Well my friends, it’s Monday again! No rest for the weary, right? 😉
Now, a couple weeks ago Jenna posted a little somethin’ about finding the perfect biscuit recipe. And y’all? Ever since then all I can think about is biscuits! Biscuits this, biscuits that, gee I wonder if a biscuit would be good on top of that milkshake. Wait, did I just say that??? I didn’t really mean it…or did I? 😉
Regardless, I needed a biscuit fix and STAT. Since I don’t have the same culinary training Jenna has, I decided to fancy up a delicious biscuit recipe that I’ve used and loved before: Ina Garten’s Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits. HOWEVER, I changed up some of the ingredients. You know, just so I wasn’t blatantly copying her.
Cheddar Cherry Biscuits
based on Ina Garten’s Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 cup cold milk (I used nonfat because that’s what I had, although any milk would be good)
- 1 cold egg
- 1 cup grated extra-sharp Vermont white cheddar
- 1 cup whole dried pitted cherries
- 2 Tbsp milk (used as a wash for the biscuits during the baking process)
First things first, fire up the oven. I preheated mine to 400 even though the recipe calls for 425 because mine gets a little too hot. PLUS the high altitude usually requires a cooler oven for more even baking. At least that’s the word on the street. ANYWAY…
You have to shred the cheddar. I highly recommend grating with a box grater. This hands-on approach ensures you burn more calories so that you can “sample” more biscuits later. It’s all about quality control kids!
The butter needs to be DICED and it needs to be very very cold. After I cut mine I put it in the freezer. I was totally that kid that asked for extra credit even when I had A’s. So sue me.
Now, I DID take pictures of all the steps, but since it was late at night when shooting (and because I didn’t set up a lighting scheme before I started cooking) most of those turned out blurry or just plain stupid. THEREFORE, just know that according to Ina the next steps are to
“Place 2 cups of flour, the baking powder, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter is the size of peas. Combine the buttermilk and egg in a small measuring cup and beat lightly with a fork. With the mixer still on low, quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and mix only until moistened. In a small bowl, mix the Cheddar and cherries with small handful of flour and, with the mixer still on low, add the cheese and cherries to the dough. Mix only until roughly combined. Dump out onto a well-floured board and knead lightly about 6 times.”
Those directions now lead us to this ball of goodness:
I rolled mine out to about 1/2 inch thick, then cut them out with a 2″ round cutter. Line ’em on a Silpat (if you don’t have this we might not be able to be friends. OK fine I’m kidding, I love you anyway. But you’ve never truly lived until you have one), brush with milk, and bake at 400 for 13-15 minutes.
They should come out incredibly browned, hot, and oozing butter and cheese. And you should eat them all. Remember the ol’ box grater thing? Yeah, now you know why 😉
I was making these for church, but clearly Nate and I needed to sample them. It’s that whole quality control thing again…I can’t tarnish my baking reputation by serving untested biscuits, now can I? Certainly not!
So the verdict? Well, if the empty serving plate has anything to say about it then I guess it means they’re out-of-this-world amazing and you should make some…ummm…YESTERDAY 🙂
Tell me a biscuit story! What’s your favorite biscuit topping? Where’s the best one you’ve ever had that wasn’t homemade? Who makes/made the best biscuits in your family? I’m down with just plain REAL butter and strawberry jam any day of the week, but the Texas in me is screaming sausage gravy too! I don’t know where the best one at a restaurant has been, but my mom always made the best biscuits. But then again she always makes the best everything 🙂
BTW, cannot wait to try out this recipe! 🙂
Mother’s in New Orleans!! AMAZING biscuits. <3
I WANT THOSE!!!! Seriously though, I was talking to mom and dad today about how much I was craving homemade biscuits and gravy!!!!!!
YUMMMMMM!! wowowow 2 of my fav things! yeahhh heather!
I love biscuits!! What a great combo to have the fruit and the cheese. I know those two go well together, but wouldn’t think to put both in a biscuit. They certainly sound great.
And I MISSED YOU!!!
Ah, those look tasty!! If you ever need a sampling buddy, ya know, to make sure your treats don’t go Untested, I’d be happy to oblige. Just sayin’ 😉
Fave biscuit topping? Simple: honey.
I feel like biscuits are such a Southern thing. We never had them growing up, but once I moved to Pensacola I ate them all the time. I love biscuits and these look especially yummy!
if you make that mexican quinoa let me know what it’s missing…
Look great! I might have to try these…
Oh gosh, Biscuits are such a delight! No one in my family really ever made them though!! So I did not grow up loving a favorite recipe. I DO enjoy Bob evan’s biscuits though! (super terrible I know)! But that is really the only place I ever eat them! I have made pillsbury biscuits in the past and they are quite good. I have to try making these though! I love baking!
I’m a biscuit maker- love a Martha Stewart recipe I got out of a news paper years ago, pure butter and a thousand calories. I’ve changed it, added a diferent set of ingredients to fit my mood for the meals of the day but one of my favorites was a veggie biscuit.
Love your blog 🙂
“After I cut mine I put it in the freezer. I was totally that kid that asked for extra credit even when I had A’s. So sue me.”
Haha! I would do the same thing 😉
I’m heading to Colorado this weekend! The wedding we’re going to is all outside… any suggestions on what I need to pack? How cold is it at night?
oh, fun! where in colorado will you be? if you’re in the denver/boulder area you’ll probably be fine with shorts or a skirt and a tank…maybe bring a jacket with you in case you get cold, but it’s been pretty warm here lately! if you’re in the mountains it always gets a little colder, so i would say bring jeans or pants just in case!
email me if you want to meet up at all!
Oh, how you toruture my gluten free soul.
I do remember being in high school when I went to my friends beach house. They had the tradition of eating peely biscuits and homemade strawberry jam every morning for breakfast. I thought it was the best tradition ever.
Sigh.
I need a gluten free peely biscuit recipe.
Bob’s Red Mill makes a really good baking mix for gluten-free biscuits.
I don’t have a biscuit story but I do love them!!!
YUM!
One of my great grandmother’s signature dishes, there were many, was making home made butterhorn rolls for holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving. They are so delicious, you can never just have 1.
This idea of cherry biscuits is really cool, I can’t wait to give it a go then next time I need a biscuit fix.
Oh my! Those biscuits look incredible! My favorite biscuit topping is butter and honey 🙂 YUM!
Your biscuits look like perfection! I used to eat 2 biscuits + a large orange juice in my high school cafeteria before school. EVERYDAY. And homemade biscuits are the best but I’m a fan of the flaky ones that peel off layer by layer. 🙂
Those biscuits look perfect! My friend and I took a baking class together a few years ago and we made chocolate chip/cranberry ones, so delicious! Think its time to dig out that recipe! 🙂
They look awesome! I love biscuits with mashed potatoes and corn lol .. heart attack?
I’ve only made biscuits once and it was because I had this huge jug of buttermilk (from a cupcake recpie) and had no idea what to do with it all. Well, I made buttermilk biscuits-a Neeley recipe-and ended up eating them for the next few weeks because it made so many. And oh my word, they were delicious. So flaky and buttery!
Best biscuit topping? Honey and butter. This Texas girl is not a fan of the whole biscuits and gravy thing (blasphemy!), but I do like sausage, egg and cheese on one when I feel the need to get savory.
Mmm biscuits 😉
I LOVE Chick-fil-a chicken biscuits. I can’t tell you the last time I had one, but they are amazing!
Oh, gah. Those look and sound amazing! I’d have to say, my aunt makes the very best biscuits, other than my grandmother. For my cousin’s wedding, she made the most heavenly sweet potato biscuits with cinnamon butter. Another delicious biscuit: herbed mini biscuits with smoked ham. Yum.
OK, where were you at 10 PM last night when I swear I had the biggest hankering for a Chick-fil-A buttered biscuit, this post is too ironic.
I would have never paired those flavors, how delicious. MMM!! I’m from the south, biscuits trump muffins.
those look great! I have only had buttermilk biscuits…they don’t look as good as the ones you made.
Hmm those look delicious. I was wild for sweet potato biscuits this past winter…I can’t wait for fall to start up again.
now that is a recipe. brushed with milk? never heard of such a thing. then again i don’t have the liner thing you speak of so who am i to talk. they look beautiful and oh so tasty.
Haha this sounds so silly, but the cheddar biscuits at Red Lobster are SO good! Obviously I haven’t had them since going vegan, but they were so good! I even found a recipe for them, and made them at home! They turned out pretty well! I never would have thought of adding cherries though! How cool 🙂
Ha! a biscuit story. that just sounds funny 😉
anyway-i only have one, and it’s that I once made biscuits from scratch and my husband was so amazed at how well they turned out, he didn’t believe me that I made them! thanks, Hon! 🙂
My dad made biscuits every weekend for us growing up. I loved mine with cane syrup…which I realize makes me sound like I was a cowboy or something. 🙂
These look SO good!!! Great job, Heather!
Holy cow! Those biscuits sound so good. No one in my family ever really made biscuits – crazy isn’t it? I think I need to start a tradition because I love them so much.