Rosemary, Goat Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Scones

 I spent this past weekend on Lake Wateree with some very special ladies. We're a hodgepodge group, somehow putting aside our Carolina-Clemson rivalry to pore over bridal magazines and plan real (and imaginary) weddings. It's totally legit, since one of us is engaged (not me obviously) and the rest of us are in serious relationships. Plus we're girls, and it's fun. P.S. I found my dream dress. This beautiful Jenny Packham number is pretty much everything I've ever wanted.

But enough about weddings. Let's talk scones. I love 'em. I've also never had one turn out as well as this one. It's my new favorite! I made them for our breakfasts and heard nothing but squeals of delight. I kid, no one squealed, but they did have very nice things to say about my foodstuffs. Let's get it rockin' k?

Scone stuffs: Buttermilk, frozen butter, flour, caramelized onions*, rosemary, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and goat cheese.
*Note: I caramelized the onions the day before, which explains why they look a little janky. All you do is slice half a medium sweet onion and cook it in 2 tbs of butter over low heat until the sugars have come out of the onion and browned. It'll take some time (2 hours in my case), but it's worth having that lovely, sweet onion flavor.

Flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt get whisked together in a large bowl.

The rosemary needs a good run-in with a knife. I hate when a large piece of rosemary decides to stab me in my mouth space. So chop away!

So...I grated the butter. There's something to be said for this method. Your butter definitely needs to be frozen. As in, stick your butter in the freezer the night before you want to make these. And you might have to stop and refreeze the butter halfway through because your hands are going to warm it as you grate. That's okay. There's a lot of chilling in this recipe.

When you've grated all the butter, add it to the flour bowl. Stick it in the fridge for about 10 minutes just to get the chill back on the butter. (Freezer is better if you have space. I don't.)

Okay here's where things get...dirty. Rub the grated butter into the flour with your fingers until it's all incorporated. Work fast because your hands are going to warm the butter, and cold butter is what makes scones flaky! Chill 10 minutes.

Okay now we add the good stuff. Onions, crumbled goat cheese, and rosemary go into the bowl.

Incorporate those gently with your hands. I loved the big chunks of goat cheese throughout the scones.

Add (cold!) buttermilk. Pro tip: If you don't have buttermilk, measure a scant tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup and fill with milk until you have a cup. Let it sit and boom! Buttermilk.

Gently mix in the buttermilk until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Then, you guessed it, chill that bad boy!

Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto the counter. Pat it into a disk roughly an inch in thickness. I'm secretly glad you can't tell how awful my nails look in this picture.

Cut the circle into either eighths or twelfths. I chose to make 8 giant scones as opposed to 12 appropriately-sized ones.

Lay them out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with a little melted butter or cream if you're feeling a little frisky. I'm always frisky.

The scones won't get a lot of color, but they will be a light golden brown. And huuuuge.

Few things are as lovely as a warm scone in sunshine. I think a generous slathering of raw honey takes these over the edge. Salty and sweet. Herbaceous and tangy.

Despite all the chilling, which is just passive time anyhow, these are pretty simple and really a slam dunk if you want to impress people.

Rosemary, Goat Cheese, & Caramelized Onion Scones (makes 8 large or 12 medium scones)

3 c all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
12 tbs unsalted butter, frozen and grated
1/4 c caramelized onions, room temperature
About 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 tbs chopped rosemary
1 c buttermilk, cold

• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like a coarse meal and the butter is incorporated. Chill 10 minutes in the fridge.
• Add the onions, goat cheese, and rosemary and mix with your hands. Chill 10 minutes.
• Stir in the buttermilk gently, until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Chill 10 minutes.
• Heat oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly flour your work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Pat it gently into a disk about an inch thick. Cut into 8 or 12 scones. Arrange on the baking sheet and brush with melted butter or cream if desired. Bake 16-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Scones will keep several days but are best the first day or two.