When it comes to cravings, I certainly do not have a sweet tooth. I will choose savory any day of the week. So when it came to thinking up ideas for treats for Thanksgiving weekend, I couldn't get my mind off of pumpkin, but I knew a pumpkin pie wouldn't cut it! That's how I dreamt up these biscuits. I decided to mix the sweet and earthy flavour of pumpkin with some aged sharp white cheddar cheese for a salty touch, and fresh chives just add that extra savoury note. Not only are these biscuits so delicious and scream Thanksgiving, but they're all incredibly easy...and coming from a non-baker, that means a lot!
I started with the dry ingredients, and then mixed in really cold cubes of butter. As I mentioned, I don't bake a lot, but if there's one thing I know about biscuits, it's that the cold butter is essential. I didn't work the butter to much either and warm it up. When doing this, just try to crumble it with your fingers and combine it into the dry ingredients until they form a crumble. Incorporate the cheese in the same way. Stir in the pumpkin until the dough is fairly wet and well incorporated.
I turned it over onto a lightly floured surface. Beware! The first time I made these, I over-floured the mixture because it felt too wet to me. Don't worry if it feels wet. The idea is to simply pat the dough down into a circle that's roughly 2 inches thick. Don't worry about the dough sticking to the surface either- a sharp knife can easily help unstick these little dough rounds.
Use the edge of a glass or cookie cutter to make rounds of the dough, and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip the edge of your cutter into flour to help you out. Brush with melted butter for a shiny finish, and bake these for 15-16 minutes at 400 degrees F. So simple, so tasty, and SO Thanksgiving-y!
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Cheddar Biscuits with Fresh Chives
Total time: 32 minutes
Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Yields 8-10 biscuits
Ingredients
-2 cups all purpose flower (not packed down)
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
-1 cup grated sharp white cheddar
-1 cup pumpkin puree
-1 tbsp. chives, chopped
-2 tbsp. butter milk
-2 tbsp. melted butter
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl
3. Mix in cold butter with fingers until mixture is even and slightly crumbly. Do the same with the cheese.
4. Stir in pumpkin and chives until just dough comes together
5. Add buttermilk and turn dough over onto a lightly floured surface. Simply pat the dough into a 2 inch thick circle. Do not overwork the dough, the idea is just to bring it together
6. Use a cutter or top of a glass to cut the biscuits into 3 inch rounds. Lightly dip the edge of the cutter or glass in flower to help avoid sticking
7. Lay the biscuits evenly on a baking sheet, and lightly brush the tops with melted butter
8. Bake the biscuits for 15-16 minutes, just until turning golden on the top. Lightly brush with melted butter and top with corse salt while still warm
9. Enjoy!
Labels: Appetizers, Party Ideas, Sides
