Jalapeño cheddar biscuits are the perfect companion for your next bowl of soup or chili. They're flaky, tender, and filled with spicy jalapeños, a bit of cornmeal, and melty sharp cheddar cheese.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a cast iron skillet or line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, add flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine and remove clumps. You can alternatively add to a food processor and pulse a few times.
Grate cold butter using the large side of a box grater and add to flour mixture, tossing to combine. You can also use a pastry cutter to cut cubed butter into flour mixture or add flour mixture to food processor and pulse until butter is pea sized. If using a food processor, pour mixture into a large bowl then add cheese and jalapenos and stir to combine.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add buttermilk. Gently stir until ingredients are mostly incorporated. Dough will look shaggy and sticky. Pour dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently pat dough with lightly floured hands into a large, flat rectangle, about 10-12 inches wide and about ¾ inch thick. Keep extra flour nearby and continually flour the surface, dough, and your hands as needed. Fold dough rectangle in half, turn to the right to make your new rectangle horizontal, and gently pat back into a large rectangle. Repeat 4 times, folding your dough 5 times in total. Pat dough into a large rectangle, about 1 inch thick.
Using a 2.5 to 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut biscuits out of dough (do not twist your cutter, this will seal the edges). Reform leftover dough gently and continue cutting until all dough is used up.
Place biscuits into prepared skillet or baking sheet, with edges of biscuits touching each other. Bake for about 18-22 minutes, or until golden brown across the tops.
Notes
For this recipe, I used a 10 ¼" cast iron skillet and a 2 ¾" biscuit cutter. 8 biscuits fit perfectly into the pan (as shown in photos).
Optionally, brush tops of biscuits with heavy cream before baking. This helps your biscuits brown in the oven.
Homemade biscuits keep for 1-2 days at room temperature in a sealed container, up to 1 week in the refrigerator, or 2-3 months in the freezer. If freezing, seal tightly with foil or plastic wrap and store in a freezer safe container.