Spoon-Drop Biscuits

In southern cooking, there is nothing more important than biscuits. They are a staple in the southern diet, paired with gravy, butter and jam, or layered on top of a chicken pot pie. So naturally, within the first week of arriving at my new home in Denver, I mixed up my usual biscuit batter to go with my hearty beef stew for dinner and...and was horrified at the hard, dry, crumbly things that came out of the oven. After I finished screaming OH MY GOD HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!!!! I got to work figuring out the why of it, and how to fix it. That night is when the idea of this blog started.
So I began researching, and baking, and OH the poor husband and dog that had to eat my failed experiments! But finally I found the magic ratios that would make my biscuits turn out light and fluffy and moist once again, and here is the recipe, both the original and the adjusted versions:
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Spoon-Drop Biscuits
The recipe at sea level:

2 1/4 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter-flavored crisco
1 1/4 cups milk

Preheat over to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.
Cut in the shortening until crumbs are the size of peas.
Add milk and stir with fork just until all dry particles are moistened.
Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet to make 12 biscuits.

Bake for 8 minutes until golden on top.

Optional: You can pat the dough to 1/2 thick on a floured board and cut your biscuits out with a deep cookie cutter or a small glass.

Cheesy Biscuits: Add 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese to the flour. Continue the recipe as above. These cheesy biscuits are my family's favorite with lasagne and spaghetti!


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Spoon-Drop Biscuits at 5,000 feet

2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter-flavored crisco
1 1/3 cups milk

Preheat over to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt, mixing well.
Cut in the shortening until crumbs are the size of peas.
Add milk and stir with fork just until all dry particles are moistened.
Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheet to make 12 biscuits.

Bake for 8-12 minutes until golden on top. Watch the time carefully, as the barometric pressure can make your biscuits perfect at 8 minutes one day, and 12 minutes on another day.

Optional: You can pat the dough to 1/2 thick on a floured board and cut your biscuits out with a deep cookie cutter or a small glass.

Cheesy Biscuits: Add 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon parsley flakes, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese to the flour. Continue the recipe as above. These cheesy biscuits are my family's favorite with lasagne and spaghetti!