There’s nothing like a cheesy, buttery scone, hot from the oven, to accompany a hearty winter’s dinner.

I bake scones year ’round—usually as a breakfast treat—but around the holidays I bring them to every dinner I attend. Not only does this ensure there will be a gluten-free bread I can eat, it also typically elicits a number of “How is this gluten-free??” questions, which gives me a chance to talk about how I’ve made the transition to gluten-free living and baking over the past year.

One of our family members has recently gone mostly vegan. She was able to resist the prime rib and the cheese plate, but she had to have a bite of one of these scones. In the future, I’ll create a version of the scones for her that substitutes the vegan cheese, butter, and milk of her choice.

Tips for the Perfect Gluten-free Cheddar Cheese Scones

The secret to these cheddar cheese scones turning out well? Taking your time with thumbing the butter into the dry ingredients. I’ve tried making them with a pastry cutter or other methods. But the hands-on approach is the one that always gives the best results. What you are looking for is tiny round butter pieces. No big flat globs of butter.

You can use any cheddar cheese you’d like. I prefer to find an aged cheddar and hand grate it in large shreds whenever time allows. I’m also a fan of the Tillamook large cheddar cheese shreds. After the dough is well-combined, add the cheese and knead it in. Chill the dough for an hour or two, then use a 1/4 cup scoop to portion out the scones.

Gluten-free Buttermilk Cheddar Cheese Scones

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Snacks

Cuisine American

Servings 20 small scones

Ingredients

  

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• 3 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 8 TBSP butter Cut into 1 TBSP chunks
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk Replace with lactose-free milk with a teaspoon of lemon juice stirred in for low FODMAP
• 2 cups sharp cheddar shredded

Instructions

 

• Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F (220 c.)
• Sift all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add butter slices, thumbing in to the flour mixture (or using a pastry cutter), until butter is integrated throughout, until left with small crumbs.
• Slowly pour in buttermilk, stirring until just combined. Add cheddar cheese and combine in with your hands. You will have a very sticky dough.
• Use a floured ice cream scoop, or your hands, to make 20 balls of dough of equal sizes and drop onto your cookie sheets.
• Bake 12-15 minutes until they are golden on top.
• Serve immediately or keep for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.

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