Jalapeño-Cheese Biscuits

You must taste Ron’s Jalapeño-Cheese Biscuits! As you will, when you make this recipe! With their generous helping of cheese and the sudden explosion of flavor from their chopped jalapeño peppers, Ron’s Jalapeño-Cheese Biscuits are my very favorite buns. 

Ron serves them hot, with a smattering of butter. Sometimes, he splits them open-face style, serving each half with - or without - a napping of Hollandaise sauce and a gently poached egg. Either way, they’re outstanding!

Ron makes these savory biscuits often, usually while I’m pondering a problem in particle physics or painting my toenails (You know I’m jesting! I never have time to paint my nails). These excellent biscuits deliver a hint of heat - without blowing the roof off your mouth. I know you’re going to love them!

Jalapeño-Cheese Biscuits:

2 c. all-purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

3 tbsp. cold butter or margarine

5 or 6 slices canned, pre-sliced jalapeño peppers

¼ lb. sharp cheddar, diced as ¼-in. squares

¾ c. milk

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Trim parchment paper to fit medium-sized baking sheet; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large mixing bowl. Slice butter evenly over dry ingredients. Combine dry ingredients and butter with a pastry cutter, drawing the cutter toward you as you give the bowl a quarter turn. 

Chop jalapeño and cheese slices into a  ¼-in. dice (see Note). Sprinkle both evenly over flour-butter mixture. Mix with hands to ensure even distribution of buttery dry ingredients, jalapeños, and cheese. Add milk all at once, mixing with hands to ensure that diced cheese and jalapeño peppers are well distributed.

Knead dough 10 times onto lightly floured surface, patting into a 1-in. thick circle approximately 9 in. in diameter. Cut into 2-in. or 3-in. rounds with lightly floured biscuit cutter or drinking glass. Transfer unbaked biscuits to parchment-lined baking sheet. Dab or brush tops with melted butter. Bake 25-to-30 min. Serve warm or at room temperature. Yields 8 or 9.

Note: Don’t grate the cheese in this recipe. Dicing ensures it will melt in small pockets, producing a more flavorful biscuit. 

Combine dry ingredients

Typical size of canned jalapeño peppers

Work cold butter into dry ingredients with pastry cutter

Dice sharp, aged cheddar

Evenly distribute diced cheese and jalapeño
peppers over buttery dry ingredients

Add milk all at once

Quickly combine with hands or sturdy spoon

Roll into a 1-in. thick circle on lightly floured surface

Transfer unbaked buns to baking sheet.
Brush with butter. Bake 25-to-30 min. 

Eat as-is or serve under poached eggs with maple-

smoked bacon and fresh fruit.