Black Pepper Cheddar Herb Biscuits (Rolled Style)

This week has been a fairly stressful week, so tonight I decided I needed some comfort food for dinner.  I had 2 leftover cooked breaded chicken breast cutlets from last night's meal that I was planning to make Chicken Parmesan with...but I decided that I really NEEDED comfort food tonight instead and for whatever reason, biscuits just seemed to be calling my name!  I decided to give wheat/grain free biscuit making another stab so I could have a "chicken biscuit" sandwich for dinner.  I tried making biscuits once before and they tasted good, but were more "cookie like" than biscuit like.  So, this evening I am giving it another stab -- I made 6 "Black Pepper Cheddar Herb Biscuits" with the hopes of getting a more biscuit like feel and texture.  Well...I would like to share with you that it was a huge success!!!  These had a VERY "biscuity" texture.  I wasn't sure if or how much they would rise, so I rolled mine between 2 sheets of parchment paper to about 1/2-inch thickness and spaced them about 1 inch apart hoping they might swell as they baked and touch each other to stay moister.  These definitely expanded and touched, but not so much in height.  Next time I will roll them out to 3/4 inch thick to give them just a little more thickness.  Even though they didn't get taller/thicker -- I was still able to slice them in half with a sharp knife after they cooled a bit by laying them flat on a cutting board and keeping my hand on top with slight firmness, using a very sharp serrated knife, cut them in half so I could make the "chicken biscuit" sandwich that I was craving.  I was SO happy and excited...LOL.  They always say "it's the little things" that make us happy....and these biscuits did just that!  These were soft, moist and tender and just the texture I had hoped for.  I was a little concerned that by slicing them in half and making them thinner that they might become too fragile and break apart while we ate our sandwiches.  That was not the case -- these stayed and held together perfectly from the first bite to the last for both hubby and I.  Tomorrow I look forward to making myself an egg sandwich for lunch with one of the biscuits.  Also, if you do not own a biscuit cutter or don't like to waste the scraps you get when cutting round biscuits, simply cut them into a square shape with a knife and bake -- I promise you that the biscuit police won't show up at your door and make a "non-round biscuit arrest".  ;-)  My overall review for these biscuits was "very good" and VERY close to traditional tender "southern style" biscuits.  I would consider and rate my previous attempt as "good"....so these were definitely an improvement.  I think if I made them 3/4" thick next time, they might just be rated as "perfect".  I served our Chicken & Biscuit sandwiches with green beans and almonds and some Cheddar Cauliflower Mash.  I snapped a few photos below for you to see as well as my new and improved biscuit recipe.  Enjoy!

Voila!

Ready to pop in the oven

Fresh out of the oven

BOOM!

Black Pepper Cheddar Herb Biscuits (Improved)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups almond flour
3 tablespoons "cold" butter, diced
1 egg (or 1/4 cup Egg Beaters)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Dash of cayenne, optional
2 teaspoons baking powder (aluminum free)
1/4 cup cream or half and half

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking pan or line with non-stick foil or parchment paper.  

In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients except the cream; cut in with a pastry cutter until crumbly and all flour is moistened and cheese is pulverized into the mixture. Stir in cream and mix in lightly.  Press dough together in a ball and place on a sheet of parchment paper and flatten out lightly into a circular shape; cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll out to about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thickness (these do not rise much).  Cut with a biscuit cutter and place on a lightly greased baking pan (I used non-stick foil) about 1 to 2 inches apart, being careful not to handle the dough too much with your hands (you don't want to heat up or melt the butter in the dough, you want it to remain firm).  Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 20 minutes or until golden brown; be careful not to overcook.   Remove from oven; brush tops with melted butter, if desired.

***Note:  If you don't have a biscuit cutter, you can simply cut the dough into squares with a knife and bake them (there is no law I have seen that requires biscuits to be round).