Easy Whole-Wheat Biscuits (Meatless Monday’s Side Dish)

Hello dear readers, I have missed you so much!  Once again I find myself apologizing for having not written in so long.  I trust you all had a wonderful time over the holidays with your families, as I did with mine.  We made lots of good food that I will share with you!  However, we shared more than good food and good times, and I came home with a bad virus courtesy of my illustrious parents, neither of whom EVER get sick and who were both staying home from work hacking up lungs when I left for the airport.  So, when I got home, I had a long fight with that, followed almost immediately by the flu, but here I am, eager to share lots of delicious food and other tips with you!

Tonight we had a delicious Meatless Monday dinner of lentil-barley stew, which I already shared with you, green beans, and these super easy and super delicious whole wheat biscuits.

A few things to remember- the butter should be room temperature or close to it to make it easier to work in.  I find it easiest to just roll up my sleeves and work the butter in with my fingers, but you can do as you please(what can I say my mother tried to teach me not to play with my food but I can’t resist!).  Don’t overwork the dough, and flour your work surface, cutter, and hands well as the dough is sticky.  I pat out and cut my dough on a silicone baking mat, which is, in my opinion, an indispensable item to have in your arsenal.  You can probably vary the ratio of whole wheat to white flour some if you want, or use all white if you prefer.  You can’t use all whole wheat, though, unless you enjoy eating hockey pucks

Serve these warm and pass butter, honey, maple syrup, apple butter, or your favorite toppings!  One of my favorite things with these is to take softened butter and blend in orange zest and a little honey a few hours before serving.  Enjoy!

• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup milk

1. Preheat the oven Blend the flours, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.  Work in the shortening until the mixture is the consistency of coarse meal.
2. Add the milk, and stir with a spoon until the dough has mostly come together into a soft ball.
3. Using floured hands, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead only 3 to 5 times, until the milk is uniformly mixed into the flour mixture.  Don’t overwork!
4. Pat or roll out to 1/2″ thick, and cut with a floured cutter of your choice (I made them round, of course, but used a truck cookie cutter for Isaac’s and he was thrilled!  Hearts and stars can be fun sometimes too- have fun!).  Repeat with the remaining scraps.
5. Place them on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray and bake for 9-12 minutes, until pale golden.  Don’t overbake!  Enjoy!

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