Thursday, November 29, 2012

Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits Recipe

Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits


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These biscuits are hearty, sticky, substantial, and packed with all the goodness of life. You can serve them with eggs in the morning, tomato soup for lunch, or meatloaf for dinner. And they’re so rich and satisfying, one is definitely more than enough. That’s why I went ahead and ate two. Sorry.
I originally set out to make a lighter muffin, but once I started figuring out ingredients, I realized the add-ins were too heavy and weighty for a lighter batter. So I went for more of a biscuit…and I was glad I did.


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Peppered bacon. It’s the right thing to do.

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Fry it up, baby. Oh, and I like to cut bacon in half before frying. It fits in the skillet better and the pieces fry more evenly, I’ve found. Please listen to Pioneer Woman. I fry a lot of bacon. As in, the American Association of Cardiology sends me hate mail.


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Fry the bacon till done but still a little chewy—not burned to a crisp.

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Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside. When your husband (or wife, or child, or friend, or Basset Hound, whichever applies) enters the kitchen and looks at you with very sad eyes and begins to whimper, just get mad and say, “OKAAAAAAAY! Take the bacon! I’ll fry some more—I have nothing better to do!” Then fry some more. But only if you want to be just like me.


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Okay! Into a sifter (I use a fine mesh strainer) throw 2 cups all-purpose flour…

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3/4 teaspoon salt… I know that’s an annoying amount, but 1/2 teaspoon isn’t enough…and a full teaspoon is potentially too much.


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Next comes 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder. This probably translates to 1 1/2 teaspoons, but I like the organic, rustic feel of “heaping.”

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Sift this mixture into a bowl.

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Then grab 1/4 cup shortening…
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And dot it all over the flour mixture.

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Use a pastry cutter to combine the ingredients…

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Cut, cut, cut…until all of the shortening is incorporated into the flour. Or all the flour is incorporated into the shortening. Which is it?
We may never know the answers to such questions.


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Now, in a separate bowl combine 10 tablespoons milk, 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 1 egg. If someone smarter than me wants to tell us all what 10 tablespoons is, I’d appreciate it.


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Whisk it together with a fork.

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Measure a heaping (yes, I said it) cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Now, usually I’m not a big fan of prepackaged grated cheese sold in bags. But when it’s used in bread recipes, I find that this cheese works a little better because it’s coated in a cornstarch substance that helps it stay put a bit in bread. At least that’s what I’m bankin’ on.


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Now, violently grab an onion.

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Peel it, slice it, and dice it. (For once in my pitiful little life, I did not take photos of the onion dicing process. May we all take a moment to give thanks.)


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Pour off almost all the bacon grease…

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Then throw a good 1/2 to 3/4 cup of diced onion into the skillet.

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Stir it around and cook it a bit…

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Until the onions are nice and brown and colorful.

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Set them aside to cool for a couple of minutes.

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Grab the bacon (cooled by now) and chop it up into small pieces…

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Time to mix it all up! Pour the egg/oil mixture into the sifted flour mixture.

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Gently mix this together until just barely combined. Note: This is not something you want to beat to heck. I folded this around for maybe ten strokes, pressing it and scraping it gently as I went. It’ll be extremely thick and sticky.


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Dump in the cheddar cheese and the browned onions…

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And of course, the bacon.

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Again, fold this all together very gently until it’s all combined and very, very naughty looking.

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Spoon batter evenly into (very greased) muffin tins. (I use that glorious Baker’s Joy spray, and I don’t care who knows it.)


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Then bake them in a 375 degree oven for 20 to 22 minutes…

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Or until golden brown.

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Oh, baby.

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OH. BABY.

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Feast your eyes on these.

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Feast your eyes on THIS.

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My goodness.

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My gracious.

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My Lord. Serve these warm. Please.
These were all that and a bag of Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits.
Next time: I’m throwing in finely diced jalapenos, and maybe a little grated Parmesan.


Recipe: Bacon Onion Cheddar Biscuits

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 3/4 teaspoons Salt
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening (crisco, Etc)
  • 10 Tablespoons Milk (whole Milk Is Best)
  • 4 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
  • 1 whole Egg
  • 10 slices Thick Cut Bacon, Fried And Crumbled
  • 1 cup Finely Diced Onion
  • 1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in shortening until all combined.
Combine milk, oil, and egg in a separate bowl. Whisk together.
Combine flour mixture, milk mixture, bacon, onions, and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Stir gently until all combined.
Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes on 375 degrees until golden Remove from pan and serve warm.

Source: thepioneerwoman.com

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