Cheddar Herb Biscuits

I bought a set of four different sized biscuit cutters about a year ago, actually to make ravioli.  But since then, I haven't used any of them.  And they are so cute with the grooved edges!  I also just recently bought some lowfat buttermilk to use in an Indian food dish, but ended up not using it.  And I had about 1/4 cup of frozen cheddar cheese that also needed to be used.  So the combination of these three components, and an invitation to a potluck materialized into these lovely biscuits. 

You can make the biscuits any size you like.   I used the smallest biscuit cutter size I had, which turned out to make miniature biscuits, about the size of a jumbo marshmallow.  They are delicious eaten alone, or broken in half, toasted and added on top of a broth-based soup, as a crouton.  I ate a few on top of a celery and wild rice soup, and the combination of spices and tastes took me right to a Thanksgiving-type meal.  Very warming!

I adapted this from a recipe on Allrecipes.com.  I switched out some of the spices and added the cheddar.  Besides cutting out about 50 small biscuits, it is a pretty quick and simple recipe!

Cheddar Herb Biscuits

adapted from Allrecipes.com recipe

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted*

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 pinch salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried summer savory

1 tsp dried sage

1 1/2 tsp dried basil

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

*Quick note:  If you don't have a flour sifter (like me),  you can use a small mesh strainer to pour and shake the flour through into the mixing bowl.  It is a good alternative!

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.   In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, thyme, summer savory, sage, and basil.  Ensure that every ingredient gets incorporated evenly.

Cut butter into small cubes and incorporate into flour mixture.  Use a pastry blender, or better yet, your hands, to fully mix the butter in, until the mixture has a course crumb texture, not larger than the size of peas.  Toss in the cheddar, and mix well.  Slowly pour the buttermilk over the mixture, and fluff with a fork, just until mixture is moistened. 

Turn the dough onto floured board and knead 4-5 times.  Form dough into large circle about 3/4 inch in thickness.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut biscuits to desired shape and size, and place on baking sheet.  When you get to the point of not having enough dough, because of all the cut-outs, re-roll dough into a whole shape, and begin cutting again, and repeat until you have used all the dough.  Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes, depending on size of biscuit.   Pop in your mouth immediately!