This just might be my favorite recipe I’ve ever made. I got the idea for this one while craving potato skins. That potato base with sour cream, melted cheddar, crunchy bacon, and fresh chives. I was watching a YouTube video of someone making scones at the time, which I’ve never really made. The gathering of the dough into a disc seemed really fun to me. I rarely see savory scones, so I realized I could throw all the loaded baked potato ingredients into the buttery, flaky dough. These are the most incredible (savory) treats – loaded baked potato cheddar bacon chive scones. 

Cheddar Bacon Chive Scones with Potato

I love recipe developing, and this was no exception. This isn’t typical, probably, but my process is kind of just throwing things together and writing notes for myself. I’m so used to cooking, knowing how things go together, what flavors pair well, and what ratios to use, that I just kind of wing it. And most of the time it comes out great! This was a case of going into flow state. I snapped out of a 3 hour long meditative cook in the kitchen and there were cheddar bacon chive scones fresh out of the oven waiting to be eaten. The smell was something out of this world. Like red lobster biscuits but better somehow. With chives and potato and bacon.

I began cooking by popping Ted Lasso on the TV, which I just started watching. I’m almost done with season one, and it’s really growing on me. Ironically, when I threw my apron on and got to work, Ted was in his kitchen baking shortbread. I started by writing a list of ingredients. Fresh chives. A block of sharp cheddar. Perfectly rendered, crispy bacon. Russet potatoes. Sour cream. All of the components of a loaded baked potato. I studied scone recipes and gathered my flour, a little sugar, salt, baking powder, butter, and heavy cream. 

Playing in the Kitchen

I cooked bacon on a sheet tray. 8 pieces. Not all 8 made it into the recipe… I kept a close eye on them and took them out when they were a little past amber. I always cook bacon on parchment paper in the oven so I can prop one edge of the pan on a potholder after to let the grease all collect on one side. After an hour or two in a cold house, you can just pick up the parchment and throw the grease away without worrying about spilling it. I waited for the bacon to cool slightly, and didn’t dab them with a paper towel so the fat could help flavor the dough.

Next, I grated cheddar into a big pile and I chopped chives. I grabbed garlic powder from the spice rack so I wouldn’t forget to add some to the dry ingredients, and then I grated butter into the pile of cheese. I placed both in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Then, I measured out the dry ingredients and mixed them all together in a bowl. I crumbled up my bacon and mixed that throughout the flour. I also added the chives and the garlic powder. Next, I removed my butter and cheese from the fridge and worked them delicately into the dough, like you would a pie crust. Until it achieved a sandy texture. That was when I realized I completely forgot about the potato. 

Loaded Baked Potatoes Meet Bacon + Cheddar

So, I poked holes in a rather large russet potato and microwaved it for 6 minutes. Immediately when it came out I tried to peel the skin off and played hot potato like an impatient child. When I finally wrestled the filling out of the potato skin, I spread it thinly on a small baking sheet and popped it in the freezer so that any residual steam or water from the potato would be frozen. This would help the dough get colder after it sits and warms. Once it was ready, I popped the block of frozen potato guts off the baking sheet and broke it up into small bits with my hands. The icy temperature helped bring the flour and butter/cheese base back to a chill temperature for scone dough. 

Lastly, I mixed my wet ingredients; heavy cream, egg, and sour cream. I whisked it all together and poured it into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a chopstick helps a lot for things like this, to start incorporating the ingredients before I get my hands involved, because I don’t like washing my hands every 5 seconds. Quickly I had a shaggy dough and in an attempt to no over-mix, I dumped it out onto the counter. A lot of sandy bits and flour hadn’t been mixed in yet, so I gently worked the dough into a disc, using as little force and time as possible. The more you knead and develop the gluten and melt the butter, the less tender your bacon cheddar scones will be. So, the second I saw a cohesive dough form, I left it alone.

Baking Cheddar Bacon Chive Scones

Next, I lined another sheet tray with parchment paper. I eyeballed cutting my scones by slicing them in half down the middle and cutting each half into 3 triangles. Most scone recipes typically make 8, but I knew I wanted these to be a little on the jumbo side. Who would want cheddar bacon chive scones to be dainty? So, I carefully transferred each triangular scone onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and spaced them evenly. I cleaned the counter, and washed my hands. Then, I popped the scones into the freezer, which took about 5 minutes of finagling racks and moving objects and forcing the door open as wide as possible to fit my sheet pan inside. In retrospect, I would recommend just putting the block of scone dough back in the freezer, wrapped in cling film. Then, you can cut them cold. Oh well.

Once they were ready to bake, it was an intense scene in Ted Lasso, and I nearly forgot to bake them. I finally paused the show, ran into the kitchen, and brushed the tops of each scone with heavy cream. Then, I sprinkled sea salt on them as well as freshly grated cheddar cheese and more chives. They were picture perfect before going into the oven, so I couldn’t wait to see the final result. Finally I sat down, finished the episode, and waited for my timer to beep. 

Tasting the Scones

I wasn’t really prepared for how good these would taste. The entire time I was making them I really thought I nailed it, but these turned out way better than my wildest dreams. It was just one of those days where everything went right. When they came out of the oven, they were perfectly golden brown, and a rich, buttery, cheesy, potatoey smell filled the house. It genuinely smelled just like potato skins, or a loaded baked potato. The scones were perfectly cooked and perfectly browned, and I was glad I decided to opt for a jumbo size. Without wasting time, I sliced one in half and basked in the steam pouring out of it. I placed it on my favorite black plate and buttered it.

I sat down in front of the TV and the next episode of Ted Lasso was a blur. All I could focus on was the incredible taste of the scone. And when the light hit them as I ate, I noticed chunks of potato visible in the scone dough. There were also large flecks of bacon and green chives polka dotted throughout. The taste was akin to red lobster biscuits, but way better. The savoriness of a bacon cheddar scone / biscuit with the hit of garlicky chives and meaty potato. Then there’s the sour cream flavor, and the melted butter, and the garlic powder. The perfect crown on top of the taste is the flakes of sea salt, withdrawing so much flavor out of each bite. 

My New Favorite Recipe?

These bacon cheddar scones are truly so easy to make. You just need to invest in good cheese, bacon, and chives. The sky is the limit with the recipe – you could put cream cheese on them instead of butter. Or sour cream. Or some kind of potato mousse. They could be made into breakfast sandwiches. Eggs Benedict. This is officially my new favorite recipe, and I can’t wait to make these over and over again.

If you get a chance to make them, let me know what you think! And if you like this recipe and my paintings, be sure to check out Etsy for more recipe cards and art prints. Use code THEFORKEDRING for 25% off. Thank you for reading!

Print Pin

Loaded Baked Potato Scones

Savory scones with bacon, chives, potato, cheddar, and sour cream

Course Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon recipes, loaded baked potato, scones

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author theforkedring

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups AP flour
• 1.5 tbsp sugar
• 1.5 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped chives + more for topping
• 1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter cold
• 1.5 cups fresh grated cheddar + more for topping
• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 7-8 slices of bacon
• 1/3 cup heavy cream + more for topping
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Grate butter and 1.5 cups cheddar cheese onto a piece of parchment paper or plate. Transfer to refrigerator or freezer to chill.
• Microwave potatoes and cool slightly. Scoop out flesh and transfer to freezer to chill.
• Place 8 strips of bacon on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cook for 10-15 minutes until amber and crisp and leave to cool.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, garlic powder, baking powder, and 1/2 cup fresh chopped chives.
• Once bacon is cool, break into small pieces and add to the flour mixture, coating each piece and mixing.
• Add your cold butter and cheddar cheese and mix gently to combine into a shaggy, sandy dough.
• In a pyrex measuring cup, combine heavy cream, sour cream, and egg, and whisk to combine.
• Add your cream and egg mixture to the scone dough and combine with a chop stick or spoon until dough starts to form.
• Transfer dough to a clean, lightly floured work surface and mold into a thick dough. Don’t overwork – the dough will be ready once the shaggy crumbs disappear.
• Wrap scone dough in cling film and transfer to the freezer for 10-15 minutes until chilled.
• Remove dough from cling film and cut into 6 equal triangles. Transfer each scone to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Brush each scone with heavy cream. Then, sprinkle on extra cheddar cheese, chives, and sea salt.
• Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until deeply golden brown and caramelized.
• Serve warm with melted butter or cream cheese.

Notes

• I use sharp white cheddar for this recipe, but you can experiment with your favorite cheeses!
• To make things easier, grate your butter and cheese the day before and keep in the fridge. You can also cook your potato hours ahead and keep it refrigerated. 
• You can use buttermilk instead of heavy cream for a more intense flavor. Maybe even some ranch seasoning?