Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits

Well, Friday is finally here and beautiful weather is expected for this weekend...I AM SO EXCITED!  I'm looking forward to checking out some of the local farmer's markets that open for the season here tomorrow morning.  Tonight I wasn't in the mood to make anything too complicated for dinner and for some odd reason I was in the mood for a "chicken-biscuit" -- similar to the kind you get for breakfast at Chick-fil-A.  I am never in the mood to eat them for breakfast, and unfortunately it is the only time they serve them...so I decided to make my own for dinner tonight.  I had a partial bag of frozen breaded chicken tenders in the freezer that take about 20-25 minutes to bake in the oven...and I had a box of Bisquick mix in the pantry and some sharp cheddar cheese in the fridge.  Since I absolutely love cracked black pepper in bread, I decided to add that as well to give them a little kick.  I used to buy freshly baked Blue Cheese-Black Pepper bread from the Costco bakery that was absolutely the best, but they haven't sold it for a while -- sadly, I think they discontinued it.

The recipe for the biscuits I made tonight is so very simple and I must tell you...they were probably some of the best biscuits I have ever had or made -- ever...or pretty darn close, anyway!  They were perfect to make little chicken biscuit sandwiches with.  Notice that I added a lot of cheese -- 1-1/2 cups of sharp shredded cheddar and a lot of cracked black pepper.  I believe if you want to make Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits, you need to be able to taste both the cheddar and black pepper, otherwise it is just "decorations" you are adding.  I split the biscuits, added a very light smear of honey mustard dressing and added a large chicken tender for our little sandwiches.  I served it with a side salad tossed with Honey Dijon vinaigrette.  They were absolutely delicious!  Below I'll share the recipe as well as a few pics.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Enjoy!

Black Pepper Cheddar-Chicken Biscuit

Black Pepper Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
2/3 cup milk (I used 1/3 cup cream and 1/3 cup fat free half-n-half)
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I used half sharp and half extra sharp)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)

• 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine mixed with 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (to brush on biscuits immediately after removing from oven)

Mix Bisquick mix, milk, cheese and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl until combined; dough will be stiff.  With your hands, lightly press and knead a few times while in the bowl until you can form a ball of dough.  Divide dough into 8 even pieces and form into small "patties" and place on an ungreased or foil lined cookie sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Do not overcook.  Brush immediately with butter/black pepper mixture.

 **Making your biscuits into "patties" before baking them makes the biscuits neater looking than "drop biscuits" (which have shaggy/irregular tops) and much better for making little sandwiches with.  It is also an easier way to make your biscuits than rolling them out and cutting them by hand.