Quick Biscuits with Maple Butter

These are the biscuits that I made with the dreamy cream scones to use up my leftover Thanksgiving whipped cream and I had very low expectations for them because the picture in the NYTimes made them look just like any other lesser biscuit. Low and flat and not particularly flaky. But then I made them with butter and cream, not margarine and grain milk. and you better believe these were so packed with butter and cream that it was like eating a flaky, salty stick of butter and if you are into that thing, well, then you can imagine it being pretty amazing. So much for being "well."

We didn't try out the whipped maple butter, but trust me, these don't need it.

From the NYTimes Well Thanksgiving blog 2012:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/11/12/health/20121111_vegetarian-thanksgiving.html#Quick_Biscuits_With_Maple_%E2%80%9CButter%E2%80%9D

Ingredients:

For the biscuits:

2 C. all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface

1 T. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 C. vegan margarine... or ahem butter...

3/4 C. soy, almond or rice milk... or real milk, or cream...

For the "maple butter":

1 C. vegan margarine, at room temperature

1/4 C. maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add margarine and cut it roughly into flour using a pastry cutter, until mixture is the texture of coarse meal with a few larger margarine lumps. Add nondairy milk and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Do not overwork.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and pat into an oblong shape, about 1 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2-inch floured cookie or biscuit cutter, cut the biscuits out and place them on a baking sheet (or just cut them into wedges). Brush the tops lightly with melted margarine and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until they begin to turn golden. Remove biscuits from oven immediately and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

5. Make the maple “butter.” In a mixing bowl, using a whisk or electric mixer, whip margarine with maple syrup until light and fluffy. Refrigerate until serving.

Dreamy Cream Scones

The last new scone recipe I tried was so bad I didn't even post it. The scones were lumpy and soggy and gross and I gave up on new scone recipes figuring, as you all figure, that I have enough. But then came this day after Thanksgiving when I had this exact amount of whipping cream I had to use, and this and another scone/biscuit recipe were both circulating the air, and the Robber was hungry, and such came to such and I made these with chopped fresh cranberries in them and then they were what every scone should be--  more biscuity rather than cakey, but not dry-- not too sweet-- and I ended up buying more cream and making them twice. The end.

Note: For the add-in I chopped my cranberries in half and then coated in sugar before adding to the dough.

An old Smitten Kitchen recipe:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2006/11/dream-a-little-dream-of-scone/

Ingredients:

2 C. all purpose flour

1 T. baking powder
3 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
5 T. chilled, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 C. heavy cream

1/2 - 3/4 C. currants, cranberries, etc.

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F.

2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. 

3. Using a pastry cutter, quickly cut the butter into your flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, with a few slightly larger butter lumps. Stir in add-in ingredient (currants, etc.) 

4. Stir in heavy cream with a rubber spatula or fork until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

5. Transfer dough and all dry, floury bits to countertop and knead dough by hand just until it comes together into a rough, sticky ball, 5 to 10 seconds. Form dough into a round disc and flatten gently until about 1-1.25" thick. Cut into 6 wedges.

6. Place wedges on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake until scone tops are light brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.