Foodie Fridays: Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

Today is National Biscuit Day, and I had small amounts of both cornmeal and buttermilk to use up, so it was the ideal time to make some Cornmeal Drop Biscuits.  I used white cornmeal because that is what I had, but the color would probably be prettier if you use the yellow variety.  The cornmeal adds a bit of pleasant crunch to an otherwise very tender biscuit.  These biscuits are quite buttery, so I would serve them with just honey or preserves (or even plain), but if you are feeling especially decadent then go ahead and slather on some butter!

Cornmeal Drop Biscuits

1 3/4 C. flour
2/3 C. cornmeal
2 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 C. (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces
1 C. buttermilk

Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture is combined (it will be lumpy).  Add 1-2 T. flour if the batter is too thin, or 1-2 T. milk if the batter is too dry (as mine was).

Drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls, one inch apart, onto a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.  (My oven tends to run a bit too hot, so my biscuits were done in 10 minutes.)  Makes 12 biscuits.

Note: A tip for placing the biscuits on the pan is to spoon 12 mounds approximately 1/4 C. in size onto the baking sheet spaced evenly apart.  If any batter is left over, either make extra biscuits or add dabs of the extra batter to any biscuits that look a little too small.  Drop biscuits are very forgiving, and they will bake up just fine even if the mounds are rather lumpy-looking.