Blue Cheese and Caramelized-Onion Squares

From the kitchen of Carly

Crispy, fork-pricked cornbread base topped with jammy caramelized onions and tangy blue cheese. These savory squares hit that sweet spot between bread and appetizer, perfect for feeding a crowd or satisfying a serious snack craving with minimal fuss.

Blue Cheese and Caramelized-Onion Squares

Caramelized onions and blue cheese on a quick, tender biscuit base. The onions soften for 30 minutes until jammy and deep, while the dough rises into a puffy, forgiving crust that catches the cheese as it bubbles. This is the kind of thing you assemble in stages and pull from the oven golden, with none of the fussy lamination or long rise times.

Prep
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Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 cupall purpose flour
  • 2 tspbaking powder
  • 3/4 tspsalt
  • 3/4 cupwhole milk
  • 1/4 cupolive oil
  • 2 tbspunsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tbspunsalted butter
  • 2 tbspolive oil
  • 3 largeonions , halved, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbspfinely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tspsugar
  • 1/2 tspsalt
  • 1 1/2 cupcrumbled blue cheese

Instructions

  1. Crank the oven to 425°F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then hollow out a well in the center. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk the milk, olive oil, and melted butter until combined, then slowly pour that mixture into the well, stirring until the dough is just smooth. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x13-inch rectangle, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and coax it back into that same 10x13-inch shape (it will shrink a bit when you move it). Dock the surface all over with a fork and set it aside while you work on the topping.

  2. Set a large skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. Once the butter melts and foams, pile in the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until they soften and start to color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, sugar, and salt, season with pepper, then drop the heat to medium. Keep cooking, stirring often, until the onions are deep brown and completely soft, about 20 more minutes. Pull the pan off the heat and let the mixture cool.

  3. Scatter the onion mixture across the dough in an even layer, then shower the crumbled blue cheese over the top. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling in spots, about 20 minutes. Allow it to cool slightly before cutting into squares and serving.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Patience on the onions matters. High heat for 10 minutes gets them moving, then medium heat and frequent stirring for 20 more minutes builds the real color and sweetness. Don't skip ahead.
  • Pierce the dough all over with a fork before adding the topping. It keeps the base from puffing up unevenly and getting too thick under the weight of the onions and cheese.
  • Cool the onion mixture before spreading it on the dough. Hot onions will start cooking the dough from the top and make it soggy.
  • Blue cheese flavor can be assertive. Taste the onions after seasoning and add a pinch more sugar if they taste too sharp, balancing salt and funk.

Variations

  • Swap the blue cheese for aged goat cheese or a crumbly aged cheddar if blue's too strong for your crowd.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in the last few minutes of caramelizing the onions for a sharp, glossy depth.
  • Scatter fresh thyme leaves over the dough instead of (or alongside) the rosemary for a lighter herb note.
  • Top with a handful of crispy prosciutto bits or crumbled bacon before baking for a salty, smoky layer.

Make ahead and storage

Store cooled squares in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a 350°F oven for about 8 minutes to soften the cheese without toughening the crust. These don't freeze well because the moisture from the onions will make the crust soggy.