2 posts tagged “biscuits”

Somehow we neglected to put dessert on the menu for our Thanksgiving dinner this year. Quite honestly, I have no idea how this could have happened. I feel like all I ever EAT are dessert items. So, just as we were pulling the stuffing out of the oven (and, yes, I will be sharing our cranberry-hazelnut stuffing recipe another day . . . even though I'm wildly nauseous from feasting my eyes on pies & potatoes, etc.), I got the idea to modify a basic baking powder biscuit recipe into a sweet, but not complete overkill after-dinner treat.

At first, I thought to just add spice -- cinnamon and nutmeg. But I'm a chocolate lover ("Tell us something we don't know, Ashley!" . . . right?), so I decided it was absolutely imperative to incorporate something sweet into the mix.

A tablespoon of sugar, some dark cocoa powder, and a 1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips later, the chocolate spice biscuit was born. OK. I can't exactly give myself credit for inventing the thing. However, I'm sure our biscuits are one-of-a-kind.

Janet over at Gonna Go Walk the Dogs (a great vegan food blog that is also on Vox) has commented that, at least on my baked goods, sugar crystals are surely my signature. And there is a generous helping of sugar -- yet again -- plopped onto the biscuits.

Just look!




CHOCOLATE SPICE BISCUITS
(A scrumptious afterthought with the "regular" recipe and vegan substitutions I made!)

What you'll need . . .

• 4 cups wheat pastry flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg (or less, depending on your taste)
• 3 tablespoons dark cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter (or 1 cup Earth Balance -- but omit the salt), cold, and cut into small pieces
• 2 cups regular soy milk (I added 2 teaspoons of corn starch & whisked them together . . . the original recipe called for heavy cream. I don't know if this is an acceptable method, but it has worked several times.)
• 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (or more or less to taste)

Method . . .

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, and salt.
3. Using your hands, blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining. You may also use a pastry blender for this part . . . but what's the fun in that?
4. Pour in the soy milk and -- using a rubber spatula -- fold it into the dough, working in all directions. Fold until just incorporated.
5. Then add in the chocolate chips. Again, until just incorporated. Dough will be sticky.
6. Then take a lightly greased (or simply nonstick) baking sheet . . . and drop heaping 1/4 cup amounts of the dough onto it -- spacing 1-1/2 inches apart.
7. Top each biscuit-to-be with a generous pinch of sugar crystals (again, Sugar in the Raw works the BEST!).
8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.
9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. But not too much, because it's best to serve them with the chocolate still gooey inside.

Have a great day, and if you enjoyed this post, please tell you friends.

Oh, and subscribe to METHOD!!! <3

A couple weeks ago my husband told me he didn't want to "waste his calories" on more of my cookies. Ouch! He's definitely not a fan of sweets . . . whereas I could eat an entire jar of Nutella in one sitting. And then polish off a few cookies, etc.

OK. I might not be quite that bad, but you've read my blog. You see the stuff I eat on a weekly basis. It's sugary. And I like it that way.

Today's recipe is for bakers who prefer the savory side of things. <3

I suppose Red Lobster is responsible for my obsession with cheesy biscuits. When I was younger, those little pre-dinner treats (their version -- which is loaded with cheese, LOTS of butter, salt, etc.) were all I could (well, would) eat there besides salad . . . which I hate.

Enjoy this healthier version (adapted from Martha Stewart's Spicy Cheese Biscuits -- The Baking Handbook).



SPICY CHEDDAR BISCUITS
(dedicated to my husband)

What you'll need . . .

• 2-1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons sugar (I used Sugar in the Raw)
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika, plus more for dusting
• Freshly-ground pepper (to taste -- I used quite a bit)
  
• 6 tablespoons Earth Balance (or unsalted butter -- and if you go the butter route, add 1 teaspoon coarse Kosher salt)
• 1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese
• 1-1/2 cups soy milk (regular flavor)
• 1 teaspoon corn starch

Method . . .

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt (if you're using butter), sugar, paprika, and pepper.
3. Using a pastry blender, cut the Earth Balance or butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal with a few larger clumps remaining. For this step, I simply cut pieces of Earth Balance into the flour mixture and mixed until I achieved the right consistency -- with my hands.
4. Stir in the cheese with a fork.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy milk and corn starch. Add this liquid mixture to the flour mixture using a rubber spatula.
6. Stir until the dough JUST comes together. It will be slightly sticky, and you may even need to add a bit more flour -- I added another 1/4 cup. Just try to stop mixing once everything is just incorporated. It's a fine line for sure.
7. Using a 1/2-cup measure, scoop mounds of dough about 1-1/2 inches apart on a lightly-greased baking sheet.
8. Lightly dust each biscuit with more paprika.
9. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown -- 15 to 20 minutes. Mine took the full 20.
10. Cool biscuits on a wire rack.

Still craving something sweet? Well, my friend Laura (from Earth Muffin Bakes) used her half of our chocolate chunk from last weekend (see my vegan pain au chocolat post).

She made these absolutely gorgeous Baked Chocolate Doughnuts. Go check them out!



Subscribe to METHOD today -- just click here!