Super Bowl Sunday - Chili and Cheddar Biscuits

Today is Super Bowl Sunday ... Packers vs. Steelers.  I'm not really attached to any one team - more so to the idea of the snacks!  I have been at a conference this weekend so I was limited as to my time.  I decided to make chili (which I can eat through the week and freeze) and cheddar biscuits.  A special note to my friend Annie - who gave me the recipe for the biscuits (THANKS!).  While I didn't actually use my KitchenAid, I'm still featuring it on this blog because I did use a new tool / technique - a Pastry Blender .

Pastry Blenders (sometimes called a dough blender or pastry cutter) are used when mixing a hard fat into flour.  The tool is made up of hard metal strips or wires attached to a soft handle.  You use it by pressing down or "cutting in" on the items to be mixed.  It helps break fats (butter, shortening, lard) into smaller pieces for easy mixing of pastries and pie crusts.  The mixture should resemble small crumbles.  Not to fear- if you don't own this clever tool, the same consistency can be accomplished with 2 knives, 2 forks, or even your fingertips. 

This recipe also calls for self-rising flour - which is basically a baker's shortcut because the flour already contains salt and leavening (baking powder). It is helpful to keep some on hand when making biscuits and short cakes.  Be ware though - it already contains salt, so no extra is needed to the recipe. 

Here are some photos of the biscuit process:

And here is the recipe:

Cheese Biscuits, Courtesy of Annie's Grandma's Cookbook

Mix 1/4 cup of softened butter with 2 cups of self rising flour. Use a
pastry cutter if you have one. Then add 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and 1 cup of buttermilk. Mix it all together, use your hands.  Then drop by rounded tablespoon on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees.

Jessica's Notes:  I used a small cookie scoop to portion the dough.  I covered a baking sheet with parchment, lightly sprayed it with baking spray, and baked them for 11 minutes.  I got 22 biscuits using this method. 

They taste delicious!  Very fluffy.  Please share your thoughts if you make the recipe.