Cream Cheese Cheddar Herb Biscuits

  • Cream Cheese Cheddar Herb Biscuits

    This is the original biscuit.  The biscuit that I always come back to, the one I’ve been making for years.  Let’s be real- any time you take cheddar and mix it together with herbs, good things happen.  But when you take them and pulse them in the blender with cream cheese (and a few other key ingredients) to make killer biscuits that end up fluffy and flaky, well say no more.

    (Okay, I have to say a few more things.  Biscuits hold a special place in my heart, as I made evident in the Cornmeal Cheddar Chipotle Biscuits post.  In addition to baking them at that classy fish joint known as “The Lob” [Red Lobster to those of you not in the know], I also chowed down on many a cheddar tea biscuit at Grandma Lee’s (an even classier food court “restaurant”) where I toiled from 3:30 – 9:30 three nights a week in grade nine.  It was there that I learned about the biscuit toasting technique.

    Allow me to repeat that for emphasis.

    The biscuit toasting technique.

    So here’s how this works:  You take a biscuit.  You cut it in half (using a serrated knife, and ideally on a more well-behaved day 2 biscuit).  You toast it, then butter it.  Sometimes you place a piece of cheddar cheese on top of each slice, and maybe broil it just long enough to let it bubble a bit.

    Enough said.

    2 cups all-purpose flour

    1 tablespoon baking soda

    1 teaspoon salt

    4 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs (or 2 tablespoons dried herbs)- choose between basil, rosemary, oregano, parsley, etc.

    1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

    1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese (cold, cold, cold, cut into cubes)

    1/2 cup milk

    1 egg (lightly beaten)

    1. Preheat oven to 425°.
    2. In a food processor (or large bowl) combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in herbs and cheddar cheese.
    3. Add cubes of cream cheese and pulse until just combined (large crumbs).  (If not using a food processor, use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut cream cheese into flour mixture.)
    4. Stir milk into mixture until just moistened, and dump onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead about 5 times, and press gently into a flat disc about 3/4″ thick.  Using a floured biscuit cutter (2″- 4″), cut out biscuit rounds and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
    5. Lightly brush each biscuit with the beaten egg, sprinkle additional herbs overtop of biscuits, and bake for 12-15 minutes (until lightly browned on tops and bottoms).  Allow to cool and enjoy.

    Tips:

    • Cheese, cheese and more cheese: I have had some serious cheese moments with these biscuits.  Save cheese chunks when grating the cheddar, and stir into the dough when you add the milk.  There is nothing better than a discernible chunk of cheese when biting into a biscuit.  I must do this next time and take a picture of the cheese excess to show you what I mean.  I am annoyed with myself that I didn’t do it with this batch.
    • Cheese substitutions for cheddar could totally include pepper jack (maybe with cilantro), swiss, mozzarella, gouda, parmesan, whatever.  Really- just add your favorite in.  (How have I never made manchego biscuits?  My favorite cheese of all time.  Must.  Make.  Manchego.  Biscuits.)
    • No time to bake?  I hear ya.  Hold the cut-out biscuits in the fridge for up to a few days, then bake when you’re good and ready.
    • Bigger biscuits?  Sounds like fun- just make them 1/2″ high and as wide as you’d like, and bake for a few minutes longer.  (Bigger biscuits are obviously easier to toast.)
    • Butter.  Yes.  Serve with butter while still warm, if you know what’s good for you.

     

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    September 26th, 2012 | More Sweets Please | No Comments | Tags:

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