Cora's Cottage

Sometimes you just need a little something to spice up (or bulk up) a meal, and biscuits are a great option.

Biscuits are a staple for my family and one of their favorite things. They are so versatile and go with so many meals that I have started to make quite a few of them.

Biscuits come in lots of different varieties, but some of my favorite to make and eat are quick, drop biscuits from heavy cream. 

These drop biscuits are not only quick, but take minimal work in the kitchen because they don’t require kneading.  This makes them perfect for those nights you don’t have a lot of time!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Simple: These biscuits take minimal ingredients that you most likely already have in hand.  Not only does it have simple ingredients, the process to make them is perfect for a beginner or if you are in a hurry!

Quick: As I already mentioned, these biscuits are fast to whip up! From start to finish I can have hot biscuits on the table in about 30 minutes, which is perfect on those nights I get caught up in the garden!

Large Batch: Any recipe that is easily scalable is great when you have a crowd to feed, and these biscuits fit the bill!  Double (or more) the recipe if you have a group to feed without having to worry.

No Knead: Breads and biscuits can be daunting if they require a lot of kneading or rolling.  These drop biscuits require neither!!

Tips and Tricks

Measuring Honey: Measuring honey can be a challenge, especially in smaller measurements because it wants to stick to the measuring utensil. With this recipe, it is easiest, fastest, and cleanest to measure out the honey by pressing the measuring cup or spoon into the dry ingredients and then pouring the honey into the indention you have created. No more trying to get honey out of a small utensil!

This recipe is not super sensitive to minor measurement deviations like the one that is created by using the outside instead of the inside of the measuring cup or spoon, so it allows you to use this trick to make clean up easier. This trick is easier to use in a bowl that is taller and skinnier rather than shorter and wider, simply because it gives you more depth to push your measuring cup or spoon into when creating the indention for the honey to be poured into. You can see an example of this trick here.

Mixing: I find it much easy to mix these biscuits by hand, at least at the end, to get them mixed completely.  This creates a thick dough, which does not mix well with a spatula or spoon in the final stages of mixing. To mix by hand, I use more of a kneading motion, though kneading is not necessary for this recipe. Therefore, once the dough is mixed together thoroughly you can stop.

Toppings and Variations

These biscuits can be made sweeter, or less sweet based on the amount of honey used. Keep in mind if you use more or less honey, you will likely need to adjust your wet and/or your dry ingredients to get the consistency of dough you are looking to achieve. However, I have found that the baking time is not affected by the amount of honey nearly as much as it is affected by the weather and humidity in my area when I am baking.

If you are looking for a sweet version of these biscuits you can find my recipe here!

While these biscuits are amazing plain, they are good with toppings like jellies and jams as well. They can also be topped with additional honey if you wish to sweeten them up. And of course, like any biscuit they are good with butter spread over them!

Tools

• Medium Size Mixing Bowl (Or Standing Mixer)
• Sturdy Mixing Spoon or Spatula
• 1-2 Cookie Sheets
• Cooling Rack and/or Tea Towel
• Measuring Cups
• Measuring Spoons
• Hot Pads
• Bag or Container for the Biscuits

Ingredients

• Salt
• Flour
• Baking Powder
• Heavy Whipping Cream (I like raw cream from a small, local diary when possible.)
• Honey (I prefer local for this as well.  Farmer’s markets are a great place to find local raw honey.)

How To Make Quick Drop Biscuits

I found over time that the easiest way to start any recipe is to set my oven to preheat, and then get all the ingredients and supplies out that I will need. This reduces the total amount of time I spend hunting down kitchen tools and ingredients.

Once I have gathered all of these items, I can actually begin mixing things without having to go looking for ingredients or measuring cups and spoons.

When mixing this recipe together, I usually try to mix all of my dry ingredients together (salt, flour, and baking powder) before measuring out my honey and heavy whipping cream. This just makes the measurement for the honey easier as I use the dry ingredients to pour into instead of a measuring cup as detailed above. Yay for fewer dishes!!

Once the dough is mixed together well, it is very sticky. To avoid getting your hands super sticky multiple times (This recipes makes 18-24 biscuits depending on how big you make them.) and to minimize the amount of dough wasted, use two spoons to place golf ball-sized balls of dough on the cookie sheets.

I have not greased the cookie sheets for this recipe in the past, and I have not had any problems with the biscuits wanting to stick, but if you are concerned about the biscuits sticking, you can spray your cookie sheets first or add parchment paper.

For this recipe the biscuits usually need to bake between 17-19 minutes, though I have found the weather and humidity can affect this baking time. It is best to start with 17 minutes and add time as needed if the biscuits are not thoroughly baked.

When the biscuits are ready to come out of the oven, allow them to cool on the cookie sheet until firm enough to remove, usually about 5 minutes.

After the biscuits are firm enough to move, transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack or tea towel to allow them to cool completely before transferring them to a container or bag for storage.

You will know when the biscuits are cool enough to move because they will have set up enough that they do not fall apart when picking them up with a spatula.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can these biscuits be stored?

They can store on the counter for 2-4 days or in the refrigerator for a week.  These are very moist biscuits so the they can mold quickly in warm or humid conditions so it is best to store accordingly based on your climate. 

How many biscuits does this recipe make?

This biscuit recipe will make between 18-24 biscuits but it varies based on how large you make the biscuits.

What if I don’t have honey or I want to use sugar instead?

You can certainly use sugar for this recipe.  As a general rule of thumb, if you are replacing honey with sugar you should double the amount.  For example, if a recipe calls for 1/8 cup of honey (like this recipe) 1/4 of sugar should be used.

To follow along and keeping getting more recipes, tips and tricks, and how-tos to cut out harmful ingredients from your life and become more self- and community-sufficient; subscribe to get my blogs straight to your inbox!