Pimento Cheese Biscuits with Pimento Cheese Spread- marydukecooks.com

There is nothing better than hot biscuits right out of the oven. I like my biscuits crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It doesn’t get much better than that! I decided to mix two of my favorite foods, biscuits and pimento cheese, to make a savory biscuit. The pimento cheese melts when spread on hot biscuits. It is a match made in heaven!

Don’t let the tiny amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe scare you. It adds just a touch of heat. I shred cheddar cheese in the food processor for this recipe or you can always use a box grater. Bagged shredded cheese has added ingredients to prevent cheese from sticking together and doesn’t produce the same result.

Pimento Cheese Biscuits with Pimento Cheese Spread

2 cups self rising flour (I use Southern Biscuit)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese from an (8 ounce) block of cheese
2 tablespoons diced pimentos, drained
1/4 cup full fat mayonnaise (I use Duke’s)
3/4 -1 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Garnish: melted butter and Pimento Cheese Spread- recipe follows

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Spray a 12 muffin tin with non-stick spray. Whisk flour, sugar, black and cayenne pepper together in a large bowl. Add shredded cheese and pimento making sure to cover cheese with flour and get rid of any cheese clumps. Set aside. Stir mayonnaise, milk and butter together. Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir until the flour is moistened. (Try not to over-stir or the biscuits will be tough.) Spoon evenly into muffin tins. Bake 12- 14 minutes. Remove from oven. Brush with melted butter. Serve with Pimento Cheese Spread. Tip: You will need one (8 ounce) block sharp cheddar cheese and one (4 ounce) jar diced pimentos for this recipe. Happy Baking!

Pimento Cheese Spread

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese from an 8 ounce block of cheese
2 ounces full fat cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon iodized salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons diced pimentos, drained
3 tablespoons full fat mayonnaise (I use Duke’s)

Shred cheese with a food processor using shredding disc. Remove cheese and set aside. Remove disc from food processor and change to the S-blade. Add all ingredients in the order listed to food processor bowl. Pulse just until combined. Pieces of cheese and pimentos should be visible. (If you process too much you will have a cheese smoothie!) Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Published in The News and Neighbor on November 25, 2017