There are certain times of the year that I wouldn’t dream of making biscuits in the morning, but entering company and holiday time, I will be dragging this recipe out. These biscuits are as cheesy and as spicy as you want them to be. Great news, you can make them pretty far in advance and chill them until ready to bake–in fact they perform best in the oven if they are well chilled. Be sure to preheat your oven to full temperature before putting that cold sheet pan in the oven. These can be frozen prebaked or post baked, just add some cooking time if you are cooking frozen biscuits.
Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits
Sibby Barrett
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course Bread, Breakfast, Brunch
Cuisine American
- 4 cups flour all purpose
- 1 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup pickled or fresh jalapeños chopped/seeded or not
- 1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese grated-- jalapeño pepper jack works nicely for a spicier result
- 8 tablespoons butter cold, cut into 1/2" dice
- 1/2 cup cream cheese very cold, cut into 1/2" bits
- 1 cup buttermilk
- shredded cheese for topping
- buttermilk for brushing
Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients-- flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix in jalapeños and cheese, tossing to coat. Using your hands, work the butter* and cream cheese* into the flour mixture, rubbing it between your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the buttermilk until mixture becomes shaggy. Be sure that you scrape out all of the buttermilk. Turn the dough out onto a double strength sheet of plastic wrap and draw the edges up around the dough like a “kiss”; gently massage the dough through the wrap to bring the dough together. Using the wrap, pat the dough out so that it is about 1" thick and shaped like a square or a rectangle. Using a sharp knife or a bench cutter, cut dough into 9-12 squares. Place on sheet pans, about 2” apart, and chill for at least one hour or overnight if desired.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 450º. Brush tops of biscuits with a bit of buttermilk and sprinkle with a bit of cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. If you'd like really golden brown, crispy bottoms, put a upturned sheet pan in the oven during your preheat (or a baking stone) and place your chilled sheet pan full of ready to bake biscuits directly on this hot pan.
*I ususally cut up the butter and cream cheese ahead of time and let it sit in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before starting this recipe.
Keyword biscuits,, breakfast, brunch, cheddar biscuits, jalapeno
