Cheddar, Bacon and Chive Drop Biscuits
Buttery biscuits packed with cheddar cheese, chunks of bacon, and fresh chives are perfect for munching on any time of day.
In another life I own a little cafe and bakery. Every morning I bake up cookies, pies, and biscuits from scratch and people come to eat and enjoy my food. And that makes me very happy.
Serving up cookies and slices of pies is probably no surprise to those of you who know me even a little bit. But my love for biscuits is more of a secret, though I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because biscuits are one of the more homely baked goods, or maybe because they most often play a supporting role to something else.
I absolutely adore biscuits. They’re quick and easy— done in 30 minutes tops— and extremely adaptable. Not to mention their flaky texture and buttery flavor get me every single time.
These cheddar, bacon and chive biscuits are high up on my long list of favorite biscuit variations and would definitely be on the menu in my make believe bakery.
They’re a perfect little meal all by themselves, but are also a great accompaniment to a salad or soup and they go great with a breakfast scramble. We’ve even used them to make little sandwiches with leftover ham or turkey.
Regardless of what time of day you choose to bake these biscuits, or how you plan to serve them, they’re sure not to last long. They certainly don’t in our house!
baking tip:Why biscuit and scone ingredients need to stay cold
A key factor in the rise of biscuits and scones, and an even bigger part of their texture, is the little bits of cold butter that melt and make steam as they bake. If the butter is too warm it will incorporate into the dry ingredients and those little pockets of butter and steam will be gone.
For tall, soft, and flaky biscuits and scones, make sure you start with cold butter and milk/buttermilk, and work the dough quickly so the butter doesn’t have a chance to warm up.
Cheddar, Bacon and Chive Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240 grams)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cold and cubed (85 grams)
- ¾ cup cold buttermilk (175 ml)
- 3 slices cooked bacon , diced
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (113 grams)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the cubed butter and use a pastry blender to cut it into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of small peas.
- Add the cheese, bacon and chives and toss to combine with the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center and add the milk. Stir with a large spoon until it forms a thick sticky dough. Use your hands if needed to bring it all together.
- Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to portion dough and drop onto prepared sheet pan. Bake until the bottoms just turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately and store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Note: this recipe was originally published in February 2010. Photos have been updated and some improvements made to the recipe.
Hi-
I'm writing to you from Bon Appétit magazine and would love to use your photo for a blog post round up of what people are cooking at home (from the magazine). If you can send me an email letting me know that I have the permission to use your photo and link your blog to our site as soon as possible, that would be awesome-
Thanks,
Diane Chang
i am so excited to try them this morning… looking forward to beautiful aromas in my house…
thanks for sharing this recipe… If you are okay I shared this post on my blog as well…
This looks wonderful. Your blog is exceptional and I can hardly believe you have only been married 2 years and are doing this! Wow! Did you bake and cook at home as a youth? You must have!
These look so delish!
These look fantastic, Annalise! I adore biscuits and I’m still working on perfecting them. I like the ease of making drop biscuits-the faster I can get them into the oven, the sooner I can eat them! P.S. I have a bakery/cafe dream too. 🙂
These look SO dang good!
I make garlic cheddar drop biscuits all the time, and never thought about sprucing them up. I love the idea of adding bacon and chives!
I’m a huuuuuge biscuit lover, too. These little babies look delicious, you combined some of my absolute favorite flavors!
xo, Elisa
These look outstanding. Love the flavors!
These look delightful! We have breakfast for dinner once a week, these are definitely going to be tried next week!!
I love drop biscuits. They are completely fool-proof and always so delicious. I love this flavor combo!
These are so so delicious and easy to make!!! I love it that there isn’t any cutting or rolling.