Sugar and Spice Biscuits

One morning I had a friend coming over for crafting and immediately had the desire to make something we could snack on.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from this recipe from Diabetic Living Online via Pinterest, but I really wanted something with cinnamon in it, so I just dove in.

Yield:  12 biscuits.

Ingredients (adapted from Diabetic Living Online):

• 2 cups bread flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Grease twelve 2-1/2-inch muffin cups; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center; add milk. Stir just until dough clings together.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead by folding and gently pressing dough for 10 to 12 strokes or until dough is nearly smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll one portion into a 12×10-inch rectangle. In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle some of the sugar mixture over the rectangle.
3. Cut rectangle into five 12×2-inch strips. Stack the strips on top of each other. Cut into six 2-inch-square stacks. Place each stack, cut side down, in a prepared muffin cup. Repeat with remaining dough and sugar mixture.
4. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

The only substitutions I made for this recipe were for the flour and butter.  The original recipe calls for all-purpose flour and for shortening.  I have an irrational dislike for shortening, but also think that butter adds so much more flavor.  They turned out really nice, although I definitely put them in the muffin tins rotated 90-degrees than where they should have been, so they sort of came out looking funny.  I was immediately reminded of the sour cream biscuits my dad made us on weekends when I was a kid.  Really, the only difference was the lack of sour cream.  I think I’ll have to make my dad’s biscuits soon.  I’m going into a food coma just thinking about them.

OK, back to these biscuits!  So, despite the fact that I’m sure adding butter killed any chance of them being healthy (see the original recipe for nutritional information), I ate nearly half of them.  My arteries hurt.  -17 life.

[pictures will be posted when I make this recipe again]