Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits

When Sheena sent me this recipe from Design*Sponge, I thought of it as the ultimate savory cookie. The process read easily enough so I decided to try it on Sunday and bring them to the office the next day. They were a hit, even for those who thought they wouldn’t be able to stomach the spiciness of the peppers. For lack of a better–and classier–description, they taste like Cheez-Its, only spicier.

I’ve made several edits to make the recipe easier to follow and renamed them biscuits because, let’s be honest, most people expect cookies to be sweet instead of savory. If you tell them you made biscuits, they’re more likely to try them. You don’t want to see the disappointment on your guests’ faces when you offer them cookies and then tell them they’re made of jalapeños.

I found it hard to make the cookie discs. I wasn’t sure if it was because I’m just not a baker, or if my dough was too wet. After cutting the dough into small discs using the rim of a wine glass, I still had to roll them into balls and then flatten them out because it wasn’t easy to pick them up from my counter. I liberally sprinkled extra flour to dry the rest of the dough up. When all was done, the kitchen smelled beautifully.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
8-ounce block of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, patted dry with a paper towel

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour and cheddar. In a food processor, combine butter, salt and pepper until thoroughly blended. Slowly add flour and cheese until dough clears the sides of mixer. Add the jalapeños for one last quick blitz. Don’t over-mix.
2. Shape the dough into ball and wrap in parchment or wax paper and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350º. When dough is chilled, flour your kitchen counter and roll out the dough until it is about a 1/2″ thick. Using about a 2″ circular cookie cutter or the rim of a wine glass, cut out circles and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake in the center of the oven for about 13 minutes or until cookies are golden on top. Remove to a rack and let cool.

Related post/s:
Or you can just make a normal cookie