These flaky and tender cream cheese biscuits are super easy to make and absolutely delicious. Bake a batch of these biscuits to go alongside breakfast, brunch, dinner, or simply smeared with a slab of butter.
Easter would not be Easter unless biscuits are involved, and these flaky and moist biscuits are my idea of perfection. The tangy cream cheese does its magic that makes these the most perfect biscuits. Judging by the assortment of pant sizes in my closet, you can bet that I have eaten my fair share.
A while back, we made a little road trip to Sonoma. It is adorable and I had the best lunch that I have had in ages. The Fremont Diner is a little hole in the wall that you need to stop at and eat heartily. I felt like I was back in my beloved Charleston. I mention this little trip because I may have sampled a biscuit while I was there and it may have inspired me to make my own.
I know that people are very passionate about biscuit making and live and breathe by their family recipes. I lived in the South for quite a few years, so I know that biscuits are serious business. But please, please, please, give these babies a go. I know that I will look no further for a better biscuit recipe.
Tips & Tricks
You can make the ball of dough in advance and store it in the fridge overnight to be cut into squares and baked the next day.
The recipe calls for half all-purpose flour and half cake flour. I was out of cake flour, so I just used all all-purpose flour. They were still perfection. If you have cake flour, awesome, if not, don’t worry about it.
Make sure the cream cheese and the butter are very cold before working them into the dough. Plopping them in the freezer for a half-hour or so will do the trick. Don’t skip this step!
Do your best not to over-knead the dough. As as soon as a soft well-combined pliable dough forms, stop kneading.
After 12 minutes in the oven, begin watching for doneness. Since we’re making these at a high temperature they can go from perfect to burn very quickly.
Why is Cream Cheese Biscuits So Good?
- These biscuits are full of flavor and texture. The exterior has a slight crunch to it, while the interior is soft and fluffy.
- Biscuits are so easy to make in advance, quickly reheat and serve on those busy mornings.
- Cream cheese biscuits go well with everything! Sweeten them up with a bit of jam for breakfast and brunch or slab on some butter and eat with a big dinner.
- Minimal basic ingredients, all of which are easy to find in the store or you may already have on hand.
- Because everybody loves biscuits!
Serving Suggestions
I like my biscuits with a generous slathering of strawberry jam (I am really loving the new Smuckers Orchard’s Finest jams). These would be pretty fabulous with a piece of country ham slapped between them as well. Cream cheese biscuits are also a great dinner side. Plop a basket of cream cheese biscuits on the dinner table and let everyone dig in.
Variations
Cream cheese biscuits are delicious just the way they are, but why leave well enough alone. You can also:
- Make sausage and cream cheese biscuits. Add 1/2 cup cooked sausage crumbles to the dough mixture before kneading or sprinkle cooked sausage on the tops of each raw biscuit before baking.
- For gluten-free cream cheese biscuits, omit the cake flour and all-purpose four and use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour in its place.
- Make cheddar bay biscuits. Add 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup chopped chives, and a couple of teaspoons of garlic powder to the dough mixture. Bake as directed and then slather with warm melted butter before serving.
How to Store and Reheat
Cream cheese biscuits are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you store them in the fridge, they won’t be as soft and fluffy. Use within 3 to 4 days. To reheat, just throw them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so.
Make-Ahead and Freezer Options
To freeze, let biscuits cool completely, wrap each biscuit individually in foil or plastic wrap, place them in a freezer bag, and store in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
How do I know when the dough is perfectly kneaded?
The dough should have quite a bit of elasticity and bounce back when you poke it. The over-kneaded dough is tough and less flexible.
Cream Cheese Biscuits
Ingredients Â
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups cake flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes and frozen for 30 minutes
- 4 Tablespoons butter cut into cubes and frozen for 30 minutes
- 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon buttermilk
InstructionsÂ
- Put everything except for the buttermilk into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it resembles coarse meal.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
- Pour in the buttermilk.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured board. Knead until it comes together.
- Shape the dough into an 8 inch by 6 inch rectangle.
- Cut into desired shape and put on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven with the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they have puffed and are golden brown.
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