Snow day. Again. Seriously, God, don’t you think it’s time to ease up? I know it’s selfish of me to put it in these terms, but this is seriously messing with my life. I work at home. Having a rambunctious four-year-old around, adorable as he is, does not make for very good working conditions. The general hubbub from beyond my office/bedroom door is, how you say, distracting. As is the ominous, oh-no-he’s-coming-in doorknob turning, which seems to happen precisely every ten minutes.
So let’s not have any more snow this winter, mkay?
Because I’m not a total jerk (and I feel guilty that I’ll be holed up in here all day), I decided to make a non-school-day breakfast. No oatmeal, no frozen waffles, no smoothies, no cereal. Maple-Cornmeal Biscuits from Dorie Greenspan. Yup, baked goods. Super-simple baked goods, the kind that come together in under ten minutes, in one bowl, and are on the table in about half an hour total. And yes, that’s terrific, but the best part is the taste. These are outrageously delicious, with that unmistakably cornmealy crunch and a mild sweetness. We ate them with a bit of butter and strawberry jam, but they’re so good they really didn’t need it. Miraculously, we managed to restrain ourselves and only eat two each (Harry, too)—which means I’ve got enough to freeze and serve on a regular school day, an absolutely thrilling prospect.
Now, please excuse me, it’s time for me to get to work. Punching the clock…
Maple-Cornmeal Biscuits
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours
Makes 12
Weight Watchers: These are 4 PointsPlus each. Not normal, weekday morning fare, but they’re worth every point.
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stoneground
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
1/2 cup cold 1% milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. This is an excellent job for a four-year-old.
- Toss the butter into this mixture, using your fingers to rub it all together until it’s gravelly and uneven. Another excellent job for a four-year-old, though you’ll probably end up doing most of the real rubbing.
- Measure the milk and maple syrup into a glass measuring cup and stir. Add it to the bowl and use a fork to stir and toss, lightly and gently, until it’s barely combined. This is a very shaggy dough, and it’ll likely look too wet. That’s ok.
- Use a soupspoon to drop the dough into 12 mounds on the cookie sheet, and don’t worry if they’re pretty. It’s not meant to be pretty.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned, and serve hot.
MAKE BABY FOOD: Melt a little butter into the warm biscuit to make it extra-moist, and this is fine for babies who are on finger foods—but there’s some added sugar from the maple syrup, so I wouldn’t give these to a baby every day. Don’t think it’ll work to puree it, though 😉
Can you use regular whole wheat flour for these? I think these might get made this weekend.
I think it would work Ellen–but they might come out a little heavy. If you try it, please report back!
Would I be futzing around too much if I used half whole wheat, half something else? Would regular flour or bread flour work? I know you can't tell since you haven't tried it, but since you're the pro thought you might have an inkling.
No, I think half whole-wheat, half all-purpose is a good idea, if you don't mind pulling out both PLUS cornmeal. Dorie's original recipe was 100% all-purpose, so I'd already futzed with it.
oh, maple – how I love you. they look almost like scones!
They're similar to scones, actually–kind of a hybrid.
That's great Debbie. Now I'm going to make them. Thanks so much for including the PointsPlus values too!
BTW, did you read Dorie Greenspan's pop-up cookie shop is coming back next month. I'm sure she won't have the PP available for hers!
Oh, these look so good! I love biscuits with nice crunchy edges, and I love cornmeal pancakes with maple syrup. These biscuits are obviously the best of both worlds. Can't wait to give them a try. 🙂
since i'm in california, snow days aren't an issue, but it does seem like every other monday or friday in jan or feb there's no school, which makes working from home tricky, for sure.