Sourdough Shamrock Scones (for Saint Patrick’s Day)
My sourdough shamrock-shaped scones are made with a delicious blend of white chocolate and pistachios! They’re sweet and slightly nutty. I love making these scones for celebrating Saint Patrick’s Feast Day. They’re simple to make, taste amazing, and the shamrock shape symbolizes the Holy Trinity of our Christian faith!
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If you want to make this recipe but don’t have a sourdough starter, no worries! Grab my free guide so you can make your own starter at home.
If you’re new to sourdough baking and feel hesitant, or you have questions, I’ve got something for you! I broke down the basics of what you need to know about sourdough baking in my free sourdough baking guide for beginners. I highly recommend grabbing a copy!
Inspiration Behind My Saint Patrick’s Day Shamrock Scones
With Saint Patrick’s Feast Day coming up on March 17th, I wanted to create a fun festive recipe to celebrate! In our home, we spend the day celebrating Saint Patrick bringing our Christian faith to Ireland.
We love whipping up an Irish-themed meal and adding a shamrock shape in there some way, shape, or form. That’s how I came up with these shamrock-shaped sourdough scones!
Saint Patrick used the shamrock shape to symbolize the Holy Trinity of our Christian faith while in Ireland.
I got the white chocolate and pistachio idea from the colors of Saint Patrick’s Feast Day. They add a little pop of color, but the shape does most of the festive work.
I hope these scones make your Saint Patrick’s Feast Day a little extra special!
Why We Love These White Chocolate Pistachio Scones and Think You Will To!
- Perfect for Saint Patrick’s Feast Day: The shamrock shape symbolizes the central theme of March 17th—our Christian faith being spread to Ireland!
- Fun Recipe to Make: It’s really fun to cut these scones out like cookies. This is a great kid-friendly recipe!
- Easy Scone Recipe: The steps are simple to follow, and they’re beginner-friendly.
- Made From Scratch: No box mix needed for this scone recipe. It’s made completely from scratch.
- Perfect Blend of Sweet and Savory: The white chocolate and pistachios add the perfect sweet and savory combo.
Why Make Scones with Sourdough Discard?
When you make scones with sourdough discard, you get fermentation benefits from the sourdough starter’s cultures. If you long ferment the dough in the fridge for 12-24 hours before baking, those cultures ferment the other ingredients. This long fermentation is optional but adds even more fermentation benefits!
Tips for Making Shamrock Shaped Scones
- Read the entire recipe before you get started so you know what to expect.
- Use a thick sourdough starter rather than one that’s really runny.
- Use plenty of flour to dust your workspace and cookie cutter when shaping these scones.
- Don’t skip the freezer chilling time. This is crucial for keeping the shamrock shape.
Ingredients You’ll Need (with notes and substitutions)
Note: Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for measurements
- all-purpose flour: I use organic, unbleached but you can use any
- pure cane sugar: this is a more wholesome granulated sugar option
- sea salt: this is a more wholesome salt option
- baking powder: I use aluminum-free
- salted cold stick butter: must be cold stick butter not margarine
- white chocolate chips: use organic for a more wholesome option
- chopped pistachios: roasted & salted is what I use but you can use any
- milk: I use whole milk but you can use any
- sourdough discard: fed starter also works just fine
- pure vanilla extract: this is a more wholesome vanilla option and tastes better
- large egg: this is just a regular egg from the store
Helpful Kitchen Tools for this Recipe
This section contains affiliate links to items I use and love for this recipe. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
- mixing bowl
- box grater
- unbleached parchment paper
- large sheet pan
- shamrock cookie cutter (I use the medium size)
How to Make Sourdough Shamrock Scones
Note: Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post for the full written recipe.
Make the Dough
Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add flour, cane sugar, sea salt, and baking powder to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
Add butter by using a large holed grater or cutting it into the mixture with a fork until pea-sized pieces form. Stir to evenly distribute.
Add white chocolate chips and pistachios. Stir to evenly distribute and coat in flour.
Add milk, sourdough discard, vanilla, and egg. Mix until most flour mixture is combined (it’s okay if a little is leftover) then use your hands to completely incorporate everything. Your dough will be a little tacky, this is normal. (If it’s very wet & sticky your starter is more hydrated just add a little extra flour. If it’s not coming together your starter is less hydrated just add a little extra milk.)
Optional: If you’d like to long ferment the dough for more fermentation benefits (the cultures will ferment all other ingredients) chill, covered, in the fridge for 12-24 hours before baking. You don’t have to do this, it’s completely optional!
Shape and Bake Scones
Lightly dust counter and turn out dough. Knead for 10-15 seconds. Coat dough in a light dust of flour then pat down until 1-inch thick.
Use a medium sized shamrock shaped cookie cutter to cut out scones. Press down hard when cutting out. Dough will be a little sticky so ensure cutter is dusted with flour. A little sticking is normal especially around the shamrock tail. Place scones on prepared sheet pan so they aren’t touching.
When you can’t cut out anymore scones, bring dough together with your hands and again pat into a 1-inch thick slab. Cut out more scones until all dough is used up.
Stick pan of scones in the freezer (NOT the fridge) for 10-15 minutes to set so they’ll keep their shape while baking. DO NOT SKIP!
Bake for 20-24 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown (you can stick a toothpick into the center of one, if it comes out clean they’re done). Place on a cooling rack and enjoy!
Our Favorite Way to Serve Shamrock Scones
I love serving these sourdough white chocolate pistachio shamrock scones on Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th)! But they’re also really delicious any time of year in a shamrock or regular scone shape.
My husband, Tyler, and I enjoy these scones with a side of bacon, tea, and/or homemade chocolate milk. You can really pair anything with them or enjoy them as a snack!
How to Store
Store completely cooled scones in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature or 5 days in the fridge. They are best enjoyed within 3 days for freshness.
How to Freeze
Unbaked: If freezing them unbaked, wrap each scone in parchment paper and place into a freezer-safe container or baggie. These scones will last 2-3 months in the freezer, unbaked.
When you’re ready to bake, pop them straight into the oven without thawing. Add 2-4 minutes to the baking time.
Baked: If freezing them already baked, store in a freezer-safe container or baggie. They’ll last up to 6 months in the freezer.
You can warm them straight from the freezer in a 400-degree Fahrenheit preheated oven for 5-10 minutes or until crispy and warm.
Best Way to Reheat Sourdough Scones
I like to warm scones into the oven or toaster oven at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes or until warm and crisp. This reheats them while keeping the texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can freeze them unbaked for 2-3 months or baked up to 6 months. See the freezing and thawing section above for how to reheat and bake them from the freezer.
No, these are an American-style scone using a good amount of butter and a shamrock shape rather than the traditional round Irish style.
For my recipes, I bake scones at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sure! You can try any other kind of nut or pumpkin seeds.
Yes! Just swap them out 1:1.
More Saint Patrick’s Feast Day Recipes
If you’re looking for more made from scratch recipes for Saint Patrick’s Feast Day, try a few of these:
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Recipe
Sourdough Shamrock Scones (for Saint Patrick’s Day)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (I use organic, unbleached but you can use any)
- 1/2 cup pure cane sugar
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 8 Tbsp salted cold stick butter (not margarine)
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (use organic for a more wholesome option)
- 1/2 cup chopped pistachios (roasted & salted is what I use)
- 1/2 cup milk (I use whole milk but you can use any)
- 1/2 cup sourdough discard (fed starter also works just fine)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
Instructions
Make the Dough
- Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add flour, cane sugar, sea salt, and baking powder to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add butter by using a large holed grater or cutting it into the mixture with a fork until pea-sized pieces form. Stir to evenly distribute.
- Add white chocolate chips and pistachios. Stir to evenly distribute and coat in flour.
- Add milk, sourdough discard, vanilla, and egg. Mix until most flour mixture is combined (it’s okay if a little is leftover) then use your hands to completely incorporate everything. Your dough will be a little tacky, this is normal. (If it’s very wet & sticky your starter is more hydrated just add a little extra flour. If it’s not coming together your starter is less hydrated just add a little extra milk.)
- Optional: If you’d like to long ferment the dough for more fermentation benefits (the cultures will ferment all other ingredients) chill, covered, in the fridge for 12-24 hours before baking. You don’t have to do this, it’s completely optional!
Shape and Bake Scones
- Lightly dust counter and turn out dough. Knead for 10-15 seconds. Coat dough in a light dust of flour then pat down until 1-inch thick.
- Use a medium sized shamrock shaped cookie cutter to cut out scones. Press down hard when cutting out. Dough will be a little sticky so ensure cutter is dusted with flour. A little sticking is normal especially around the shamrock tail. Place scones on prepared sheet pan so they aren’t touching.
- When you can’t cut out anymore scones, bring dough together with your hands and again pat into a 1-inch thick slab. Cut out more scones until all dough is used up.
- Stick pan of scones in the freezer (NOT the fridge) for 10-15 minutes to set so they’ll keep their shape while baking. DO NOT SKIP!
- Bake for 20-24 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown (you can stick a toothpick into the center of one, if it comes out clean they’re done). Place on a cooling rack and enjoy!