Signature
Drop Biscuits
Dr. Dixie Dillon Lane
Baking with your children is a wonderful way to turn away from your phone and toward the people you love. It teaches kids important skills, teaches parents patience, and helps children understand that their contributions matter to their family.
Unfortunately, baking together is also a nearly sure-fire way to lose your temper and make your children cry. If you are anything like me, your patience may grow a tad bit thin when the excited three-year-old suddenly turns the stand mixer to high just when you’re putting in the flour, or the five-year-old and seven-year-old dissolve into screams and tears as they fight over whose turn it is to use the heart-shaped cookie cutter.
As a result of my many failures in this area, I have figured out over time that it is best to be very deliberate about the circumstances in which I teach my kids kitchen skills. Rather than inviting them to join me when I’m making a complex dish or I’m on a deadline for dinner, for example, I now set aside time to introduce them to very basic recipes when the stakes are very low. I choose recipes that are nearly fool-proof and teach basic skills a little at a time, and try to take on the project only when I have ample time. There are fewer tears this way, fewer disasters, and more grace for mistakes.
To be honest, when I began doing this with my kids a couple of years ago, I was surprised at how pleasant it was, and how few planned cooking sessions it took to get my older kids, now ages nine and twelve, reasonably competent in the kitchen. These two young cooks now have a variety of easy recipes under their belts and are usually successful when they try out new ones. The key seems to be to start very simply, with times and with recipes that are relaxed and forgiving.
The recipe below is one of the very first ones that I taught my children. The ingredients and techniques involved really could not be simpler, but they lead to tender, tasty biscuits every single time. The recipe is also easily adaptable into a sweet, dessert version or a savory side dish, and can be halved or doubled with no trouble at all.
Try this recipe a couple of times with your kids, and you may very well see a miracle occur: not only will you all have a good time, but you, the parent, will soon find yourself off the hook for cooking special family breakfasts. From now on, you can just ask the kids to whip up some of their signature drop biscuits!
— Dixie
Signature Drop Buscuits
Yield: 20 Biscuits
Equipment:
Large bowl
2 baking sheets (or 1 large sheet)
Parchment paper
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream, plus extra for brushing tops
Up to 1/2 cup add-ins (optional; see Variations).
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Add the cream and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. (Stir in add-ins, if using.) Allow batter to stand for 2-3 minutes.
Drop by large spoonfuls onto prepared pans, rounding the scoops into balls; a large cookie scoop is helpful here, but regular spoons work fine, too. Using a pastry brush or your fingers, brush the tops of the biscuits lightly with additional cream, if desired.
Bake for 10-14 minutes, depending on size, or until beginning to brown. If you are using two baking sheets, begin with one on an upper rack in the oven and one on a lower rack, then switch the sheets halfway through baking.
Let biscuits stand for five minutes before using a spatula to remove them to a serving plate or cooling rack.
Serving:
Serve warm or at room temperature with butter and honey or jam. These biscuits are very tender and tend to crumble somewhat if you slice them in half to butter them, so I recommend leaving them whole. Makes about 20 biscuits.
Variations:
Whole Wheat Biscuits: substitute 2/3 cup whole wheat flour for 2/3 cup all-purpose flour.
Rosemary-Raisin Biscuits: Add 1/3 cup raisins, golden raisins, or currants, and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary.
Chocolate Chip Biscuits: Add up to 1/2 cup semisweet or dark chocolate chips. This variation has a European taste similar to a chocolate croissant.
Cranberry-White-Chocolate Biscuits: Add 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries.
Or add up to 1/2 cup of your favorite add-ins. Adding a tablespoon of sugar to the batter can also be nice for a dessert-style biscuit.
Store:
Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for two days, or freeze for longer storage.
Notes:
You can scale this recipe up or down very easily. Just use equal parts flour and cream (by volume, not weight) in any amount, adding 1/2 tablespoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt per cup of flour. If you use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose, you can (and should) even omit the baking powder and salt.
