Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits with Jalapeno Cheddar Butter

These cornmeal buttermilk biscuits are so tender and delicious! I love to make a homemade jalapeno and cheddar butter to spread on them while warm!

These aren’t like any biscuits I’ve ever had before.

They are so extremely addicting I urge you to use caution and NOT make these on an empty stomach. If you do I cannot be held responsible for you eating three or six. Yes they’re that good.

To Make The Cornmeal Buttermilk Biscuits You Will Need:

• unbleached all-purpose flour
• coarse corn grits (or polenta)
• baking powder
• baking soda
• granulated sugar
• kosher salt
• unsalted butter
• buttermilk

This recipes call for corn grits, or polenta. Because corn grits have a lot larger “grain” than regular old corn meal, it creates a lot of necessary texture in these biscuits. And by texture I mean crunch.

Start off with a large bowl and add in 1-1/3 cups unbleached all-Purpose flour, plus more for work surface, 2/3 cup coarse corn grits (or polenta), 2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

Give it a good stirring until all those ingredients are combined.

Cube 1 stick of butter that’s been pulled straight out of the fridge… you want ice cold butter here folks. And just plop it into the bowl with the dry ingredients.

Blend up that butter! If you don’t have a handy-dandy pastry cutter then what’s wrong with you… just kidding… then just try a dinner fork, but you might want to warm up your upper arm strength before you go at it with that fork!

Then just add in 3/4 cup buttermilk.

Stir until all those lovely ingredients are combined. If it’s a little on the wet side, then just sprinkle in a little bit more flour.

Throw it down on a floured surface…

…and with your fingertips… pat it out.

Then, just like a letter, fold it into thirds…

..and pat it out again.

Stamp out your biscuits. I’m using a two inch cutter… but a three inch would work too! I also used the leftover scraps to get a couple more biscuits out of it.

Arrange them an inch apart on a lined baking sheet and pop them into a preheated 450° oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove once they have puffed up and the tops are golden. Let those cool a smidge before serving.

To Make The Jalapeño Cheddar Butter You Will Need:

• butter
• jalapeno
• grated sharp cheddar cheese

The day before I made these biscuits, I whipped up this butter. I knew I wouldn’t have the time while the biscuits were in the oven. And I wanted desperately to spread this savory butter in the center a hot biscuit like nobody’s business.

MAKE THE BUTTER!

So I roasted 1 jalapeño in a 400°oven and popped it in a bowl with some cling-wrap for like 10 minutes. And when it was cool enough to handle, I removed the skin, stem and seeds of the jalapeno and quickly minced that sucker up. I tossed it into a small bowl with 1 stick of softened (salted) butter and 1/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese (about a quarter cup).

Give it a good mix and either use right away… or chill it overnight.

These biscuits have all those characteristics you’d expect… flaky, buttery-biscuit-y goodness but with a huge crunch from the corn meal. They are unbelievable and a cinch to make. The perfect addition to any meal… or they also make for an excellent midday snack.

Enjoy! And if you give this cornmeal buttermilk biscuits recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

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Yield: 12 servings

Cornmeal Buttermilk Bisicuits with Jalapeno Cheddar Butter

These cornmeal buttermilk biscuits are so tender and delicious! I love to make a homemade jalapeno and cheddar butter to spread on them while warm!

Prep Time: 25 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the Biscuits:

• 1⅓ cups unbleached all-Purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 2/3 cup coarse corn grits, or polenta
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, diced
• 3/4 cup buttermilk

For the Butter:

• 1 stick butter
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions 

• Preheat your oven to 450° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silpat.
• In a large bowl combine the flour, corn grits, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
• Cut the cold butter into chunks and work it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter or fork until crumbly.
• Gently stir in the butter milk. {Add more flour if dough is too wet}
• Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Pat the biscuit dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) and pat it back out into an 8x11 rectangle. Use a 2-inch round cutter to make 10 biscuits, combine scraps to make 2 more biscuits.
• Place them on the prepared sheet pan and place in your preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the tops are a light golden color, about 15 minutes.
• Remove and let cool. Serve with jalapeno cheddar butter {recipe to follow}
• For the butter: Roast the jalapeno on a small sheet pan for 20-30 minutes or until the skin is blistered. Remove and place in a small bowl with plastic wrap for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Trim off the stem and remove the seeds then dice.
• Mix one stick of butter {salted}, the diced roasted jalapeno and a quarter cup of good cheddar cheese. Serve as is or refrigerate until ready to use.

Serving: 1g, Calories: 105kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 336mg, Potassium: 52mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 82IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 86mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Laurie McNamara

Course: Breads & Baked Goods

Cuisine: American