Ahh, light and fluffy, with fresh rosemary and savory cheeses! These Rosemary Gruyere Savory Scones are the perfect addition to your afternoon luncheon or tea. Served with a crustless spinach quiche and the perfect cuppa earl grey or English breakfast tea and you are set for a satisfying meal.

These scones come together quickly and are easily made in a pinch when you find out company is coming over or when you realize there isn't anything to serve with your tea. But the question begs to be answered. What is the difference between a scone and a biscuit?

According to Southern Living Magazine there isn't much of a difference between a scone and a biscuit. 

"If you live in a country with the Queen as your monarch, “biscuits” are cookies and “scones” are similar to American biscuits. However, just as with almost everything Americans inherited from the Brits, we had to make them our own.
Next to each other, a biscuit recipe and scone recipe may look deceptively similar. Both are classified as “quick breads,” which simply means they are breads that rise during baking because of chemical leaveners like baking powder and baking soda. Biscuits and scones are also built on the foundation of flour, fat (usually butter), and liquid. The two have the same British ancestor, but the versions being made by early Southern colonists were characterized by the butter, lard, buttermilk, and soft wheat plentiful in the South. Over time, this fluffy and layered bread evolved into a regional commodity: the Southern biscuit."

​Martha Stewart would also have to agree that a biscuit is more of a Southern American rendition of a scone. 

"I told my friend that I thought the difference was really just cultural and creative variation. Scones, which originated in Scotland, are associated with British high tea. They are leavened, fluffy or crumbly breads......... Biscuits, on the other hand, are American.... Substituting buttermilk for milk or cream, or butter for shortening or lard -- the result is usually a light, layered high-sided bread that can be used to soak up gravy or the soft yolks of poached eggs, or split open and eaten with butter and jam."

​What do you think? Do you have a very plain idea of what is a scone and what is a biscuit? Must they have a certain consistency or flavor or are they pretty much the thing dressed in a different outfit?

Well today's scone recipe comes from the south! Our dear friend Darlene from The Sweet Peony Flour Shoppe in Oregon is going to show us how they make scones down in the south where she is from. This is a savory scone and while it does have a little bit of sugar to help with the leaving because of the use of buttermilk, it really isn't sweet at all.

Before we dive in though just a quick note that there are affiliate links throughout this post, we receive a small bit of compensation and there is no change in the price you pay. We thank you for supporting our farm and family! No on to scones...

Starting out with fresh rosemary from the garden really makes this a fantastic scone! There is nothing better than fresh ingredients from the garden when possible. When I visited with Darlene and shot the video of her making these lovely savory scones, she started off this dish by a little trek to her flower bed where she keeps rosemary growing in a little pot. Then fresh ground it using a mortar and pestle much like this one (available here).

Next she measured out all of the ingredients before she started blending them together making sure to shred the cheese ahead of time along with preheating the oven to 400°F.  After blending the dry ingredients together she adds in  the cheddar and gruyere cheese. Next is the fat which she does by hand, not with a pastry cutter like this one or a food processor. Why? She uses the method that her mother taught her when making these savory scones. What a beautiful tradition I might add! I mash potatoes with a hand held potato masher for a similar reason...... my grandfather did. I think of him every time I mash potatoes! ​

After adding the buttermilk. Ah, do you see! This is where the southern enters this scone recipe. Buttermilk is a tradition from the south helping to lend to the light flakiness of this savory scone. Next is what I love about Darlene, she is always fun and insists on her food not only tasting fantastic but looking beautiful as well. She always goes that extra mile with everything she makes and the love she puts in shines through her creations. 

Next she cuts the scones, not just in rounds but also hearts and flowers. No wonder her tea times are such a poplar thing! (Pssst... if you are local to Salem, Oregon make sure to check them out!)

Let me tell you what, these were some of the flakiest, loveliest savory scones I have ever seen! I'm so thankful that Darlene let us invade her kitchen and video how she makes these lovelies! It was so nice of her to share with us her time and her recipe. I hope you enjoy and along with the recipe is the video of our visit.

Leave a comment below, we want to know what you think! What is the difference between a scone and a biscuit? What is your favorite scone and or biscuit? Looking for more scone recipes, find 5 Farmhouse Style Scones here!

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Rosemary Gruyere Savory Scones

Yield: 8

Author: Farmhouse Teas

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Light and fluffy, with fresh rosemary and savory cheeses! These Rosemary Gruyere Savory Scones are the perfect addition to your afternoon luncheon or tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed fresh rosemary (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup cheese (swiss, gruyere, cheddar or monterey jack), grated
• 6 tablespoons refined coconut oil

Instructions

1. Toss dry ingredients together mixing evenly.
2. Add grated cheeses of choice.
3. Cut in butter and refined coconut oil with a fork until evenly dispersed.
4. Add 2/3 C. buttermilk. Mix until dough forms a non-tacky ball.
5. Roll out about 3/4 inch thick. Cut in rounds or shaped cookie cutters.
6. Bake on lined baking tray for approximately 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

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