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Easy Cheese Scones with Thyme

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These Easy Cheese Scones are cheesy, savoury, buttery, and flakey. Full of smoked cheese, cream cheese, and herbs, they are a great addition to a cheese platter. Perfect for Mother’s Day Brunch or an afternoon tea.

Baking tray with 12 Easy Cheese Scones on a parchment paper

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These Easy Cheese Scones are my Coincidental Scones. This past Saturday I got up very early in the morning to feed our meowing and demanding cats and then tried to go back to sleep.

While drifting away, I, for some reason, started thinking about scones. I love scones and I love making them, but our kitchen has been scone-less for the past eight or more months.

I woke up refreshed a couple of hours later. A. was already up, so I went to talk to him. After telling me how he got up about an hour ago to feed the cats and realizing that they now tricked us into having two breakfasts, he asked if I could make scones for breakfast. What a strange and cool coincidence! And hence, Coincidental Scones.

This is how last weekend I made two kinds of scones. First I made my Classic Scones that A. loves so much – buttery, fluffy, flaky and just a little bit sweet. Then I decided to make Cheese Scones and with a few twists to the original recipe I ended up with Cheese and Thyme Scones.

These Easy Cheese Scones are smoky from the double smoked cheddar, buttery from the butter and cream cheese added into the dough and savoury from the addition of fresh thyme. Salty. Soft. Satisfying.

Baking tray covered in parchment paper with 12 Easy Cheese Scones on top of it and a few leaves of fresh thyme

What cheese is used to make Easy Cheese Scones?

These Cheese Scones are full of three kinds of cheeses: double smoked cheddar, sharp white cheddar, and cream cheese! Both double smoked cheddar and sharp white cheddar have very strong and pronounced flavours and I highly recommend using them. I buy them at Costco when they are on sale. If you can’t find those types of cheddar then feel free to use your favourite cheddar cheese instead.

What herbs can be used to make Cheese Scones?

I use fresh thyme as it pairs beautifully with smoked cheddar. However, for different variations of these Easy Cheese Scones, try using:

  • fresh chives
  • dill
  • rosemary
  • oregano
  • parsley

You can use dry herbs also but you’ll need to adjust the amount. Usually you use less dry herbs than fresh herbs as the flavour in dry herbs is more concentrated.

How to make flakey scones

I love this technique and use it every time I want to make flakey scones.

Once the dough is mixed, flatten it slightly, then fold the dough toward you in half, flatten it a little bit with your hands, move the dough quarter turn and fold again. Repeat 10 times. This will make the scones slightly flakey.

You basically are creating layers by flattening the dough and then folding it in half, and then repeating over and over again.

Close up view of Easy Cheese Scones with a few sprinklings of fresh thyme

Can you make Easy Cheese Scones without a food processor?

Yes, you can. You can use a fork to mash the butter and cream cheese into the flour. You can even use your hands if you want, however, I personally prefer to use a pastry knife to combine cold butter and flour.It’s relatively inexpensive and a great alternative for making scones or even pie pastry if you don’t have a food processor.

If you have a food processor, then making these Cheese Scones will be a much easier affair. You can even grate all your cheeses in the food processor!


These Cheese Scones were great in the morning or as a snack, and I swear, I moaned when I had my last scone with my first of this season sweet, cinnamon-ey and creamy Pumpkin Spice Latte. The combination of salty cheese flavour and sweet pumpkin was explosive in my mouth.

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Easy Cheese Scones

These Easy Cheese Scones are cheesy, savoury, buttery, and flakey. Full of smoked cheese, cream cheese, and thyme, they are a great addition to a cheese platter. Perfect for Mother's Day Brunch or an afternoon tea.
Course Appetizer, bread, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 216kcal
Author Julia

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons butter (cold, cubed)
  • 60 g cream cheese (cold, cubed - about 4 tablespoons or 1/4 of 250 g package)
  • 150 g sharp cheddar (grated)
  • 100 double smoked cheddar (grated)
  • 2 tablespoon fresh thyme
  • 1 large egg
  • 100 ml half and half cream (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon half and half cream (for brushing)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F.
  • In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, if using, and mix a few times.
  • Add the cold butter, cream cheese and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
    Alternatively, you could cut in butter and cream cheese into the flour mix by using a pastry knife.
  • Add both cheeses, thyme and pulse a couple more times to mix it in or mix it in by hand.
  • Add the egg, mix it in.
  • Add the half and half cream and mix until the mixture starts to come together. If using a food processor, it may still look like crumbs, but if the mixture is pinched between fingers, it should stick together.
  • Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead a few times until a ball forms.
  • Now for the interesting part: fold the dough toward you, flatten it a little bit with your hands, move the dough quarter turn and fold again. Repeat 10 times. This will make the scones slightly flakey.
  • Place the dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and flatten into a 9-10 inch circle.
  • Cut into 12 wedges and slightly separate.
  • Brush the wedges with the remaining 1 tablespoon of cream.
  • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the scones are baked through, springy to the touch and golden brown.

Notes

  • I've made scones with heavy cream, half and half, milk or yogurt. This particular version was made with half and half, but any dairy could be used. You may also need a bit less, so add a little bit at a time.
  • I recommend using smoked cheese as it gives the scones a very unique flavour, but it's not required. You can just use all one cheese.
  • My oven always takes longer to bake, but these could be done in as little as 30 minutes. My oven took 40.
  • You can also use chives or other herbs instead thyme.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 53mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 151mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 450IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 1.2mg
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Nutrition Facts
Easy Cheese Scones
Amount Per Serving
Calories 216 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 8g40%
Cholesterol 53mg18%
Sodium 229mg10%
Potassium 151mg4%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 450IU9%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 210mg21%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Comments

  1. Delicious Meets Healthy says

    gorgeous pictures! These cheese & thyme scones look fantastic! I may have some for breakfast tomorrow.

    Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Thank you very much! The second time I made these, I made them into small round scones. This way you can really have a small bite for a snack too

      Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Scones aren’t actually difficult to make. My husband even made them once (although under my direct supervision)

      Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Thank you. This is a really good recipe. I have made it twice already and they last for a long time in the fridge

      Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Thank you. Second time I made them I added two tablespoons of thyme, so they were even more savoury and delicious

      Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Thank you 🙂 I’m making them again this weekend I think. I love making them since it’s so easy if you are using a food processor.

      Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Thanks, Marie! I had this Double Smoked Cheddar sitting in my fridge for a while and couldn’t decide how to use it, but it works great in this recipe!

      Reply

    • Imagelicious says

      Thanks, Mel! I love anything with cheese and these little scones tasted so amazing! I’m thinking of making them again this weekend.

      Reply

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