Drop Biscuits

This is a slightly tweaked version of a recipe my mom used to bake on the weekends. The dough was lightly sweet, and she added dried fruit or nuts to some of it for the grownups, and chocolate chips to the rest for my brother and me. It’s a recipe I’ve clung to ever since I moved away from home. I make these biscuits when I’m feeling homesick, and I always suddenly feel better. They’re damn good and super-easy.

Makes 12 biscuits

Difficulty: Easy

Make Ahead and Storage: The biscuits are best eaten the day they are made, preferably fresh from the oven.

• 241 g / 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 71 g / ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
• 6 g / 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• 3 g / ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 85 g / 3 oz / 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 121 g / ½ cup buttermilk
• 57 g / 1 large egg
• 5 g / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Turbinado or coarse sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F / 190°C, with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until it’s well incorporated—the mixture should look like coarse meal.

3. In a container with a spout (such as a 2-cup liquid measure), whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Pour the mixture into the food processor and pulse just until the dough comes together.

4. Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets using your hands or a #16 / ¼-cup scoop, staggering the biscuits and leaving at least 1½ inches between them, as they will spread a bit in the oven. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with a little turbinado sugar.

5. Bake the biscuits until lightly browned underneath and evenly golden on the surface, 15 to 18 minutes. Serve warm.

✻ Why It Works

What’s in a name? My mama calls these scones, and I call them drop biscuits—and really, we’re both right. The butter in this recipe is mixed in more thoroughly than in any of my other biscuit recipes, so they’re cakey, not flaky. Also, biscuits are usually made with buttermilk, while scones are made with cream. These are easy to shape and (bonus!) impossible to mess up.

★ Pro Tip

I usually make these biscuits plain and enjoy them with a little salted butter. But when I really need a pick-me-up, I add 170 g / 6 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate to the dough at the end and sprinkle the surface of each biscuit with flaky salt before baking. Serve hot or warm.