Cheesy Beer Biscuits

Bread. Cheese. Beer. I feel like everywhere I look, people are avoiding this triple-threat like it's the plague. Now, back up. I'm not meaning to diminish how gluten, alcohol, and dairy can pose problems for some. There are legitimate, serious medical and/or dietary/ethical issues tied to each. (And I am editing this to add that those people who made educated choices about staying away from these foods aren't lumped in with what I explain next.)

I know many, however, who blindly refuse to acknowledge these foods simply to lose weight. (Whether or not they admit that motivation is another matter entirely. For another day.)

I just . . . can't. Well. WON'T cut out these foods for that reason alone. They're too delicious. Especially at this time of year. And this mini-biscuit has them all up in its business.

Bread. Cheese. Beer. BISCUITS!

What you'll need . . . 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour 
• 1 cup unbleached bread flour 
• Pinch salt 
• 1 tablespoon baking powder 
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance or butter, cold and chopped into small pieces 
• 3/4 cup dark beer (I used an oatmeal stout from a local brewer) 
• 1/2 (or more) cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese 

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Spritz the cups of a mini muffin tin with olive oil. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, salt, and baking powder.
3. Then add in your bits of butter or Earth Balance. Mix together the dry ingredients and butter with your fingertips (or pulse in a food processor, if you wish) until it resembles coarse meal.
4. Then add in the cheese. Pour in the beer and mix together until everything is just moistened. Do not over-mix.
5. Portion out the batter into all the cups of the mini muffin tin. Then bake for 15 minutes or until golden.

I'll save you a double-take. This is the same photo as above, just without the text. It's the best one I got of the bunch, so there! Anyway, I understand if you aren't into bread, cheese, and/or beer. It's OK.

You can use dairy-free cheese.
You can sub in almond milk/soy milk/regular milk for beer.
You can experiment with your favorite wheat-free/gluten-free flours.
You may also replace the butter with olive oil.

And if you make any of these modifications and like what you make, let me know!

On the other hand, if you'd like to make these straight-up -- I hope they turn out well for you. We served them with a heaping helping of roasted butternut squash, onions, green peppers, and garlic.


Did you all do your homework this weekend? How did it turn out? And here's some snapshots of our weekend over on Writing Chapter Three.

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