Cheesy Bacon Buttermilk Biscuits
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Why serve up some store bought, plain Jane bread, rolls or biscuits this holiday season? Your family and table deserves more after all your dinner efforts and these Cheesy Bacon Buttermilk Biscuits are sure to please.
Laced through with lots of Gruyere cheese, though cheddar works well, too, crumbled bacon and green onions, these aren’t hard to make and homemade is exactly what you and your special guests deserve. Call them a biscuit or scone, it’s your call, I just call these amazing. Now, pass the butter please!
Biscuits, how I love thee. Scones, how I love thee. Mind you each has a place, and yes, there is a difference in the two. But you say, “they’re both made with flour, butter or lard, baking powder and some dairy, what’s the difference?” and I say plenty.
See biscuits are typically flakey, with layers, lots of flakey layers of buttery dough baked to a golden brown. Scones are a little more free-formed, are dense and crumble slightly, but are not dry. Both love a good bit of butter or jam spread on them, but biscuits are more akin to a soaking of gravy over the top, as a side with a stew or soup, while a scone is typically thought of with breakfast or tea time with nuts, fruit and maybe an herbal note thrown in there while you dip it in some fresh lemon curd. Get it?
So when I made these Cheesy Bacon Buttermilk Biscuits I wanted plenty of cheese in them, Gruyere cheese in fact. Lots of it and it’s nutty flavor plays well with the tangy buttermilk dough loaded with crumbled bacon and green onions that were cooked down a bit with some of the bacon fat. So really this is a hybrid of sorts. A tasty one in fact. Feel free to use cheddar or Swiss cheese if you like though.
Since these buttermilk biscuits were loaded down I knew they would not rise as high and be as flakey layered as they could be without all the goodies in them like a traditional biscuit, so basically these might be considered scones. Though these turned out pretty good darn good and rose up just fine. A cheesy, bacon flavored addition to the dinner table.
Besides some melted butter, these are perfect to dunk in any sauce or gravy, just sayin’. I made another batch a couple of days later and served them up with some some Chorizo Sausage Gravy. So good!
While these were perfect as a side to the Southwest Slow Cooker Corn Chowder I made the other evening, these are a great addition to the Slow Cooker Ham Bone Bean Soup, or on your holiday dinner table too.
For some delicious scone recipes try my Chocolate Chip Pecan Buttermilk Scones, Cranberry Cherry Pecan Scones, or these Pumpkin Scones with Maple Icing. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese 6 oz
- Maldon Smoked Sea Salt Flakes optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon and set aside.
- Leave 1 tablespoon bacon drippings in skillet (saving remaining for other use). Sauté green onions in bacon fat for 2 minutes, set aside.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg. Set aside.
- In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in crumbled bacon, green onions, and shredded cheese. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
- Reserve 2 tablespoons of the buttermilk mixture, set aside to brush on biscuits later. Add remaining buttermilk mixture to flour mixture. Using a fork, stir just until mixture is moistened.
- With your hand, knead dough by folding and gently pressing it for 10 to 12 folds or just until dough holds together in bowl. Roll out dough evenly to 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 2- to 2-1/2-inch round cutter, cut rounds from the dough. Place rounds, nearly touching, on prepared baking sheet. Brush rounds with reserved 2 tablespoons buttermilk mixture. Top each biscuit with sprinkle of Maldon Smoked Sea Salt Flakes (optional).
- Bake about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer biscuits to wire racks to cool completely. Serve as is or with butter.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Holy delicious. Bacon, cheese and biscuits… three of my favorite things in the whole world! These are calling my name!
Thanks Karly, they sure did mine…loud and clear. Twice! 🙂
Oh my goodness Kevin! You are speaking my language with these biscuits! The bacon, the onion, the gruyere! It’s like I’ve died and gone to biscuit heaven! I can’t wait to try them. And you know I’m making that Chorizo Sausage Gravy to go along with them! Go BIG or go home right?! Happy weekend!
I’m with you, when should I be over? 🙂
Oh, these cheesy (And I would add “Cheeky” too – they made me hungry) biscuits look fantastic, Kevin! Do you think some chopped fresh apples would work in this recipe?
Now that’s an interesting addition I think worth investigating Ben. Great idea!
Love the look of your ‘hybrid’ cheesy bacon buttermilk biscuits. Big fan of both biscuits and scones so these are just my kind of treat! Gruyere cheese is amazing and I can imagine that it works beautifully with the rest! Have a lovely weekend!
Thanks Miriam, there’s nothing like fresh from the oven biscuits! 🙂
Oh my gawsh, be still my heart. Flaky biscuits seriously make my heart go pitter patter, and these have me wanting to do a happy dance, Kevin! LOVE everything about these, but with gruyere, bacon and green onions joining the biscuit party, what’s not to love?! Pinned! Cheers!
Perfect for gravy dunking! Thanks Chey 🙂
Hey Kevin! My oh my these sound good! I make bread and rolls frequently, but I haven’t made biscuits in quite a while, but I think I need to now! That chorizo gravy sounds pretty darn tasty too!
I just love good, tender biscuits smothered in a savory sauce or just warm from the oven and lots of butter. Thanks Dorothy!
Wow, these biscuits look delicious! How well do they keep? Are they, like most biscuits, best fresh? Do they reheat well?
Definitely best fresh from the oven and a day after in an airtight container. I popped them in the microwave for 30 seconds and spread on the butter. You could also wet a paper towel and wrap them to slightly steam and not dry out if doing the 30 second microwave heat up. Up to you. 🙂
These can be made ahead of time, covered and kept in the refrigerator, then baked for the 15 minutes the next day if day of feasting is a time constraint, too.
Being from the South, biscuits are just in my blood! Love the addition of Gruyere in these, Kevin!
Thanks Dave! Cheese + bacon + biscuit = Mmmmmm I love them hot from the oven with butter. What can I say? 😉
I love biscuits, but I think it’s not easy to make.. Will try this version , thank you Kevin for sharing , they look so delicious, and warm maybe?
These come together so easily, you can do it Farida! And fresh, warm from the oven is the best!