Almost Fall

The cool air in the morning is making me think it's almost time to dig out my favorite fall recipes.  I absolutely love soup and chili.  A lot of folks think that macaroni and cheese is the perfect comfort food, but I like the way you can wrap your hands around a cup or bowl of soup and feel the steam on your face.  Mmmm....

So now you must think that I'm going to share a soup recipe...sorry.  Remember, I'm a baker.  Just because I can wrap my hands around a cup of soup, it doesn't mean that the soup didn't come from a can!  I have volumes of prized baking recipes, not so many from the true "cooking" side of the kitchen.  I'm a big believer in rotisserie chicken from Boston Market, pulled pork from the crock pot, Amy's Italian entrees and just about anything from Morningstar Farms.  That's a pretty honest admission of my cooking skills or lack thereof and I hope you're not too disappointed.  If you need someone to add to a dinner you're taking to a friend, I'm the dessert girl.   (Though I also love, love, love to make homemade applesauce.)  I am the perfect example of the phrase "you're either a cook or a baker, rarely both".  I am only one...through and through.

So, warm up the oven and get out the flour.  Here's my favorite cheddar biscuit recipe for you to try this fall.  They are the perfect accompaniment to your favorite soup or stew and I often enjoy them with strawberry preserves and scrambled eggs for breakfast.

Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, diced
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 cold extra-large egg
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon milk (egg wash)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt + extra for the   tops of the biscuits

Heat the oven to 425.

Put flour, baking powder and salt in your mixing bowl.  With the mixer on low (a paddle attachment works best), add the diced butter and mix until the butter is the size of small peas.

Beat the buttermilk and cold egg together and quickly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.  Mix only until moistened.

In a small bowl, mix the cheddar cheese with a few spoons of flour to coat the cheese.  Add the cheese to the flour mixture and mix until roughly combined.

On a floured board, pour out dough mixture and knead lightly, 5 or 6 times.  Roll the dough out to a 5 x 10 rectangle and cut the dough into rectangles as pictured above.  (You'll have 8 hearty biscuits or you can cut them smaller.)

Bake on a non-stick baking sheet or line with parchment paper.  Brush the tops with the egg wash, sprinkle with kosher or sea salt and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the tops are golden and the biscuits are cooked through.

Biscuit dough with egg wash & salt sprinkled on top.  Ready for the oven!

Fresh out of the oven...I can't wait!

Delicious for breakfast or with your favorite homemade soup!

Enjoy!  And if you have a fantastic, no-fail soup recipe you'd like to share, let me know!  YOU could be my first guest-blogger!

Have a great September day!