I’ve been meaning to add to my series on copycat snacks for a while. Last time I did oatmeal cream pie cookies, which were delicious. This time, I decided to make the best thing on the Red Lobster menu, Cheddar Bay Biscuits.
Ironically, I didn’t set out to make imitation biscuits. I had a simple, basic biscuit recipe I’ve used for a while, and I wanted something a little more flavorful. What adds flavor to a savory baked good? Oh, you know; onion, garlic, cheese, the usual, right?
Well, that’s what I did, and the result was pretty dang close to the Red Lobster biscuit recipe we all know and love. Call them, I dunno, Cheddarpeake Bay Biscuits?
The point is, they’re a little salty, a little cheesy, a little oniony, and delicious through and through. They’re a perfect little bready accompaniment to a lot of different meals, and I’ve already made them a handful of times since “perfecting” the recipe just a week or so ago. I’m just that excited to share them with you all!
There’s one quirk to this recipe, as demonstrated by the picture below.
What’s the difference between these two biscuits? One was cut with a cookie/biscuit cutter, and one wasn’t.
When making these biscuits, I recommend using a cookie cutter, and not twisting it as you cut. Just press straight down and pull straight up. This leaves you with a nice column of dough, that bakes into a mostly-uniform biscuit.
If you twist the cutter to cut through, it kind of seals the edges of the dough, and they won’t rise quite as much. If you don’t use a cutter and just pull off pieces of dough, you get what happens on the left: it sprawls out and turns into a glob.
Don’t get me wrong; all three are delicious. The glob-shaped one is fine, it’s just not as uniform or photogenic. The twisted-cut one, though, tends to be a little denser and less tasty because of it. I mean really, look at the crumb in that first picture!
Note: you really want a sharp cookie/biscuit cutter for this. Even something as dull as a glass jar will pinch shut the edges rather than cut cleanly through, just like the twisting action.
In any case, these biscuits are delicious no matter how you slice it. Serve warm, butter optional, and you have a perfect accompaniment to any dinner, or a great snack in the middle of the day. Here’s how to make them:
Not-Quite Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Pastry Brush
- Biscuit Cutter
- Baking Sheet
- Silicone Baking Mat
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour
- 1¼ Cups Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheese
- 4 Tbsp Butter
- 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
- ½ Tbsp Dried Chives
- ¾ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ¾ Tsp Onion Powder
- ½ Tsp Seasoned Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- In your mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, chives, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Add the heavy cream and two tablespoons of melted butter. Mix together until it forms a dough ball.
- Knead the dough ball for 30 seconds or so, to fully incorporate the flour.
- Add in the cheese (I like a 50/50 mix of cheddar and monterey jack) and knead more to combine.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll or flatten the dough to be about ¾" thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut as many round biscuits out of it as possible. Be careful not to twist the cutter!
- With the remaining dough, roll it back into a ball, re-flatten, and re-cut. If you have any excess, it can make one sad, sprawled-out biscuit to use it up.
- Place each dough round on your baking sheet lined with your silicone mat (or parchment paper).
- In a small bowl, melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter and mix in a bit more garlic and onion powders. Brush the tops of each biscuit generously.
- Bake the biscuits for 15 minutes, rotating your baking sheet halfway through so they bake evenly. Let cool slightly, serve, and enjoy!