Name: Chocolate Chip Biscuits
Total time: 1 h
Ingredients: 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (8 tablespoons cold, 1 tablespoon softened, and 1 tablespoon melted); 2½ cups (12½ ounces/354 grams) all-purpose flour; 3 tablespoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1½ teaspoons table salt; 1¼ cups (7½ ounces) semisweet chocolate chips; 2 cups buttermilk , chilled

Why This Recipe Works

Tender, buttery, and fluffy, these biscuits are studded with melty chocolate chips for the ultimate bakery-style treat. For a superlight interior, we shred frozen butter into flakes and then stir them into the dry ingredients; these little pieces of butter get evenly distributed throughout the dough and then melt during baking, producing steam that creates a fluffy crumb. We use baking powder and baking soda for plenty of lift and flavorful browning on the edges and top. Two cups of buttermilk gives these biscuits their signature tangy flavor, and a hefty pour of chocolate chips ensures pockets of melted chocolate in every bite. Instead of rolling out the dough on a floured counter and stamping out the biscuits, we shape and cut the dough directly in a buttered 8-inch square baking pan, skipping the counter (and mess) for a faster method.

Before You Begin

If you have leftover buttermilk, it can be frozen in ice cube trays, transferred to zipper-lock freezer bags, and frozen for up to a month. Upon thawing, the whey and the milk solids will separate; simply whisk the buttermilk back together before using it.

Instructions

Place 8 tablespoons cold butter in freezer. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat bottom and sides of 8-inch square baking pan with 1 tablespoon softened butter.

Whisk 2½ cups (12½ ounces) flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and 1½ teaspoons table salt together in large bowl. Stir in 1¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips. Shred frozen butter directly into bowl using large holes of box grater (if needed, chop end bit of butter into small pieces using knife and add to bowl). Toss shredded butter with flour until coated.

Add 2 cups chilled buttermilk and gently stir with silicone spatula until no pockets of dry flour remain. Transfer dough to prepared pan, smoothing into even layer. Using bench scraper or knife sprayed with vegetable oil spray, cut dough into 9 equal squares (2 cuts by 2 cuts), but do not separate. Bake until browned on top and paring knife inserted into center comes out clean, 32 to 37 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Let biscuits cool in pan for 5 minutes before turning out. Let cool for 10 minutes longer. Using serrated knife, cut biscuits along scored marks and serve warm.