Angel Biscuits

I've probably said this before, but if I could only eat one type of bread for the rest of my life, it would definitely be biscuits.

Most kids have cake for their 1st birthday. Not me. I had a biscuit with a candle in it.

My favorite biscuits are made at a fried chicken restaurant my family always went to growing up (in fact, that's where my 1st birthday biscuit was from).

Brunch this morning

Their biscuits are so light and fluffy, and of course, best served with lots of butter and sorghum!

This recipe is the closest thing I've ever found to those biscuits. They're leavened with baking powder AND yeast, to ensure maximum fluffiness!

Notice that all the fried chicken is gone. . .

Angel Biscuits

Yields: 12 biscuits

Time: 30 minutes

1 tbsp active dry yeast

2 tbsp warm water

2 3/4 cup flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp milk 

1 tbsp butter

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a skillet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. 

2. Combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

3. Cut shortening into the dry ingredients. Mix yeast mixture with buttermilk and stir into the dry ingredients until just combined. 

4. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 1" thick. Cut with a 2 1/2" circle cutter and place in the lined skillet. Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk. 

5. Bake 13-20 minutes, until they reach the desired golden color. Brush the tops of the baked biscuits with melted butter. 

How many biscuits is too many to eat in one day? I'll get back to you. 

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream

Nothing screams summer like a waffle cone piled high with scoops of homemade chocolate ice cream. 

I must admit that I've been more of a vanilla girl my entire life. Chocolate is good, but I've always been partial to vanilla. 

Austin's favorite-beyond-favorite-would-do-anything-to-get-it ice cream flavor is chocolate fudge brownie. Most brands at the store don't have it. 

So we pull out one of our favorite wedding gifts (our ice cream maker!) and make our own chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. 

There are so many variations for this recipe. I make the chocolate ice cream and the hot fudge from scratch, but I make the brownies from a box mix. 

I'm still not convinced that from-scratch brownies are any better than boxed mixes. 

You can use store bought fudge and it will still be awesome! You can also be a hero and make brownies from scratch, just don't expect me to do that!

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice Cream

Yields: 1 quart

2 cups heavy cream

3 tbsp dutch-process cocoa powder

4 oz semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate*

1 cup whole milk

3/4 cup sugar

5 egg yolks

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla 

Chocolate fudge, see below (Add as much as you want)

Brownies, chopped, from a box mix (Add as much as you want)

1. Combine cream and cocoa in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from heat, then add chocolate and stir until melted. Pour into a bowl. 

2. In that same (now empty) pot, combine milk, sugar, and salt over medium-high heat. Beat together egg yolks in a small bowl. Temper the egg yolks with warm milk by ladling some warm milk into the egg yolks, then pour the yolk-milk mixture back into the pot. 

3. Stir the milk mixture constantly over medium-high heat until the mixture reaches 170-175 degrees fahrenheit. Pour into the cream-chocolate mixture and add the vanilla. Stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly cooled. 

4. Mix according to your ice cream maker's directions. Add chocolate fudge and brownie bits, then freeze until the ice cream is set. Enjoy! 

*roughly 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Chocolate Hot Fudge

Yields: 2 cups 

2/3 cup cream

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped or chips

2 tbsp butter

1 tsp vanilla 

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and half of the chocolate until melted. Reduce heat to low, and let cook for 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Remove from heat and add butter, vanilla, and remaining chocolate. Let cool before eating.