Before I tell you about these scones, I have an important announcement: one of my best friends in the whole world is getting married today! Congratulations, Marina!

Now back to your regularly scheduled Scone Sunday programming. I feel extremely fond of these scones, not only because they’re delicious, but also because they’re the first recipe I ever made up entirely on my own. Inspiration struck me while I was running on the treadmill, because I’m the kind of person who thinks about food on the treadmill. When I’m not watching season 1 Glee episodes. Anyway, I suddenly thought to myself, “You know what would be awesome? French onion soup, in scone form.” It wasn’t that much of a mental leap, because French onion soup already uses bread. I just needed to reinterpret the relationship between the three major components: the bread, the gruyere, and the caramelized onions. So I mixed the onions and some of the cheese into the scone dough, then melted the rest of the cheese on top. And it was glorious.

“So what would I eat this kind of scone with?” I get asked this question a lot. Unlike, say, a muffin, people always seem to think that scones should be paired with some kind of liquid. For a sweet scone, that’s usually tea (although I’m partial to pairing overly sweet scones with coffee, because the bitterness helps). Savory scones are usually paired with soup. I’m as guilty of this as anyone. For three of the eleven scones I’ve posted so far on this blog, the main picture has been of the scone propped up against some kind of hot liquid, and the only reason that proportion isn’t higher is that I don’t want to be too repetitive. (I can’t help it. Scones look really pretty next to coffee mugs. A photography beginner like myself has to use whatever she can get.) I also specifically recommended pairing the bacon cheddar chipotle scones with spicy tomato soup. So what about these? If you’re truly desperate for a pairing, I suppose a beef broth-based soup would be the classic choice, although anything that would go well with the gruyere would be fine. But really, I like these as a mid-afternoon snack, unaccompanied by any kind of soup or beverage. A good scone should stand on its own. If it can’t, it’s either too dense or too flavorless, or both. But these scones are definitely not lacking flavor, and the yogurt in the dough keeps them nice and light. So nibble away.

A few weeks back, I talked a little bit about my beginner’s approach to recipe development. I’m still completely clueless, but the things I’ve made while winging it have turned out decently, so I’m gaining some (probably completely undeserved) confidence. For some reason, though, nearly half of my ideas have been for scones. I don’t know what it is about the scone that appeals to me and unleashes my creativity, but there you have it. So I spent a large chunk of last weekend hammering out a basic scone template which can be adapted to fit any number of flavor combinations. Since I baked this particular scone nearly two months ago, it was not made on my newly developed template, but a lot of the scones you’ll be seeing from this point forward will be. Here are just some of the crazy scone flavors I’ve been throwing around:

  • pb&j
  • chai
  • dulce de leche
  • saffron (a savory version with chorizo and marcona almonds, and a sweet version with vanilla, ginger, and dried apricots)
  • rosewater scones with pistachios and dried figs or pomegranate seeds (sort of Persian-inspired)
  • scones made with coconut milk as the liquid and fat
  • scones made with coconut flour or chestnut flour
  • really lemony scones – none of this ‘hint of lemon zest’ wimpiness
  • strawberry scones dipped in dark chocolate

Leave your thoughts or ideas in the comments!