Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits

These flaky, savory biscuits are so delicious! My favorite part about them is how you can pull them apart, layer by layer by layer - all the while knowing YOU were the one who put those layers there. It didn't come from a can! Seriously, you'll be very proud of yourself after baking these goodies, just as I was. =)

The recipe says "The dough will be slightly sticky; do not overmix." Okay, my dough was VERY sticky. I reread the recipe a couple times to make sure I didn't forget any dry ingredients. I hadn't. I didn't want to add too much flour, but I couldn't even roll it out or fold it, so I added enough until I could work with it. I was worried it would change the flakiness, but it didn't. They were still great!

Cream Cheese and Chive Biscuits

Makes 1 dozen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 T sugar

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces

4 ounces cream cheese, cold, cut into pieces

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and chives. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter and cream cheese until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few larger clumps remaining.

Pour in the buttermilk; using a fork, mix in buttermilk until incorporated and the dough just comes together. The dough will be slightly sticky; do not overmix.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. With floured fingers, gently knead about four times, until all the crumbs are incorporated and the dough is smooth. With a lightly floured rolling pin, gently roll out the dough to an 11 x 8 inch rectangle, about 1 inch thick. Using a bench scraper or long offset spatula to lift the ends of the dough, fold the rectangle into thirds (like a business letter). Give the dough a quarter turn. Roll out the dough again (to the same dimensions), and repeat the folding process. Wrap with plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Return the dough to the work surface. Roll out as before, and repeat the folding process. Give the dough another quarter turn; roll out the dough one more time, again into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, trim and discard 1/4 inch from all sides; divide the rectangle into 12 equal squares or rectangles. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 1 1/2 inches apart. Refrigerate for 1 hour.*

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bake, rotating the sheet halfway through, until the biscuits are golden and flecked with brown spots, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool.

*You can freeze the unbaked biscutes on a baking sheet, then store in a resealable plastic bag for up to three weeks. When ready to serve, bake them (without thawing) on a parchment-lined sheet (the baking time will be the same).