Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits

Closeup of cheddar jalapeno biscuits in cast iron pan.

Jalapeno cheddar biscuits are buttery with tender, flaky layers. Easy to make and super flavorful, loaded with cheddar cheese and jalapeno peppers.

Course Breakfast or Brunch

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 15

Servings people

Calories 420kcal

Author Jessica Robinson

Ingredients

4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
2 ½ tablespoons baking powder
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter cold
¾ cup lard, tallow or vegetable shortening cold
1 ½ -2 cups whole cultured buttermilk cold
½ - ¾ cup freshly grated cheddar cheese yellow or white
1-2 jalapeno peppers seeds removed & chopped small
jalapeno peppers sliced thinly in rounds (for garnish on top)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, gently combine flour with salt and baking powder with a spoon.
Cut in the lard and butter until you have coarse crumbs. Add grated cheddar cheese and chopped jalapenos. Use a spatula to gently incorporate into the flour mixture.
Incorporate the buttermilk and gently bring it together into a dough with your hands or a rubber spatula. Start with 1 ½ cups buttermilk and add more buttermilk as needed, if necessary. The biscuit dough will be sticky!!
Pat down on a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin to gently roll into a rectangle shape. Fold several times. Roll out into rectangle about 1-inch thick.
Use a rubber bench scraper to help work with the dough.
Be careful NOT to add too much flour or overwork the dough. Cut biscuits with a 3-inch cutter, using a stamping motion, do not twist it.
Pick up scraps of biscuit dough and shake off excess flour. Press back together. Carefully refold the dough and roll out to a rectangle. Cut out the remaining biscuits. Be careful not to add too much flour or handle the dough too much!
Place biscuits closely together into a buttered cast iron baking pan or baking dish. Top each biscuit with a thinly sliced jalapeno pepper.

Notes

Tips on making flaky homemade biscuits

Make sure butter, lard and buttermilk are super cold to ensure flaky layers

Use high-quality ingredients, such as flour and butter. Higher quality butter has a higher fat content and will yield better results.

Cut butter into small pieces with a sharp knife or grate frozen butter with a cheese grater before incorporating into the flour mixture.

Don’t have buttermilk? Make your own with 1 cup whole milk and 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice. Combine and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dry ingredients.

Do NOT twist the cutter when cutting out biscuits! Twisting motion will seal edges of biscuits and prevent them from rising properly.

Bake in cast iron skillet or baking pan. This helps biscuits bake better and more evenly.

Rotate your baking pan 180 degrees about half way through the baking process.

Nutrition