This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
These tall, flaky, Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits are melt-in-your-mouth-delicious. They'll have you quite smitten, at the first bite!
Growing up in the Midwest, I was never a biscuit aficionado. There was a good reason; the only biscuits I ever tasted were the kind that popped out of a tube. You know, the ones found in the dairy section of every local grocery store. They were nothing like these tall, flaky, Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits that will melt in your mouth and have you smitten with the first bite!
All that changed when Scott and I moved to North Carolina in the early 80's. At first, we laughed when we discovered that, in the South, there were entire restaurants devoted just to biscuits! How crazy is that, we thought. But the laugh was on us, because when we tasted our first southern biscuits (at a fast food chain, of all places!), we loved them. We had to (literally) eat our words. The biscuits were tall, flaky, super light and incredibly delicious.
My mom was a big bread maker so I was familiar with yeast baking, but not biscuit making. I tried the "biscuit thing" a couple times over the years, but the results were not stellar (at all). I began to think that perhaps you needed a bit of southern lineage to a be a good little biscuit maker.
Easier, quicker and just as delicious!
But a few years ago, I discovered an amazing technique created by the smart folks over at Cooks Illustrated. They figured out a way to simplify biscuit making that blew me away the first time I tried it.
The traditional biscuit technique calls for combining flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt, then “cutting” in cold butter with a knife, a pastry cutter or between your fingers. The liquid is then added and everything is gently combined. If done correctly, the tiny pieces of butter are evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture, giving classic buttermilk biscuits their lightness, flakiness and layers of peelable, buttery deliciousness. This might not seem like a difficult task, but it was one I just couldn't seem to master.
The Cook’s Illustrated technique is totally different… and ridiculously easy! The first time I tried it, I squealed a little when I opened the oven door to check my biscuits. Tall, golden, beautiful biscuits greeted my eyes and I've had the same results every time since. These days, I'm feeling like a bona fide southern girl, finally a legitimate biscuit maker!
What's the technique? So easy! Just place a cup of buttermilk (one of the secrets of delicious biscuits) in the freezer for a few minutes while you melt butter in the microwave. Let the melted butter cool while stirring together the dry ingredients. The melted butter is then combined with the super cold buttermilk. This is where the magic begins!
When the warm butter hits the cold liquid, small, buttery globules form. When this buttermilk mixture is added to the dry flour mixture and it’s all stirred together, you’ll notice tiny pieces of pale yellow butter dotting the simple dough. Yup, it will look just as if you spent the time to cut them in!
I shared this technique several years ago in this post called Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits.
Since then I've gotten many emails and comments from happy readers who have become expert biscuit makers too. Here are a few I received just in the past couple weeks:
In my family, I am the biscuit baker. Everyone asks me to bring biscuits to family events. I tried your recipe yesterday for Thanksgiving – oh, my! I have a new recipe. What a hit!
These biscuits are genius!!!! I have tried making biscuits twice in the past (using other recipes) and they have not risen at all…more like hockey pucks than biscuits and I followed the recipes exactly. However, when I tried your recipe today, the biscuits turned out fantastic!
I have made these a few times and I am amazed at how much easier the buttermilk and butter method is compared to cutting in butter which I never really liked doing. Definitely the easiest recipe for biscuits I ever used, excellent!!
One of my favorite comments came from a reader in Holland:
Hello Chris,
I did the same thing you did; I got up and ran to the kitchen after reading your recipe/method!
With one difference: I’m Dutch, live in the Netherlands and it happened to be 4 a çlock in the night and I couldn’t sleep… So I had an early breakfast… Thank you thank you for sharing this recipe.
Here in Holland people are not familiar with biscuits and we don’t eat bread with our supper unless we eat chili or soup… but I after eating them in the States AND watching “the Waltons” a lot I always wanted to make them. They Always turn out tough or dry! I altered your recipe a little... I only put in one teaspoon of Sugar and perhaps a little extra buttermilk because it seemed to dry at first. And I was afraid of kneading it too much, so I just picked up the dough, put it on some flour and formed a disk and cut them out.
They are fantastic! never ate anything like it! Such a crispy thin crust and almost cake-like on the inside… Now I know what was meant when someone said to Olivia Walton: these biscuits melt in the mouth!! Best wishes from Christine
Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits, brand new clothes for an old classic!
For these Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits, I decided to adapt the original recipe to include cheddar cheese and finely sliced chives. Oh my! Another delicious biscuit, perfect for serving with soups, salads and/or just about any main entree. It's just as easy as the original recipe, the cheese and chives are simply added with the dry ingredients. Just like in the original recipe the final step is a brush of butter just as the fragrant biscuits emerge from the oven.
Pick up some cheddar cheese and a bunch of fresh chives next time you're grocery shopping. If you're like me, you might want to run to the store right now! It will take less than 15 minutes to throw these amazing Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits together. Your kitchen will smell incredible, and you too might find yourself squealing a bit when you open the oven door!
Cafe Tips for making these Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits
- You can use packaged shredded cheese or shred your own. Either way, make sure it's finely shredded. The biscuits will come out prettier that way.
- If purchasing fresh chives at the grocery store, you may find them in nice big bunches in the produce section. Most of the time however, they'll be sold with other herbs in little plastic packages. One package should be fine. If it's not quite ¼ cup, as the recipe calls for, you'll still have delicious results.
- Don’t have any buttermilk? It's easy to make your own. Place 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill with milk to measure 1 cup and stir well. Allow mixture to sit for 5-10 minutes or until slightly thickened. The mixture may curdle a bit, that’s okay! Use in recipes in lieu of buttermilk.
- Biscuits can be cut with aluminum cans, overturned glasses, and even Mason jar rings, but using these types of cutters (with rounded edges) can compress the sides of the dough and lead to misshapen biscuits. For tall, beautiful biscuits, use a sharp rimmed cutter. I really like the ones that have a little handle to hold on to (see picture below).
- You can make these Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits any size you want. Miniature ones are really nice for a dinner party, but if you're making breakfast or lunch sandwiches, larger biscuits are nice. I love these sturdy but reasonably priced biscuit cutters that come in a set of four, allowing you to choose any size you want.
- Don’t skip chilling the buttermilk (step 2). It's one of the secrets to good success in this recipe. If the buttermilk is not really cold, the little butter globules won’t form.
- If you add the melted butter to the cold buttermilk and you don't see the little butter globules, your buttermilk may not have been cold enough. You can remedy this by placing the mixture in the freezer for another 5-10 minutes, then stir again and you should see the magic globules.
- I made the original Ridiculously Easy Buttermilk Biscuits several years ago while visiting my daughter in London. I learned the all-purpose flour (Plain flour) in Britain is a bit different and it seemed that I needed more, probably closer to 2 ¼ cups.
- These Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits freeze well. If freezing for later use, underbake them by a few minutes, then cool completely. Then place the biscuits on a sheet pan or a plate. Freeze till frozen, then transfer biscuits to a ziplock bag or air-tight storage container.
- If I’m feeling a bit pinched for time or just plain lazy, I’ll just pat the dough into a 6-inch circle and use a bench scraper to cut the dough into wedges. I either put these wedges on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or in a 9-inch cake pan lined with parchment.
These tall, flaky, Ridiculously Easy Cheddar Chive Biscuits are melt-in-your-mouth-delicious. They'll have you quite smitten at the first bite!
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 8 tablespoons butter plus one more for brushing
- 2 cups all-purpose flour more for counter
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ¼ cups finely shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup finely sliced fresh chives extra for garnish, if desired
-
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
-
Measure 1 cup of buttermilk and place the cup in the freezer while prepping other ingredients (you want it to be in the freezer about 10 minutes).
-
Place butter in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a paper towel over the top and heat on high for 30 seconds. If not completely melted, return to microwave for 10-second intervals till melted. Set aside to cool a bit while prepping other ingredients.
-
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt in large bowl. Add cheese and chives. Stir to combine.
-
After buttermilk has been chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes, combine it with the melted butter. Stir with a fork until butter forms small clumps or globules.
-
Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir with a sturdy spatula just until all flour is incorporated and batter pulls away from sides of the bowl. The dough should be stiff and not super wet. If the dough is wet, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring to combine, until dough is fairly stiff.
-
Generously spread flour over your work surface. Dump biscuit dough from bowl onto prepared work surface and turn to coat all surfaces with flour. Knead on counter 5-6 times (about 20-30 seconds). Flip over on work surface to coat with flour then pat into a 6-inch square. It should be 1 ½-2-inches in height.
-
Cut as many biscuits as you can with a biscuit cutter (this will depend on what size cutter you use). Place biscuits on the prepared sheet pan. Knead scraps a few times till they hold together, then pat into a small circle and cut more biscuits. Transfer last biscuits to the sheet pan, spacing about 1 ½ inches apart. (See Café Tips in post for an even easier cutting technique).
-
Place in oven and bake until tops are a medium golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Start checking after about 8 minutes, as every oven is different.
-
Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and brush tops of hot biscuits with melted butter. Sprinkle with more finely sliced fresh chives. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated via Serious Eats.
Julie pickerel says
I have so many biscuit recipes saved and have equal frustration with all of them not working ! Thank you so much for sharing this incredibly easy perfect recipe for biscuits! I have now deleted all others as there are no other recipes as good as this one. I also could relate to the entire story of how you got to the recipe living here in the south, and being able to make a proper biscuit. It’s like a right of passage here, once you’ve mastered the biscuit and sweet tea your in!
I’ve made several times with different herbs, cheeses and sizes, and they always come out perfect. Thank you so much!
Your site is awesome as well.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so happy to hear that, Julie! Thank you for taking the time to let us know!
LizGP says
Can I use smoked Gouda instead of sharp cheddar? I’m swimming in smoke Gouda but I’m wondering if it’s water content will mess up the biscuit dough.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Liz, I think Gouda would be wonderful!
Susan says
I actually made Rosemary Cheddar Biscuits. I didn’t have Parmesan. I used 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar. But I mistakenly used only 1 tsp of baking powder. My typo mistake! And they were still really delicious!
Thank you for the genius cold buttermilk with melted butter! I wonder if that translates well to all other baked goods, namely pie crust? I guess only one way to find out!
Chris Scheuer says
Glad it worked out, Susan! And yes, this method is wonderful for scones too. We have tons of scone and biscuit recipes using this method.
Burt Burrell says
Hi, I needed to make some biscuits for my Scout troop, but before I did that, I wanted to test the recipe and make sure I could do it successfully. I didn't have buttermilk, so I used 3/4 of plain yogurt and completed the cup with whole milk to make a full cup of liquid. Mixed that and placed in the freezer as per your instructions. I had some self rising flour already open so I used that instead of the all purpose flour. I only had to add some sugar to complete the recipe as the SR flour already had baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Completed the recipe by mixing the butter with the yogurt mix and then the dry ingredients. cut out my biscuits into 9 squares and baked. They turned out PERFECT!! I will be trying the Cheddar Cheese and Chive recipe this week. I also like the suggestion to add a little garlic powder to the butter brushed on the tops at the end. As a final note, I had tried a melted butter recipe a few years ago with so-so results. Putting the "buttermilk" into the freezer and then combining the cooled melted butter is the secret sauce for this recipe. Thanks for the making so simple and easy. Burt
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your review, Burt!
Judy says
These are the fluffiest biscuits I have ever made. Just finished baking them and had to taste them while they were still hot. YUMMY! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks for letting us know, Judy 🙂
Sarah says
Just made these tonight and they were incredible! My first time making biscuits and certainly won’t be my last after this experience. These have such a lovely flavor and texture - and so easy to make!
Chris Scheuer says
That's wonderful, Sarah! Thanks for letting us know!
Jennifer says
These biscuits turned out perfectly. The recipe was easy to follow and I now have added a new biscuit recipe to my list of favorites. Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Jennifer!
Rachel says
Oh. My. Goodness. These are perfect, and so easy. I used a mix of gruyere, mozzarella, and apple wood smoked cheddar because that's all I had on hand and they're amazing. They're supposed to be for lunches this week with chili and I'm going to have to resist eating them all tonight.
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome, Rachel! Thank you for letting us know!
Meg says
These were amazing. Soft, tender, and so easy too. I made it even easier by using my jumbo cookie scoop and just plopping them on the baking sheet straight from the mixing bowl. Added some garlic powder to the melted butter topping. Reminded me of red lobster biscuits, but bigger and better! Make these asap it will be your new favorite biscuit recipe!!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much, Meg!
Janet Wright says
Could I use finely chopped green onions instead of chives?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that would be delicious, Janet!
Terro says
Hi. I was wondering if you need to use full fat buttermilk to achieve the butter globules? Sometimes I can only find reduced fat at the store.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Terro, you don't need to use full-fat buttermilk. I really like the full fat variety but it's not necessary.
Codyblackcat says
For savory breakfast scones I just add some pre-cooked bacon bits. Great!
Chris Scheuer says
YUM! Thanks for sharing that!
Cat Ballou says
Another 'Ridiculously Easy' recipe hit! As with each of your various flavored scone recipes that I have also tried and enjoyed, your helpful suggestion of melding cold buttermilk (or heavy cream) to melted butter provides certain and delicious results! Your blog is always a great read and inspiration - thanks!
The Cat
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks so much, The Cat!
Emilia says
Fantastic flavor & texture. My garden is giving me tons of chives. This recipe will help me use them deliciously!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Emilia!
Rae says
I make this recipe so often! It truly has upped my dinner and breakfast game! It continues to be one of the highlights of my boyfriend’s week anytime I make these golden, flaky, heavenly drops of love! Thank you for this recipe, sending love from Los Angeles.
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome! Thanks, Rae!
Monique says
These were to die for.....best biscuits I've ever made & I've tried tons of recipes. My go to recipe from now on. Didn't want to bother rolling out the dough so I used an ice cream scoop & patted them lightly to flatten them a bit. Looked & tasted fabulous!
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! Thanks, Monique!
Tori says
Can’t wait to make these!
Would it be possible to use wholewheat flour? Or oat flour?
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Tori, I can't say for sure because I have not tried them with other flours. Let us know if you try it!
Jana says
I regularly make these biscuits (without the cheese) using 1/2 white wheat (winter wheat) flour and 1/2 unbleached all purpose. I up the baking powder slightly to 2 tsp rounded to compensate for the heavier wheat flour. They turn out great and have even more flavor. Husband likes them better than the regular buttermilk biscuits with all AP flour.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Jana!
Pocahontas says
have you tried it with gluten free flour???
Chris Scheuer says
I have not, Pocahontas. Let us know if you try it!
Fred says
It works really well with the King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour! My mother can’t eat gluten so I adapt the recipe when cooking for her and she is obsessed with them (to the point that this year for her birthday I offered to bake her any treat she wanted and she chose these)! They taste slightly different but it’s only noticeable when you eat both kinds side by side and even then they stand up well.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Fred! This will be very helpful to other readers who need to bake GF.
Cheri Silvestri says
Hi Chris,
Can I make the dough, form the biscuits and freeze the dough and then thaw and bake? Please advise how if yes.
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cheri, yes you can form the biscuits and freeze them. No need to thaw them though. Just put them straight in the oven from the freezer. They will need a few extra minutes to bake, so just keep an eye on them.
Michele Tomillo says
I gave these a try last night. These are the best biscuits I have ever made. I had some frozen buttermilk from the holidays I saved for a future recipe. I measured out a cup of icy slivers of it and used it that way. Worked out perfect. I formed them in a circle and cut them, like scones. Super easy, great taste. Can't wait to try other add in's.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for sharing your results, Michele! So glad you enjoyed them.
Coleen says
I have been using a easy no fail biscuit recipe for years. This buttermilk recipe walks all over my favorite biscuit recipe! Very easy, quick and very tasty in flavor, and texture.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Coleen! Thanks for your review.
Karen says
I just "happened" upon your website. This recipe is fantastic. I had given up on making biscuits, but not anymore. Thank you for the love and health you mix into each recipe.
Karen in St. Louis
Chris Scheuer says
That's awesome Karen! So happy you had good success with these. Thanks for your kind words!
moe says
Is it possible to use self rising flour??
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Moe, I would not use self rising flour for this recipe. The proportions of leavening agents would be off and you would need to adjust. It's best to use all-purpose or plain flour for this recipe.
Hope says
I’m a Southern girl AND am a pretty dang good cook too but... I LOVE THE WAY YOU DID THIS RECIPE! I’ll be mixing my butter/buttermilk like this from now ON! THANK YOU!
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! I'm a wanna be Southern girl so your comment makes me happy! Thanks, Hope!
Deb says
So very easy and good! I forgot the sugar, but they were still great. Thanks so much.
Chris Scheuer says
Yay! So happy you enjoyed them, Deb!