Soft, flaky, and deliciously versatile – biscuits are an iconic Southern staple. Topped with a swipe of melty butter or dressed up with a drizzle of caramel sauce, there are endless ways to bring this classic comfort food to the next level. Read on for a mouth-watering recipe from a local Chattanooga chef.
Place 1 stick of unsalted butter in the freezer 15 minutes before you begin the biscuits.
Next, make the pecan streusel topping. Combine dark brown sugar, all-purpose flour, pecans, and melted butter in a bowl.
Mix with hands until the mixture resembles wet sand and keep in an airtight container at room temperature for storage.
Then start the biscuits by mixing flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Remove the unsalted butter from the freezer, and grate it directly into the dry ingredients.
Gently stir with a fork to combine.
In a separate bowl, add buttermilk, sweet potato, and vanilla. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. Don’t over-mix.
On a clean surface, add a dusting of flour and knead dough for 1 minute (don’t over-knead). Use a rolling pin to roll out dough until about ½ inch thick.
Use a ring mold to cut out biscuits. Place on a greased oven-safe baking sheet. Brush buttermilk on top of each biscuit.
Bake in oven at 425° for 12-15 minutes.
Make the caramel sauce while the biscuits bake. Melt butter over medium-low heat.
Once melted, whisk in brown sugar until it’s dissolved, and then whisk in vanilla and heavy cream.
Finish with kosher salt to taste.
Once biscuits are done, brush with melted butter and cover with pecan streusel topping.
Place in a high broiler for 15 seconds or until a crust forms. It should get crunchy. Once it’s done, drizzle with salted caramel sauce and dust with powdered sugar.
Keyword biscuits, Sweet Potato
“If you could capture the essence of the entire fall season and blend it with the charm of the Southern United States, then mix it into some flour with your wet ingredients, knead, cut, and bake the dough, you would create these delightful biscuits. They bring back fond memories of my childhood in the Deep South, evoking the spirit of autumn.” – Cornelius Lathan