Cheddar & Green Onion Scones
Flakey, buttery scones flavored with white cheddar and green onions.
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The first time my husband tried this recipe, he looked at me and said, “these are the best things you’ve ever made.”
I can’t help but almost agree with him (there are some cookie recipes that have won my heart), though I cannot deny the fact that I ate two and a half of these while they were still fresh from the oven that day.
Growing up, for special occasions my mom would often make coffee cake or cinnamon rolls for breakfast. We would all sit down at the table once they were done and eat our fill of cinnamon rolls with maybe coffee as a side. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized there should probably be a protein or a vegetable thrown in along in there with the baked good. You know, for balance. I think it is these nostalgic memories of a single sweet breakfast treat created a tendency in my brain to forget that some people also like savory foods for breakfast (but don’t tell my mom—she still doesn’t know).
When I had my home bakery, someone asked me what savory options I had available, and I threw out this idea as an option knowing that the flavors would likely go well together and be achievable. I learned a few lessons along baking these, such as: you can’t make them ahead (the juices from the green onion brown the dough, and it doesn’t bake off), you can’t rush the chill time (they slide and flatten and you miss out on those layers), and that egg white is the only thing you should brush them (heavy cream is commonly used but it interacts with the juice from the green onions, and is very unappetizing after baking).
One of my favorite things about scones is that they come together relatively quickly, as opposed to many other breakfast pastries. If you have even an inkling that you will make this recipe, and a spare stick of butter on hand, then toss it in the freezer now.
Can I make these ahead of time?
This scone recipe in particular should be made and baked on the same day. The juices from the green onions brown in the scone dough, and it is noticeable even after baking (rather unappetizing in my opinion). Scones are best baked fresh the day you plan to serve them, but if you’d like to bake them the night before an event, you can gently reheat them by putting them on a baking sheet in the oven at 300°F for 10 minutes.
What if I want smaller scones?
Scones slide and topple, losing their signature wedge shape if you cut them too small, so I have found the best way to get smaller scones is to double the recipe and divid into three. This results in scones that are about 33% smaller than the standard scones, and the perfect size for a brunch setting where there is a variety of food options. You could technically divide a single batch into two, but you would have to be very careful with the bake time as to make sure they don’t overbake and dry out.
My scones still turned out dry, what did I do wrong?
Very likely you added too much flour to your dough. If when you turned out the dough onto the surface to knead it but it didn’t stick at all to the surface, you likely over measured. Measure the flour by weight in grams using a kitchen scale (this is the one I use) next time (240 grams), or whisk the flour thoroughly to “fluff it up” before gently scooping it into your measuring cup and leveling with the flat side of a butter knife (not shaking to level).
The other possibility is that you over worked the dough when bringing it together. Remember to fold and press the layers together; you don’t need a rolling pin for this. There should still be a few cracks in the corners, and it doesn’t have to be a perfect circle (mine rarely are).
Why did my scones leak butter during the baking?
Most likely you didn’t chill the scones for long enough or let them sit at room temperature for too long before baking. They need to be chilled in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes (up to 60 or they may stay too cold on the inside and over bake on the outside), or chilled in the fridge for one hour. Don’t take them out to cut until the oven is fully preheated or they might get too warm before baking. Making sure your ingredients (heavy cream, milk, and butter) are as cold as possible before combining the dough is another way to make sure the dough stays cold and the butter doesn’t soften before baking.
Can these be made gluten-free?
In my experience, pastry is really hard to get right gluten-free. My attempts at gluten-free pastry typically end up brittle, stodgy, leak out all of the butter, and have a weird aftertaste. Your best bet is using King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Bread Flour* mix, but it has wheat in it and is not safe for people with wheat allergies.
Ingredients you’ll need:
2 cups All Purpose Flour: The main ingredient for the dough
1 tablespoon Baking Powder: Leavening for the dough
1 stick Unsalted Butter: A little goes a long way in this recipe, to provide the flakey layers, plus more for brushing when it is out of the oven
3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt: To add dimension to the pastry and balance the sweetness
4 Green Onions: Just the green parts, save the whites for something else
5 ounces White cheddar cheese: Medium cheddar cheese can also be used in this recipe, but I choose white because I prefer it in general
3/4 cup Heavy Cream: This is the secret ingredient to giving the scones a flaky texture.
1/4 cup Whole Milk: Use whole milk if you can, but if you can’t, buttermilk or nonfat would work too
1 Egg white: For egg was to brush on the scone before baking. If you don’t have eggs then it’s okay to skip, no substitutes will work here.
Equipment Needed:
Large Mixing Bowl: For mixing the dough together
Glass Measuring Cup: My trusty 1 cup pyrex does the trick for this
Box Cheese Grater: For grating the butter. Alternatively, you can cut into cubes and pulse in a food processor until the butter is the size of peas, but be careful not to over mix.
Rubber Spatula: For mixing the dough
Measuring Spoons: For measuring the dry ingredients
Kitchen Scale: For measuring the flour, if you have one already. This one is my favorite and rechargeable.*
Baking Pan or Cookie Sheet: Use to bake the scones on. It doesn’t matter if it has rimmed edges or not.
Parchment Paper: For lining the pan before baking. I would avoid a silicone baking mat and bake straight on the pan since many silicone baking mats get too hot and can burn the bottom of the scone.
Pastry Brush: For Brushing the scones with egg white, can dip a paper towel and use that in a pinch.
You can see the Kitchen Basics list on my Amazon Storefront for what items I would recommend using.
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Step by Step Directions
Make the dough
Chill the butter in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. I like to keep a stick of butter in my freezer at all times in case I randomly want to make a scone (happens more than you might think).
Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder in a medium bowl.
Combine milk and heavy cream in a separate glass measuring cup.
Finely chop the green onions and mix in to flour mixture with a fork or whisk. Grate cheese and frozen butter into flour and mix in evenly.
Add milk mixture to flour and bring together using a rubber spatula. Once it is mostly mixed together pour onto a clean surface and knead into a shaggy ball.
Fold the dough
Sprinkle flour on the counter and then use your hands to press out the dough into a 11”x5” rectangle, and then fold in half. Alternatively, you can cut it in half and stack it. Press back out to a 11”x5” rectangle and then repeat once more. After the last roll fold in half and press into a 7” round disc, which never comes out perfectly circular for me. Don’t fuss over the shape lest you over work the dough.
Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill in freezer for 30 minutes. After I put the scones in the freezer, I like to turn on the oven so it is perfectly preheated by the time the scones are done chilling.
Bake the Scones
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut into 6 wedges and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush all sides with egg white wash (egg with with a tablespoon of water mixed in).
Bake 25-30 min, rotating half way through until browned. It is done when it barely gives when you poke the thickest part. Brush with melted butter when they’re still hot from the oven.
White Cheddar & Green Onion Scones
Ingredients
Instructions
- Start by putting a stick of butter in the freezer if you haven't already, for at least 15 minutes
- Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder in a medium bowl.
- Combine milk and heavy cream in a separate glass measuring cup.
- Finely chop the green onions and mix in to flour mixture with a fork or whisk. Grate cheese and frozen butter into flour and mix in evenly.
- Add milk mixture to flour and bring together using a rubber spatula. Once it is mostly mixed together pour onto a clean surface and knead into a shaggy ball.
- Be very careful for the next few steps not to over-knead or your scones will come out dense instead of flakey; you'll want a few cracks to remain in the dough by the time your done. Once the dough comes together into a rough ball, flatten with your hands into a 8"x5" rectangle, then fold in half (hamburger style) so that it is now a 4"x5" rectangle (I like to use a bench scraper to lift up the dough that I'm folding over).
- Rotate the dough by 90 degrees so that the long side is now closest to you. Flatten out to an 8"x5" rectangle again, repeating once more for a total of three folds.
- After the third fold, press the dough into a circle like shape, not minding if it's a perfect circle so you don't over work your dough.
- Cover tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for 1 hour, max of 6 hours before they start to brown.
- 30 minutes before you're ready to bake, move a baking wrack to the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the scones into 6 wedges by cutting in half, and then into thirds, making them as similar in size as possible.
- Place scones on prepared baking sheet, and bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes, rotating half way through.
- Once the scones are golden brown on the edges and spring back when you poke the thickest part, they are ready. Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet or cooling wrack.
Notes
If you want smaller scones, I have found doubling the recipe and dividing into thirds works the best; cutting the scones smaller does not work well.
Instead of kneading dough on my counter (which is hard to tell if it's clean because it's a dark color), I like to knead dough on a silicone baking mat or a rimmed cookie sheet.
