Cheddar-Zucchini Drop Biscuits

Biscuits are pretty irresistible treats, in my opinion.  They're perfect to enjoy with breakfast, or on the side with a home cooked dinner….or whenever really…

I had been craving a savory biscuit of some sort for the longest time now, and quite frankly, I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to making them.  I mean, I made these things in like, five minutes (ok not really, maybe like fifteen since I was photographing the whole time, but if I hadn't been taking photos, I could have definitely made them in five minutes after the zucchini had been sufficiently drained).  There's no real excuse for me having waited this long to make them.  There really isn't, so I'm not even going to come up with one.  

Maybe I was just being lazy.  Or using my procrastination skills.  Maybe a combination of the two.  I need to stop doing that.

Please don't wait as long as I did to make a savory biscuit.  I'm not kidding when I said these could be made that quickly.  This seems to be a really good basic biscuit recipe, that I am sure would work well with other ingredients if you don't happen to have zucchini and cheddar on hand.  I'm not totally sure, but I feel like it is.   I should get to making more biscuits so I can confirm this detail for you.  But in the meantime- stop procrastinating and make these biscuits, and let me know what you think.  I liked them a lot, so I'm sure you'll enjoy them.  They're delicious.

Cheddar-Zucchini Drop Biscuits

adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup zucchini, shredded
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (divided into 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp)
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold and diced
• 1 cup buttermilk
• freshly grated black pepper (optional)

Directions

Place the shredded zucchini in a small colander, add the 1/2 tsp of salt, and allow to drain for about thirty minutes.  You can add a small weight on top of the zucchini to help drain out as much of the water as possible.  

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 450 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the chilled butter, and using either your hands or a pastry blender, incorporate the butter into the flour mixture until crumbs the size of small peas form.  

Add the buttermilk, zucchini, and cheddar cheese to the batter, mixing until just combined and the batter is moistened.  Drop the batter onto the prepared baking sheets by the tablespoonful, and space them evenly apart (they won't spread during baking).  Sprinkle a little black pepper onto the tops of the biscuits if desired.

Bake the biscuits until the tops are golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.  Allow the biscuits to cool slightly, and serve warm.