These scones are just so tasty that you couldn’t survive on just one. They are very easy to make and freeze extremely well once cooked, provided you defrost and re-heat them in a hot oven for 4 minutes before serving.
Scones date back over 400 years and are believed to have originated in Scotland. For our Cornish scones recipe with step by step pictures see the page here.
Because of their unique flavour, cheese and onion scones are probably best eaten with just a little butter rather than the traditional jam and cream.
Ingredients for Cheese and Onion Scones
40g / 1½ ounces Parmesan Cheese grated
40g / 1½ ounces Strong Cheddar Cheese grated
1 Medium onion diced
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
175g / 6 ounces self raising flour
½ level teaspoon of salt
½ level teaspoon of mustard powder
½ level teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
25g / 1 ounce salted butter
1 large egg
2½ tablespoons milk
Pepper to taste
Finely chop the onion
Finely grate the cheddar cheese (40g / 1½ ounces)
Finely grate the Parmesan cheese (if using a solid block) (40g / 1½ ounces)
Lightly whisk the egg
Cut the butter into small cubes
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C, Fan 180°C, Gas Mark 6, 400°F.
In a large mixing bowl, sift the 175g / 6 ounces self raising flour, ½ level teaspoon of salt, ½ level teaspoon of mustard powder and ½ level teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Now rub in 25g / 1 ounce salted butter to the mixture with your finger tips and mix well to a crumbly texture.
Fry the onion in the teaspoon of olive oil for about 5-6 minutes or until they are a nice brown colour and a bit darker at the edges. Keep stirring the onions about so that they don't burn. Now transfer them to a plate to cool.
Mix in the cooled onion and two thirds of the grated cheeses to the mixture from step 1 above and mix them together evenly. Beat the egg and pour this in. Mix all the in ingredients first with a knife and finally with your hands, slowly adding the milk to make a soft dough – it mustn't be too sticky.
Tip the dough out on to a lightly floured surface, knead it gently till it's smooth, then roll it out to about ¾ inch (2 cm) thick, don't roll it out too thinly.
Next, use a 2½ inch (6 cm) plain cutter or fluted for cutting: place it lightly on the dough and cut out the scones. Knead together any trimmings and re-roll them, till all the mixture is used up.
Use the remaining third of the grated cheeses from step 3 to sprinkle over the top of the uncooked scones.
Place the scones in the centre of the pre-heated oven (200°C, Fan 180°C, Gas Mark 6, 400°F) on the greased baking tray for 12 minutes.
Remove them from the oven. If the tops of the scones have not browned, place them under the grill for two minutes. Leave to cool for at least 10 minutes.
STEP 7Dish up and enjoy with some butter on them to taste. We enjoy them just as they are.
Cheese and Onion Scones ready to eat