Apples and Grandma Toot's Biscuits

I have posted the last three years about going outside of Wickenburg, AZ to pick apples from a orchard out in the middle of the desert. We did that on Saturday so I am busy making my Chunky Cinnamon Applesauce that I posted last year. Most of this will be for the freezer. There will be a pie or two plus apple crisp. I love the feeling of using fresh fruit now and having the results mid winter.

There weren't many apples this year. The lady said they had a late frost. Too, a lot of them had worm holes, as these apples are not sprayed in anyway. We did get quite a few though. Colin loves to take Nana's applesauce in his lunchbox so I need to make a extra this year.

My Colin also loves homemade biscuits. So what is a Nana to do but make sure that a little boy has things that show him how much Nana is thinking about him? Julia likes the biscuits too, but it is not as big a thing with her as it is with him. He told the pre-school teacher last year, that his Nana could make anything. That is a high standard he has set for me! I am working hard to live up to it.

I grew up with biscuits made from Bisquick about twice a year. When they put them in a pop open can, we had them more often. I was amazed when the great white hunter told me that his mother made biscuits almost every day. I was even more amazed when I saw how she made them. I thought the main ingredient in biscuits was shortening but these are big and fluffy, and have two ingredients!

She makes them by pouring flour in a bowl, adding enough MOCHA MIX coffee creamer to make a dough, cuts them, and adds them to a pan that she has poured a little vegetable oil in, turns them to coat on both sides and pops them in the oven. I had to stand there and watch several times just to get the feel of the process. Then my kids wanted me to write it down because they said it was no good to them in MY head. I took the time one day to measure and this is the result. I use buttermilk because we don't use coffee creamer. I do use buttermilk in my cornbread so I don't waste what I don't use for biscuits. We also don't have these everyday. They are the big draw for Christmas breakfast with gravy and I have been making them a couple times a month for Colin to take home and have for breakfast.

Grandma Toot's Biscuits

2 to 2 1/2 cups SELF RISING flour (do not use all purpose)

1 to 2 cups buttermilk (today I used about 1 1/2 cups)

Mix about 1 cup buttermilk into flour, keep adding buttermilk a little at a time until you have a dough that is moist but not really sticky.

Flour a surface and place the dough on the flour. Knead dough a few times into flour until it no longer sticks to your fingers. ).



Flatten out and cut into circles. I used a 11" by 7" by 1.5" pan but a 8" square pan works as well. Pour about 1/4 cup oil in the pan, lay each biscuit in oil, then turn over to coat. Bake at 375 until golden brown. (about 40 minutes for my pan today.)







Now for some reason, I sometimes end up with a tough bottom crust, don't know why and I am sure there is someone out there who could tell me, but, I have my own solution. When I take these out of the oven, I immediately cover them with foil. That seals in the steam and it keeps them moist and makes the bottoms soft.

Serve with butter for Colin, butter and honey for my great white hunter and Julia, and gravy for my great white hunter son and my son in law.