Cheddar Chipotle Biscuits

On this day last year, Joe and I had just arrived in Charleston for our wedding weekend. We were in the final hours of working out wedding details and were busy welcoming friends and family as they arrived in our favorite city. It's amazing how much has changed in the past year. A year ago we were living in Bethesda, MD and both working as government consultants. Our main focus was on wedding planning and preparing to move to Michigan. One year later I'm working in NYC, Joe is halfway done with law school, we're pregnant with our first baby and will soon be home owners. In this past year we've traveled to Charleston multiple times, Sea Island, GA, Ashville, NC, Lexington, KY, Cleveland, OH, Chicago multiple times, Annapolis, MD, Baltimore, MD, St. Louis, MO (me for work), New York City, Tarrytown, NY, Traverse City, MI, Glen Arbor, MI, New Orleans, LA, Harbor Springs, MI, plus lots of day trips. It's been a busy year!

I have photo records of all the places we've visited over the past year, but I really wish I had recorded all of the recipes I made. Hopefully I'll be better about that this year. In honor of Charleston and our upcoming anniversary trip I figured I'd post one of my favorite recipes that reminds me of Charleston. Cheddar Chipotle Biscuits are a huge hit every time I make them. The recipe comes from the Baked Cookbook. Baked has locations in Brooklyn and Charleston. Joe and I have visited the Charleston location a couple of times since it's right around the corner from where we often stay. As a side note, the Baked Cookbook is hands down my favorite cookbook, but every recipe in there is fairly labor intensive so the recipes aren't the kind that can be made last minute. And now, after that long-winded intro here's the recipe:

Cheddar Chipotle Biscuits

Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp chipotle powder (amount can be adjusted depending on spice preference)
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup frozen, unsalted butter
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups lowfat buttermilk
1 large egg
salt for topping

Directions:
Preheat over to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pepper, chipotle powder, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt.

Grate the frozen butter using a cheese grater and using your hands work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse sand. Add the cheese and stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate it into the flour/butter mixture.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Pour into the flour/butter mixture and stir until just incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop to scoop the dough and drop it into mounds on the baking sheet, about two inches apart. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through the baking time, until the biscuits are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.