Name: Jalapeño-Jack Biscuits
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Ingredients: 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon table salt; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 3 ounces (85 grams) pepper Jack cheese , shredded (¾ cup); 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño chile; 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Why This Recipe Works

While cheese biscuits often sound better than they taste, our Jalapeño-Jack Biscuits recipe bakes up cheesy, airy biscuits with a perfectly light crumb. We used a simple cream biscuit recipe, which is prepared from flour and heavy cream leavened with baking powder. Overworking the dough will make the biscuits tough, so we kneaded only long enough to incorporate the dry ingredients and cream. To flavor the biscuits, we used a dry, strong-flavored cheese, and added most just before adding the cream. A little cayenne pepper and minced jalapeño pepper gave our Jalapeño-Jack Biscuits the kick they needed.

Before You Begin

Bake the biscuits immediately after cutting them. Allowing them to stand for any length of time can decrease the leavening power of the baking powder and prevent the biscuits from rising properly in the oven.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, minced jalapeño, chives, and cayenne. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough from bowl to countertop, leaving dry, floury bits in bowl. In 1-tablespoon increments, add up to 1/4 cup cream to dry bits in bowl, mixing with wooden spoon after each addition, until moistened. Add moistened bits to rest of dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Pat dough into 8-inch circle, cut into wedges, and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake until just beginning to brown, 9 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven, sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons remaining cheese on each biscuit, and return to oven, rotating baking sheet from front to back. Bake until golden brown and cheese topping has melted, 9 minutes. Serve warm.