Cheddar Garlic Biscuits

My cats are the only felines I have ever known who try to steal scraps of biscuit dough. I wonder if its the milk or the butter. But either way, our two 1-year old cats (no longer longer kittens) tend to claim the counter stools closest to my work surface with the same eager expressions on their face that my two-footed children do when I'm making cupcakes.

Tonight's baking was Cheddar Garlic Biscuits to go with a crock-pot pot roast. Homemade biscuits are easy to make and this version is tasty even though it calls for plain milk instead of buttermilk. With the cheese, these make great drop biscuits, so there is no rolling pin or floured counter to clean.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold
• 2 tablespoons additional butter (for melting)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic (fresh or jarred).

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt.  
• Using a pastry cutter (or butter knives or forks, or a food processor), cut the 1/2 cup cold butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir the cheese into the dry ingredients.
• Melt the 2 tablespoons butter and garlic together in a ramekin in the microwave. 30 seconds on high was perfect.
• Stir the milk into the butter/flour/cheese mixture with a spatula just until it comes together.
• Drop the biscuit dough by fat spoonfuls onto a baking sheet about 2" apart.
• Brush the tops of each biscuit with melted garlic butter.
• Bake 10-14 minutes (longer for bigger biscuits, shorter for smaller ones).
• Makes 12-16 biscuits.