Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

I know most of you are probably preparing this giant multi-course feast for Thanksgiving and I’m over here like LOOK AT ME I MADE BISCUITS*.   I’m just really in no position to even think about preparing an entire turkey dinner so I’m still thinking small.

Plus I really like these biscuits AND I was able to snag a few pictures of the baking process.  I’m discovering that baking involves a whole separate set of skills from typical cooking. I’ve talked before about weighing vs. measuring dry ingredients and the art of careful mixing. As you’ll see, I tried to be quite precise by kneading enough-but-not-too-much only to forget to add the cheddar and jalapenos until the last minute and eventually over-kneading the dough after all. Ah, the struggles of a newbie cook.

I love this recipe because it’s simple, even for not-yet-bakers like myself, and involves ingredients that I usually have on hand. We’ve been eating them on their own as a snack but they’d be great with, say, a bowl of chili or another spicy dish.

Clockwise from top left, an illustration of adding the ingredients, forming a well and then gently kneading together.  Imagine jalapenos and cheddar included from the beginning.

This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes, but I’m looking forward to trying other varieties too.  My friend over at Live Love and Sustain has a version using butter and buttermilk that looks fantastic.

Jalapeno Cheddar Scones 

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup  corn meal
3 tablespoons  sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided (1 1/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons diced fresh jalapeños (I used two jalapenos, seeded and diced)
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons heavy cream plus extra for brushing

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Use a large bowl, mix together flour, corn meal, salt, sugar, cayenne and baking powder.

2. Stir in the 1 1/4 cups cheddar and diced jalapenos. I forgot to do that in the picture above and I did it afterwards. Oops.

3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. (You do this so the dry ingredients can be added a little at a time). Pour cream into the center of the well and, using your hands, mix the ingredients together. Gently! Add more cream a tiny bit at a time if necessary. The bottom photo is what mine looked like after the 3/4 cup cream, so I added a bit more.

4.  Place the dough on a surface lightly dusted with flour.  Knead a couple of times until the dough just comes together.  Just a few pushes will do; over-kneading will yield a more dense biscuit.

5. Form a large disc with the dough, about 3/4 inch thick.  Using a biscuit cutter (if you have one) cut shapes out from the dough.  Combine leftover dough and repeat until all the dough is used.  I’ve gone for the rustic look before by just eyeballing the biscuit shape; I’ve also cut the large dough disc like a pie into six sections to form scones. Anything goes, really.

Look at my new biscuit cutter!

6.  Place biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving about an inch or so between each biscuit.  Brush the tops of the biscuit with the remaining cream and top with remaining cheese.

7. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 11-12 minutes or until the biscuit appears golden and the cheese has melted.

Placemats! A new background for Chef Juje creations.

*Yes, of course I stole that from a popular election e-card…