Cheese and Chive Scones with Herb Cream Cheese
I love to make scones and these Cheese and Chive Scones are so delicious. It’s so simple to rub together the ingredients and a few minutes in a hot oven produces a fresh, soft and wholesome quick bread. They are perfect with soup, with cheese or in this case with fresh herb infused cream cheese sprinkled with marigold petals
Cheese Scones
I’ve been making scones since I was about 10 years old, usually fruit or plain scones. However, I did learn to make cheese scones in the Home Economics class at school. I remember that my friend and I forgot to put the pepper into the mixture, so we dusted the outside of the scones with white pepper!
Despite the fact that I really love cooking, I didn’t get along with Home Economics classes. I think I felt really restricted and far preferred to cook and bake at home.
What kind of cheese should I use in the Cheese and Chive Scones?
I use a good strong mature cheddar but you can use any firm cheese that is suitable for grating. Use cheese that has a good flavour or you won’t taste it in the scone.
Chives
Chives are a member of the Allium family, the same as onions and leeks. They have a mild onion flavour and grow easily in the garden. Harvest the chives with scissors and use finely chopped chives in place of spring onions in salads and sandwiches.
I don’t have wholemeal flour what can I use?
The recipe shows wholemeal self-raising flour, wholemeal because it has a nice nutty flavour and self-raising because it’s easy. However, you can use ordinary self-raising flour and the scones will still be delicious.
How to Make Plain Flour into Self-Raising
Herb Cream Cheese
Buy cream cheese and infuse it with herbs or I have a simple recipe that shows you How to Make Soft Cheese from creamy milk
What herbs can I add to cream cheese?
- Marjoram (as per this recipe)
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Chives
- Wild Garlic (in season)
- Fennel
- Mint
Add a little crushed garlic, crushed black peppercorns or make a combination of different herbs.
Don’t forget the herb flowers
Herb flowers are also edible and they are so pretty. The flowers of chives taste mildly of onion just like the stems. While Rosemary is too hard to mix with cream cheese, rosemary flowers are an ideal choice.
Calendula or Pot Marigold petals are also very pretty and bright and although they don’t have much flavour they are great for decoration.
Tips for making great scones
- Rub the butter or margarine thoroughly into the flour, the result should look like fine breadcrumbs
- Do not overmix. Gently bring together the mixture and pat it into a thick round before cutting out the sconces.
- Do not twist your scone cutter, this seals the edges of the dough and stops it rising
- Practice makes perfect, my husband started to make scones and it took him three batches before he perfected his bake.
More Scone Recipes from Farmersgirl Kitchen
Cheese and Wild Garlic Scones are full of flavour and perfect to serve with soup as an alternative to bread. Or simply butter and enjoy with a cup of tea.
Bacon Cheddar Scones are fabulous savoury scones, easy to make, and packed full of tasty bacon and grated Scottish Cheddar.
Date and Walnut Scones are a delicious sweet tea time treat and they are so easy to make you can have them on your tea table in 30 minutes.
Cheese and Chive Scones with Marjoram Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 225 grams (1.8 cups) wholemeal self-raising flour You can use plain self-raising flour if liked
- 1 (1) level tsp baking powder
- 50 grams (0.25 cups) butter or soft margarine
- 50 grams (0.5 cups) grated hard cheese I used cheddar
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) finely chopped chives
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) chilli powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1 (1) egg
- milk
- 2 tablespoon (2 tablespoon) cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) finely chopped marjoram leaves or other herbs of your choice
- A few marigold petals to scatter optional
Instructions
For the Scones
- Heat the oven to 220C, Gas 7
- Put the flour and baking powder in a bowl and rub in the butter or margarine until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.
- Add the cheese, chives, chilli powder and salt.
- Crack the egg into a measuring jug mix it with a fork and then make up the liquid to 150ml with milk.
- Stir the milk into the flour and mix to a soft dough, add a little extra milk if required.
- Turn onto a lightly floured table and gently roll out to about 1.25cm thick.
- Cut into rounds, the size of the cutter will determine how many scones you make.
- Place the scones on a greased baking tray, brush the tops with a little milk and bake for about 10 minutes or until pale golden brown.
- Remove the scones from the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack.
For the Marjoram Cream Cheese
- Mix the cream cheese with the marjoram, leave to infuse for at least 30 minutes.
how absolutely beautiful do these look… I do LOVE a cheese scone, there's something so wonderful about them warm with a slice of very strong cheddar… OH I am off home to bake! zz
Thanks Dom, look forward to seeing your next batch of scones, remember no twisting!
Lovely! I agree about scones: quick to make and so good. I like the use of petals: it makes the scones even more festive.
Thanks Simona, I love to use petals in food.
These look lovely and I really like the marjoram cream cheese with marigolds too. Bet they tasted gorgeous
Thanks Alison, they did taste gorgeous, though I say it myself!
What a feast for eyes! Would love to try your fab scones. Sadly, all my marigolds were slaughtered by the blasted slugs.
Sorry to hear about your marigolds, any edible petals would do, doesn't have to be marigolds
Absolutely STUNNING photo Janice and I LOVE the idea od cheese and onion scones WITH that marjoram cream cheese! I am loving your photos lately…….thanks for adding this to Cooking with Herbs too! Karen
Thank you Karen, I've been working hard on the photos. The scones worked really well, I do love a scone.
These looks ace and perfect for brunch or picnics.
I love savoury scones and muffins especially with soup. These sound delish!
I haven't made a cheese scone in ages and majoram is a herb I don't have in my garden. Two things I need to rectify! Thanks for linking up.
They look like perfect scones Janice and I so wish I could have one now.
How delicious – love your photography!
Wow how unusual! I’d never have thought of using herb flowers quite like that!
Well, now that you have lots of herbs you can eat them too!
I’m laughing reading this as I was never any good at Home Economics at school – I learned to love cooking once I left home! A dusting of pepper – that must’ve been nippy! Love this recipe as cheese scones are my favourite. Think I’m going to bake these tomorrow so thank you for inspiring me.
Thanks, Lesley. I’m glad I made you laugh, it’s one of those memories that has stuck with me, but I do love cheese scones and the chives just add that extra savoury note.
I do love a cheese scone. I was mostly a plain Jane with scones but I blame Lesley for moving onto cheese scones. I love that home economics was restricting for you, my kids now trying to do it are appalled at what the teacher tells them! Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare. Michelle x
Ah good to hear that Home Ec teachers are still the same – ha ha! It didn’t put me off cheese scones though 🙂
I absolutely love a cheese scone and like the addition of the chives. I also like that you’d added some chilli – cheese and chilli are so tasty together.
Thank you for your kind comment. A little chilli heat helps bring out the cheese flavour too.
Such lovely flavours! You have reminded me that it has been a loooong time since I last had a scone – I feel that needs to be fixed ASAP! Eb 🙂
Get the kids to make them! Scones are so quick and easy to make and cheese scones are great for snacks and lunches.