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Cinnamon Pecan Drop Biscuits

Source of Recipe

From "Essentials of Southern Cooking" by Damon Lee Fowler


Recipe Introduction

"Cinnamon rolls are among the loveliest of breakfast breads, especially in autumn, when the crisp air picks up the rich, spicy aroma of cinnamon and toasted pecans and carries it more cleanly than at any other time of year. But yeast dough requires advance planning — something I have never been very good at. These biscuits have all the best elements of yeast rolls, but can be thrown together in minutes with almost no advance notice and without the tedious rolling and cutting into spiraled rolls."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 small tart apple, such as Winesap, Arkansas Black, Empire, or Granny Smith
â—¦ Juice from ½ lemon
â—¦ ½ cup raisins
â—¦ ½ cup chopped pecans
â—¦ 2 cups all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 teaspoons baking powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
â—¦ ½ cup light brown sugar
â—¦ 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits
â—¦ 1 cup buttermilk, divided
â—¦ Brown Sugar Glaze


Recipe

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450° F. Lightly butter a large baking sheet. Peel, core, and cut the apple into small (about ¼-inch) dice. Put it in a glass bowl with the lemon juice and toss well. Add the raisins and pecans and toss to mix.

Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives until it's the texture of grits or polenta meal with lumps the size of small peas. Do not overblend; small lumps of shortening are what make biscuits flaky. Add the apple, raisins, and pecans and toss until they're coated. Make a well in the center and pour in ¾ cup of the buttermilk. Quickly and lightly stir the mixture into a dough, adding milk by spoonfuls until it's no longer dry and crumbly.

Drop by 2-tablespoonful lumps onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing ¾ inch apart. Bake in the center of the oven until golden, about 12 minutes. While still warm, drizzle with Brown Sugar Glaze and serve warm. They can be made a couple of hours ahead and reheated in a 250° oven, but don't add the glaze until you're ready to serve them.


Makes 12 biscuits



Brown Sugar Glaze:

â—¦ ½ cup (tightly packed) light brown sugar
â—¦ ½ cup granulated sugar
â—¦ ½ cup whole milk
â—¦ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or homemade Bourbon Vanilla

Stir the two sugars and the milk together in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan until smooth. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, and cook until it barely reaches the soft-ball stage (230° F on a candy thermometer). Stir in the vanilla and remove the pan from the heat. Cool for 3 minutes and immediately pour over the baked goods that are to be glazed.


Makes about 1 cup