Cheddar Scones with Olives and Caramelised Onions

This is a classic recipe for cheese and onion scones… but with a little added pizzazz! A hearty injection of flavour makes for a proper gourmet scone. These are packed with sweet, caramelised onions, punchy olives and of course plenty of rich, mature cheddar cheese.

Cheese and onion scones are wonderful to make and enjoy as a snack or as part of your lunches. They’re just incredible when warmed and slathered in salted butter that melts into them. Perfection!

Cheese and Onion Scones Recipe

I love how rustic these cheese and onion scones look. They have lots of different texture from all the different flavours in them, and the bubbly cheese topping adds lots of colour.

Ingredients

• 1 large white onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 220g self raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1tsp oregano
• 50g cold butter, cubed
• 150g mature cheddar, grated
• Handful of green olives, pitted and roughly chopped
• 100ml milk

Method

Start by pre-heating your oven to 200c. Whilst that is warming up, get prepping your onions.

Add your thinly cut slices to a pan with some rapeseed oil and cook on medium for 5 minutes until softened. Now add the balsamic vinegar and stir well, whilst turning the heat down to low. Cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring often. The onions will become gloriously soft and sticky. When complete, remove from the heat and set aside.

Now it’s time to make the scone base. In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder and oregano. Season generously with salt and pepper, then stir until well combined.

Next add the cubed butter and using clean hands, rub the butter and flour together with your finger tips until a crumb is formed. Stop when the crumb is even and you have no large chunks of butter left.

Add to the bowl the (cool) caramelised onions, olives and 100g of grated cheddar and mix until evenly combined. Use a wooden spoon so you don’t melt the butter with warm hands.

Stir in the milk until you have a dough formed. Then turn out onto a clean, floured surface. Use your hands to knead the dough until it comes together to form a moist but firm dough.

Roll the dough out nice and thick: you want it around 2 cm. Once rolled nice and even use your cutter to cut out the scone shapes, and place them onto a lined baking tray. When you run out of room to cut from your rolled dough, gather the leftovers together, roll once more and cut more scone shapes. Repeat until the dough is used up.

Wash the top of your scones with a little milk and then sprinkle the rest of the grated grated cheese over the top of each scone.

Place in the oven for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown with a lovely bubbly cheesy topping.

Recipe Overview

Print Recipe

4 from 1 vote

Cheese and Onion Scones

A gourmet twist on a delicious classic, with olives and caramelised onions.

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: English

Keyword: cheese and onion scone, scones

Servings: 12

Calories: 160kcal

Cost: £5

Equipment

• Chopping board
• Knife
• Frying Pan
• Large bowl
• Wooden spoon
• Weighing scales
• Measuring jug
• Medium scone cutter
• Rolling Pin
• Baking tray
• Greaseproof paper or silicon mat

Ingredients

• 1 large white onion, sliced thinly
• 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 220 g Self raising flour
• 1 tbsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Oregano
• 50 g Butter, cold and cubed
• 150 g mature cheddar, grated
• Handful of green olives, chopped
• 100 ml Whole milk

Instructions

• Pre heat your oven to 200c.
• Add your sliced onion to a pan with some rapeseed oil and cook on medium for 5 minutes until softened. Next add the balsamic vinegar and stir well, turning the heat down to low. Cook for a further 10 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In a bowl add the flour, baking powder and oregano. Season generously with salt and pepper, and stir until well combined.
• Add the cubed butter to the bowl. Rub the butter and flour together with your finger tips until a crumb is formed. Stop when the crumb is even and you have no large chunks of butter left.
• Add to the bowl the cooled caramelised onions, olives and 100g of grated cheddar and mix until evenly combined. Use a wooden spoon to mix - your hands may melt the butter.
• Stir in the milk until a dough has formed and turn out onto a clean, floured surface.  Knead the dough until it comes together to form a moist but firm dough.
• Roll the dough out to 2 cm thick. Use your cutter to cut out the scone shapes, and place them onto a lined baking tray. Gather up any leftovers, roll once more and cut more scone shapes. Repeat until the dough is used up.
• Wash the top of your scones with some milk and then sprinkle the rest of the grated grated cheese over the top of each scone.
• Place in the oven for 15 minutes until risen and golden brown with a bubbly cheesy topping.

Toppings for savoury scones

We all know the default jam & cream (or are you a cream & jam person?) topping for sweet scones. Savoury scones aren’t to resigned to strict tradition so why not mix it up?

• Warmed in the oven then simply slathered with salted butter.
• Brie and cranberry jam (even better melted under the grill!)
• Crispy bacon and tomato chutney
• Cool cream cheese and cucumber
• Prosciutto
• Goats cheese and chilli jam

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