Author Notes
The combination of two Southern favorites—the buttermilk biscuit and pimento cheese—is ingenious. It truly came to me in the most obvious of ways, like those old peanut butter cup commercials. Standing in front of the open fridge, the night of a holiday brunch party years ago, I spread some pimento cheese on a leftover biscuit, and it hit me that I could save that pesky spreading step and create a one-bite wonder. So I went to work. I doubt I was the first person to think of this, but that’s how I got here. These gems are the perfect pairing for a bowl of soup, but it doesn’t end there. A dab of butter and a little country ham. A dab of butter and some crispy bacon. Make some candied bacon and you are on your way to heaven. I sometimes make these in little cocktail-size bites and serve them at parties, either with butter alone, or something yummy tucked inside. I am sure you will find all sorts of ways to enjoy these.
—TheRunawaySpoon
Test Kitchen Notes
Pimento cheese in biscuit form: nothing less than pure genius from the likes of TheRunawaySpoon. These biscuits are incredibly buttery and fluffy, with a great savory, cheesy tang. The dough will be quite wet, but just flour your kneading surface well and they'll come together. If your baking sheet is dark, you may want to double up to keep the bottoms of the biscuits from toasting too quickly. —Kristen Miglore —Kristen Miglore
Ingredients
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2 cups
all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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1 tablespoon
baking powder
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1 teaspoon
salt
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1/2 teaspoon
sweet paprika
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1/2 teaspoon
garlic powder
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3/4 cup
cold butter
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1/2 cup
cold, well-shaken buttermilk, plus a little more for brushing
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1
egg
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1 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
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4 ounces
jarred diced pimentos, drained and patted dry
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1 cup
grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
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Sea salt, for sprinkling
Directions
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Preheat the oven to 425° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Put the flour, baking powder, salt, paprika, and garlic powder in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir together with a fork. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop them in the flour. Using the paddle attachment, blend the butter and flour on low speed until the butter is the size of small peas. You want some butter blended in, but the visible small pieces of butter help make the biscuits fluffy.
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Measure the buttermilk in a measuring jug, crack in the egg, add the Worcestershire sauce, and beat it with a fork until the egg is well blended. Keep the mixer on low, dump in the buttermilk mixture, and blend just until everything is moist. Toss the cheese with a little flour, and do the same to the pimentos. This step keeps the cheese and pimentos from clumping together, so they blend throughout the dough. Drop them both in the mixer and, still on low, beat until everything just starts to come together.
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Dump the dough onto a well-floured surface and gently bring it all together, kneading just a few times. Handle with care and don’t overwork the dough, or the biscuits will get tough. A few pimentos may stick to the board or fall out—just stick ’em back in. Pat the dough into a rectangle, about 6 by 10 inches, using the back of a large knife or bench scraper to square off the ends. Flour the knife or scraper and cut the dough into eight squares. Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet, lightly brush the tops with a little buttermilk, and sprinkle with sea salt.
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Bake the biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and cooked through. Serve warm, or wrap tightly and store in an airtight container, gently reheat before serving.
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