biscuits – The Cookbook Experiment

Baking Powder-Coconut Oil Biscuits

This recipe began as an experiment and turned out amazingly well! I saw the basic recipe on line but decided to make some changes just because I could. I loved the results, and the hubby did, too! I used a 3-inch diameter glass to cut out the biscuits instead of a regular biscuit cutter.

2 c. all-purpose flour, divided

1/2 c. almond flour

1/2 tsp. salt

4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 c. coconut oil, softened but not melted

3/4 c. almond milk

1-2 tbsp. soft butter

Mix 1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour, almond flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Cut in the coconut oil. Add almond milk and stir until blended and a soft dough forms. Using the remaining flour, knead the dough a few times. (I just kept the dough in the bowl and turned it with my hands.)

Press dough out on a floured surface to 1/2″ thick. (Again, I just used my hands instead of a rolling pin.) Cut out using a biscuit cutter or inverted glass.

Place on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Brush with butter and bake for another 3-4 minutes or until golden. Serve with your choice of jam or honey! Using the glass to cut out the biscuits yielded 7.

Chunky Applesauce Biscuits

This recipe is just perfect for the upcoming fall season. Here in the south we are finally getting some cooler mornings! It is so nice to wake up to a clear blue sky instead of the gray summer hazy sky we’ve been seeing for months! Although I know it will probably get hot again, I know it won’t last. Cooler days are coming to stay for a while!

A friend at church shared this recipe with me the other week. Mashed sweet potatoes can be used instead of chunky applesauce to give a “thanksgiving-ish” flavor to the biscuits. Next time I make these with the applesauce, I want to add shredded cheddar cheese. The flavors of apple and cheese together is just amazing!

2 c. chunky applesauce

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 c. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-3/4 c. flour

4 tsp. baking powder

1-1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. chopped nuts

Combine the applesauce, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside. In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well and add to the applesauce mixture, stirring just enough to combine. Stir in the nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden.

If you use mashed sweet potatoes, the dough will be a bit thicker. Knead it on a floured board about 5-6 times. Roll to 1/2-inch thickness and cut with large biscuit cutter. Continue as directed. Makes about 15 biscuits, depending on the size.

Turkey Soup and Jumbo Cheese Biscuits

What to do with a left-over turkey carcass has never been a problem in our house! I always try to leave a good bit of turkey on the bones when I am carving a turkey for our Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. I then wrap it well and put it in the freezer until we feel the need for some homemade turkey soup! The cold temperatures this week called for some of that soup along with cheesy biscuits. I modified a biscuit recipe I found in our church cookbook to make the jumbo biscuits, but the soup recipe just fabricated itself in my brain! My amounts are not accurate at all…just a bit of this or a dash of that. If you are an experienced cook, you understand! If you are not, that’s ok, too. I will do my best to give you fair amounts! First, those biscuits!

3 c. flour

2 tbsp sugar

1-1/2 tbsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. buttermilk

1 c. grated cheddar cheese

1/2 stick butter, melted

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt, mixing well. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour buttermilk into flour mixture, stirring until flour mixture is just moistened. Stir in grated cheese. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead just 4-5 times. This is just to help the dough hold together, so don’t be rough with it! Press dough into rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Using a 3-1/2 to 4-inch diameter glass, cut out biscuits. This size glass makes about 11-12 biscuits. Place biscuits close together on an ungreased baking sheet.

Brush with melted butter.Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with remaining melted butter. Bake for 3-5 minutes more until golden brown.

For the turkey soup, fill a large stock pot about half full of water. Add the frozen carcass and put on the stove to simmer. Let simmer until thawed and the meat falls easily off the bones. Remove carcass from pot and pull all the meat off. Add the following to the water in the pot.

1 can white kidney beans, drained

1 pack onion soup mix (can also use 1 chopped onion)

1 tsp. minced garlic

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and diced

1 can chicken broth

1 quart more water

about 1-2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. sage

Stir and let simmer until vegetables are tender. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces and add to pot. Taste and add more seasonings as desired. Serve with jumbo cheese biscuits for a tasty lunch! My family often likes soups served with croutons or crushed seasoned bagel chips.