Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits – A Pretty Happy Home

Sometimes you have to give in to the urge. The craving.

It’s the right thing to do when there is cheese involved.

I modified my absolute favorite biscuit recipe to be a little bit more savory. It seemed like the right thing to do on a cold, blustery day. Yes, we do occasionally get those in Georgia and it prompts some serious hibernation tendencies and carbohydrate consumption. I’m not sure what accounts for those things on the other days in my life.

When I went to link up my favorite biscuit recipe, I realized I haven’t ever posted about my favorite biscuits. The HORROR! How is that possible? I’m definitely slacking.

I can’t take credit for the original recipe, but it is so good. Perhaps that’s why it came from a blog called The Orgasmic Chef? Hmmm…

Something about how the cold butter in the dough melts and makes the finished biscuit soft and tender on the inside, but just a tad crispy on the bottom. One just isn’t enough.

If you’re wondering why my biscuits are kind of scone-shaped, well, it’s a matter of convenience. Wait. You were wondering, right?

There are little humans in my house who like to eat even more often than I do, so I don’t have time to mess with the round cutter and reshaping the dough. I press out the dough with my fingers to the right thickness and use a knife to slice the dough into biscuit-sized portions. Some end up as rectangles, some as triangles.

And I’ll let you in on a little secret – stay with me here – they taste just the same no matter their shape.

Depending on how spicy you like things, you can add or subtract jalapeños. I only used one jalapeño and made sure most of the seeds were out. It provided flavor without the heat.
Happiness is biscuits on any day of the year. Either make the original recipe from the uber talented Maureen or go the cheesey route. You’ll be so happy you did!

Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
Adapted from this recipe from the ultra-talented Maureen of The Orgasmic Chef

Ingredients
2 cups sifted flour
3½ tsp baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup cold butter cut into small cubes
⅔ cup milk
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno diced very small. Remove seeds unless you like it really spicy.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Grate cheese and dice jalapeño. Set aside.
3. Mix dry ingredients together. Make sure you sift the flour. If you don’t have a flour sifter, here’s my trick. I don’t have a regular sifter either!
4. Cut up the butter into small pieces. Work butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender or your hands until the butter is well incorporated. It should look like there are a bunch of small pea-sized chunks in your bowl. You could also do this in a food processor.
5. Add milk and honey to the dough and stir to combine.
6. Before wet ingredients are fully incorporated into dough, add your cheese and jalapeño.
(You could probably add these ingredients before the wet ingredients, but I pulled out two chunks of dough that didn’t have jalapeños in them for my kids.)
7. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface (I use a cutting board to contain the mess) and knead several times. (I don’t know if there is a magic number, but I probably don’t knead mine more that 8 – 12 times. If you live in a really humid area, you may need to add a little bit of flour to the recipe.)
8. Use your fingers and press the dough out until it is about 3/4 inch thick.
9. Place the biscuits about an inch or so apart on a cookie sheet. (If you want your biscuits to tear apart, you can put them right next to each other.)
10. Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F or until golden brown. (Brush the tops with melted butter if you want.)
11. Serve with butter and enjoy!