scones with Espresso Glaze

About the Ingredients

Basic scone ingredients are used in this recipe, including flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and super cold butter. So what additions makes these scones so amazing?

  • Brown Sugar: While very little sugar is used in my scone recipe – don’t forget that there is sweetness is coming from the banana and glaze too – brown sugar is used instead of granulated sugar for a bit of that brown sugar caramel flavor and moistness that white sugar just can’t provide.
  • Bananas: You will need one large super ripe banana. The more ripe it is, the sweeter it is and better the flavor. You want your banana to browning, spotting and soft. I like to break up my bananas with a fork to really ensure that the bananas are smooth and there aren’t any large lumps.
  • Spices: Cinnamon, vanilla and a touch of nutmeg gives these scones that delicious banana bread flavor.
  • Buttermilk: The buttermilk provides extra moisture and tenderness to the scone, and a bit of that tangy flavor that buttermilk lends to baked goods to really make them amazing. Buttermilk also will result in a loftier scone because it reacts with the acid in the leavening agents.
  • Pecans: I love the nutty, toasted crunch that pecans lend to the scones.

Banana Bread Scones

How to make banana bread scones

  • Mix together the wet ingredients – the banana, vanilla and buttermilk
  • Mix together all the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
  • Cut in the cold butter to the dry ingredients.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry/butter mixture, followed by the pecans.
  • Pat the dough into a circle and cut into wedges.
  • Chill the dough.
  • Brush the scones with cream and turbinado sugar.
  • Bake – then drizzle with glaze.

Banana Bread Scones

Be sure to avoid overworking or warming up the dough when mixing and shaping it. Overworking the dough will make the scones tough and flat. Chilling the dough before baking allows the butter to firm back up, and all the ingredients to cool down which makes for flaky and tender scones. Brushing the chilled scones with cream is essential to the bake of the scone. It helps with the browning as well as helping to create the crispy exterior. The turbinado sugar adds additional sweetness and a bit of crunch.

A note about mixing methods

In the recipe, I have provided instructions on how to make the scones by hand. However, you can also make these in a food processor, like I did in my bacon, cheddar, cheddar and chive scones. Both of these methods will be produce perfectly delicious banana bread scones.

Banana Bread Scones

These scones get even BETTER with a drizzle of espresso glaze. It’s always a bummer to get a scone coated with a flavorless glaze. This is the opportunity to add additional flavor to the scones, as well as sweetness. So I like to go with a super concentrated coffee flavor for the glaze. I like to use both espresso and espresso powder. Using both packs a concentrated espresso punch. Mix the espresso, espresso powder, confectioners glaze, and vanilla together until smooth. The glaze should be thick but pourable. Drizzle the glaze over the still warm scones.

This recipe makes a relatively small batch, only making 6 regular sized scones. This recipe doubles and triples well. You can also keep unbaked scones in the freezer and pop them into the oven in the morning for freshly baked scones. Unbaked scones can be covered and refrigerated overnight, or placed in an airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month.

For more delicious breakfast treats, check out these recipes:

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

Banana Bread Scones
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4.5 from 2 votes

Banana Bread Scones with Espresso Glaze

Tender, crumbly and lightly spiced banana scones with a crispy exterior drizzled with a thick espresso glaze.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Chill30 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Breakfast
Keyword: scones, banana bread, banana, epresso glaze
Servings: 6 Scones

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 large, ripe banana) mashed banana
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) buttemilk, cold
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups (318g) all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup (50g) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup (113g/1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, cold
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (48g), divided chopped, toasted pecans
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream or half and half
  • 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso
  • 2 ½ teaspoons prepared espresso or water, hot
  • 1/2 cup (57g) confectioner's sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Combine the mashed banana, buttermilk, and vanilla into a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Whisk flour, brown sugar sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl.
  • Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture and combine with a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers (my preference) until the mixture comes together in pea-sized crumbs.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry, followed by 1/3 cup of pecans and mix until everything is just moistened. You may have some straggly bits that aren't completely mixed in. That's ok. Don't overwork the dough.
  • Scoop the dough onto the counter and, with floured hands, work dough into a flat ball shape. The dough should be sticky. If it seems too dry, and won't stick together well, add 1-2 more tablespoons buttermilk.
  • Press and form the dough into an 6-inch disc and, with a sharp knife or bench scraper cut into 6 equal wedges.
  • Place the scones onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
  • While the scones are chilling, heat the oven to 400F.
  • Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar.
  • Bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown around the edges and lightly browned on top.
  • Remove the scones from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes.
  • While cooling, prepare the glaze. Whisk together the espresso powder, espresso, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar until combined.
  • Drizzle the scones with the glaze and sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of pecans over the scones. Serve warm.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

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There is just something about sitting out on the porch early in the morning, before the family wakes up, with a latte and a couple warm blueberry streusel muffins slathered with butter. It’s the calm before the daily hustle and bustle. Hot from the oven blueberry muffins are never a bad thing to start your day with, and these muffins do not disappoint.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Bursting with loads of fresh blueberries, and topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel, these blueberry streusel muffins are super easy to make and come together in no time, making them a perfect no fuss breakfast. They’re soft, tender, fluffy and not too sweet – you really taste the fresh blueberries in these.

Blueberry Muffins

Or, if you’re rushing out of the house in the morning, these can be made the night before. After baking, let cool completely on a baking rack. Then pop the muffins back into the tin. In the morning, pop the muffins in the oven at a low temperature for a few minutes to just slightly warm them through.

Blueberry Muffins

Note that this recipe uses both buttermilk and sour cream. The buttermilk provides a subtle tanginess and also acts as a tenderizer,  making this muffin soft and moist. The sour cream adds tanginess as well as richness and helps makes the muffins moist. I like to use full fat sour cream, but you can use light if you wish. Avoid fat free sour cream.

Blueberry Muffins

One noticeable difference about this blueberry streusel muffin recipe compared to most is the mixing method. While traditional muffin recipes combine dry ingredients together in one bowl and wet ingredients in another and then they’re combined, I chose to use the creaming method here. Creaming the butter with the sugar gives these muffins more of a lighter, cake-like texture reminiscent of bakery style muffins. Speed up your butter softening process up by popping it in the microwave. Microwave in 5-10 second bursts, until softened but not melting.

Blueberry Muffins

The streusel topping is a perfect contrast of texture to the fluffy, tender crumb of the muffin. It’s crunchy, full of cinnamon flavor and adds a bit of extra sweetness to the muffin. Use fresh blueberries if you can, but frozen will work here too. I like to pop a few extra berries on top so they pop and get all oozy when baking.

Store the muffins in an air tight container, if there are any leftovers. Though they’re so yum, I doubt there will be. Enjoy!

Blueberry Muffins

For more breakfast sweets, check out these posts:

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

Blueberry Muffins
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Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Tender-crumbed, moist fresh blueberry muffins,  topped with a crunchy, cinnamon streusel. 
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time18 mins
Total Time28 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blueberry, blueberry muffins, muffins, streusel muffins
Servings: 12 muffins

Equipment

Ingredients

For the blueberry muffins:

  • 1 3/4 cup (256g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (127g) sour cream, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (64g) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (159g) granulated sugar
  • 1 stick (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cup (285g) fresh blueberries

For the streusel:

  • 1/4 cup (50g) light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (71g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. 
  • Prepare the streusel. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the light brown sugar, flour and salt.
  • Cut in the butter using a pastry blender or your fingertips until small and medium clumps form. You can also use a food processor. Place into the refrigerator to keep cold while preparing the muffins.
  • Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Remove ¼ cup of the flour mixture and place in another bowl. Add the blueberries. Stir gently to coat the blueberries in the flour mixture. This keeps them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins.
  • In a measuring cup, combine the sour cream, buttermilk and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of stand mixer, cream the unsalted butter with the sugar. Mix on medium speed until light and fluffy. Don’t skimp on this step. Mix for about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer every so often to scrape down the bowl.
  • Add the eggs, one a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
  • Reduce mixer speed to low. Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Mix only until just combined and well blended.
  • Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the blueberries and remaining flour until just combined. Fold gently to prevent crushing the blueberries and making purple batter.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. I like to add a few extra berries right on top.
  • Sprinkle the streusel mixture on top of the muffins, dividing it evenly among the muffins.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges and a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs and no wet batter.
  • Cool in the tin for a few minutes before placing them onto a wire rack to completely cool. Serve warm with a generous spread of salted butter.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook by Tom Douglas and Shelly Lance

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

By 4 Comments

Oh hi! Guys, I have been living my best autumn-pumpkin-caramel apple life. Fall is my absolute favorite season. I thrive this time of year, and I’m totally energized by the cool weather, color changing leaves and the smell of warm spices. I’ve been baking a lot (my house smells a-mazing), planning recipes to share on the blog as well as developing my holiday menus for the bakery. Today I’m sharing my first ever pumpkin recipe on my blog (yay!) – my pumpkin cream cheese muffins with cinnamon sugar pepita topping. These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are fluffy, moist and perfectly spiced and filled with lightly sweetened cream cheese and topped with a crunchy pepitas and cinnamon sugar – and I have to say, I think they are so much better than the coffee shop pumpkin muffin.

I’ll admit, I’m not much a fan of the “pumpkin spice” trend. I definitely don’t enjoy in it in my coffee. Locally roasted with a splash of cream for me please. Really, the first signs of fall for me means apple baking season. I’ve not met many (if any) apple bakes or desserts that I didn’t like. Usually, I use pumpkin in savory cooking before I end up baking with it. Some of our faves: Half Baked Harvest’s Smoky Pumpkin Beer and Cheddar Potato soup is so, so delicious and a huge hit in my house. Skinnytaste’s Hearty Vegetarian Pumpkin Chili is also a family favorite. When I start baking with pumpkin, it’s always muffins, bread or cake. So I knew that the first pumpkin recipe I shared on the blog needed to be these pumpkin cream cheese muffins. Delicious, flavorful and cozy.

To roast a pumpkin or used canned pumpkin?

Since I tend to use a lot of pumpkin in the fall, my preferred way to use pumpkin is straight from the can. I don’t find that roasting and making my own  pumpkin puree is really worth it. Canned pumpkin is convenient for use as well as being generally consistent in flavor and texture. I’ve had mixed results with fresh sugar pie pumpkins. Like with any other vegetable, flavor and ripeness of a pumpkin can be a bit of a gamble. I’ve had  pumpkins that were sweet and flavorful, but I’ve also had some that were bland and grainy. Ultimately, it’s your preference. If you use canned, just be sure to use pure pumpkin and not the pumpkin pie filling, which is sweetened and seasoned.

How to make the muffins

The muffins are super easy to make and don’t require a mixer – a definite win. They are made using the traditional muffin method by combining dry ingredients in a bowl and wet ingredients in another, then combine them by pouring the wet into the dry and mixing with a light hand until just combined. I used a combination of spices and chose to use individual spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove) over pumpkin pie spice so that I have more control over the flavor and can adjust the spices to suit my tastes.

How to make the cream cheese filling

The cream cheese filling is quick and simple, combining softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla and whisking until smooth. I prefer to place the cream cheese filling in the centers of the muffins to copycat the coffee shop version and also because I love the pop of tangy cream cheese. I have also swirled the cream cheese into the muffin as well with success. For extra crunch and flavor, I sprinkled pepitas, cinnamon and sugar around the edge of the muffins.

When distributing the batter among the liners, you’ll notice that the liners get quite full. No worries though, the batter will not overflow. Notice in the first photo how beautifully they bake up.

I know you guys will love these muffins just as much we we do. If you try these pumpkin cream cheese muffins, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

For more muffin recipes, check out these blueberry streusel muffins

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Fluffy and moist spiced pumpkin muffins filled with a sweet cream cheese filling and topped with a cinnamon sugar pepita topping
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time21 mins
Total Time31 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: muffins, pumpkin, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, pumpkin muffins
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients

Pumpkin Muffins:

  • 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
  • 1 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup canola oil

Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

  • 2 tablespoons pepitas
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.

Make the cream cheese filling.

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
  • Place the filling into the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Make the muffins.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. 
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, eggs and oil. 
  • Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Do not over mix. Only mix until no pockets of the dry ingredients remain. 
  • Distribute the batter equally into the lined cupcake pan.
  • Distribute the cream cheese filling into the centers, equally among the muffins.
  • Mix together the 1 tablespoon of sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the pepitas and the cinnamon sugar mixture around the edge of the muffins. 
  • Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few dry crumbs. Do not check the muffins for doneness by inserting a toothpick through the cream cheese center. I like to check by inserting a toothpick through the muffin at an angle. 
  • Cool the muffins in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool on a cooling rack. Best served slightly warm. 

Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

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These bacon, cheddar and chive scones are perfect for a breakfast on the go, a brunch time gathering with friends or with afternoon tea. Pile the scones high with eggs, bacon, avocado and all the breakfast sandwich fixings. Or, slather them with butter while still warm and serve them with tea. I’ve also made these scones many times on cold winter nights and served them with soups and stews. They’re a crowd pleaser and absolutely yummy.

Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

These savory scones are similar but are slightly different than biscuits. Both are made with flour, leavening, fat and dairy. Butter is cut in to the flour mixture, then dairy is added. Biscuits are usually lofty and are known for having tall flaky layers, and these bacon, cheddar and chive scones do have a bit of loft and flakiness, but they are a bit more tender, dense and buttery, like a traditional American sweet scone. They’re really the best of both the biscuit and scone world. Whatever you want to call these spicy, cheesy, smoky treats, they’re absolutely delicious and definitely worth making.

I’ve mentioned their tender, buttery texture, but they’re also packed full of crispy, smoky bacon, melt-y pockets of sharp cheddar cheese and variety of spices including garlic, cayenne and lots of black pepper. I add a bit of onion-y flavor, freshness and a pop of green by mixing in some fresh chives. Savory scone perfection. The cayenne in the recipe isn’t overwhelmingly spicy, but just adds a touch of heat and bit of flavor to the scones. Both my girls love these scones and request them all the time – they love the slightly spicy flavor. However, you can definitely reduce the amount of cayenne in the recipe or omit it if you wish.

Like with pie and tart dough, I use a food processor to cut in the butter for cheddar, bacon and chive scones. Using a food processor ensures that you’re not overworking the dough, and that the butter is evenly distributed. It also prevents warming or melting the butter with your hands and it’s much faster than cutting in the butter with a pastry blender. But, feel free to cut in the butter with the method that you prefer. Once the butter is cut in, the mixture is turned out into a bowl and the bacon, chives and cheddar are stirred in, followed by cold buttermilk. If you find that you still have flour that is unincorporated and the dough still seems dry, add buttermilk a tablespoon at a time until the mixture comes together. You want a mixture that is well combined and holds together, but not wet. Use a light hand when shaping with your scone dough. Overworked dough can result in tough scones.

You can cut out the scones with a circle biscuit cutter or you can cut them into the traditional American-style wedge shape. If you wish to cut out the scones into wedges, shape the dough into a disc that is 1- 1 1/2 inches tall and cut into 12 scones. For the photos in this post, I actually cut my scones into smaller wedges to make 24 scones so that Matt could take them to an event he was attending. To make smaller scones, cut the scones into wedges, then cut in half again. Keep in mind, the scones will puff up quite a bit when baking.

Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

Chill the scones before baking. This allows the butter and the cheese to firm back up so they don’t melt out of the scones while baking. Brushing the tops of the scones with heavy cream before baking will help them bake to a lovely golden brown color. I like to sprinkle the tops with a bit of flaky sea salt before popping them into the oven.

These bacon, cheddar and chive scones can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to two days in a zip top bag. Bake them as needed for fresh, warm scones. I usually make an entire batch on Sunday so that I can bake them off Monday and Tuesday morning for breakfast sandwiches for Matt and the girls. They can also be frozen for up to two  weeks. Be sure to add an additional 10-15 minutes of baking time if you’re baking the scones frozen.

Bacon Cheddar and Chive Scones

If you try these bacon, cheddar and chive scones, let me know! Leave a comment in the comment area below and be sure to snap a photo and tag it #littlevintagebaking on Instagram. I love seeing your Little Vintage Baking creations!

For another quick and delicious breakfast idea, check out this recipe for my Blueberry Streusel Muffins!

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Bacon, Cheddar and Chive Scones

Spicy, buttery and tender bacon cheddar and chive scones perfect for breakfast sandwiches, or served with soups and stews. 
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Chill30 mins
Total Time35 mins
Course: Breakfast
Keyword: bacon, cheddar and chive scones, cheese scones, savory scones, scones, spicy cheddar bacon and chive scones
Servings: 12 scones

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 4 3/4 cups (680g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling the tops before baking
  • 3/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper, more or less to taste
  • 1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 cup + 1 tbsp (255g) unsalted butter, very cold or frozen, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • 1 cup (80g) bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled - I used a 12oz package of center cut bacon
  • 1 1/2 cups (171g) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup (17g) fresh chives, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup (375ml) buttermilk, cold
  • 3 tbsp heavy cream, for brushing the tops

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, sugar and black pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine thoroughly.
  • Scatter the butter cubes over the dry ingredients. Pulse the butter into the mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-size chunks of butter mixed throughout. 
  • Dump the mixture out into a large bowl. Stir in the cooled bacon, shredded cheddar and chives.
  • Drizzle the cold buttermilk over the mixture and use a spatula to mix. Mix the dough until it just seems to hold together. If the dough still seems dry and isn't fully incorporating, add more buttermilk, a tbsp at a time. 
  • Dust your work surface with a light coat of flour. Turn out the scone dough onto the floured surface. With a light hand, shape into a disc, about 1 inches thick. 
  • Use a biscuit cutter to cut out scones. Alternatively, cut into wedges for the traditional American-style scone shape. 
  • Place the scones onto a baking sheet, leaving 2-3 inches apart between then. Place the scones into the refrigerator to chill for 30-45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • After the scones are chilled, brush the tops with the heavy cream and sprinkle with fine sea salt. Bake until the scones are golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. 

Notes

Recipe adapted from Tartine by Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson