Sweet Potato Biscuits with Cinnamon Honey Butter

This post is my entry in the North Carolina Sweet Potato Recipe contest. Now don't you all go entering and taking away my chances of winning!

I looked around a lot of places for inspiration. I didn't want to make something that everyone makes, like sweet potato pie, casserole (you know, with the brown sugar and marshmallows) or fries. But I wanted to do something southern or southern inspired. Afterall, I'm a southerner now. And it's the North Carolina recipe contest.

I'd been thinking about it for a couple weeks but didn't really know what I wanted to do. I though about playing with a pie or baking them and working something in there but nothing seemed quite right.

Well my schedule was a bit weird last week. So I was sleeping and not sleeping at odd times. Eating at odd times. Baking at odd times. Inspiration came at an odd time too.

They actually came out pretty good. Which was a little surprising because you never know what you are gonna get when you are making up a recipe and baking at 3AM. Especially when trying to take pictures at the same time.



So here goes nothing.....

Preheat oven to 425. I never actually remember to do that but it's important, at least for this recipe. Grease a 9"x9" baking pan with shortening.

Get a large sweet potato. Though they seem to always be large. I never see any small ones. Anyway.

Peel the sweet potato.


Put it on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 5 minutes. Check for doneness. Microwave 1 minute at a time more until the sweet potato is soft and fork tender. The microwave really does work well for this.

Sift together the White Lily flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, cardamom and clove into a medium bowl.

Fresh ground spices are best but use what you've got. If you don't have these or if you have some pumpkin pie spice sitting in your pantry use that. Or whatever else makes you happy. Personally, I buy my spices whole and grind it in a coffee grinder. In the case of cinnamon, it was 1.29 for a bag of 30 or so cinnamon sticks, vs $5 for a tiny bottle of ground cinnamon that is so much less potent. It's actually a lot more cost effective to buy whole spices and they last a lot longer.


OK, off the soapbox. Here's the dry ingredients all sifted together.


Measure the shortening. I love my plunger measuring cups. It's the only measuring device I used for the whole recipe. And only one of them. It's the only thing that works for things like shortening and honey.


Cut in the shortening it forms they are the size of small peas. I just used my switchit to do it. Which is another one of my kitchen toys that I love. I have 3 of them and those and a whisk are the only things I use anymore. The shortening is really easy to cut in. So much easier than cutting in cold butter.


Add about 1 cup buttermilk to a blender with the sweet potato and puree until smooth. Stir the puree into the flour mix, just until moistened. Do not overwork or your biscuits will be tough.
Add buttermilk until it gets to the consistency slightly thicker than cottage cheese.


Place the flour for shaping in the largest bowl you have. Flour your hands liberally. Dump the batter in the middle of the flour.


Pull off biscuit size chunks and toss them between your hands so they are covered in flour.


Place in the pan, pressing them up against each other to help them rise. Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes, until they just start to brown.


Meanwhile, mix the butter, remaining tsp cinnamon and honey together in a bowl.


Taste and add more of anything to suit your tastes.



Chill all but about 3 tbsps of the butter to firm it up. Spread the 3 tbsp butter on the biscuits right when they come out of the oven so that it melts into them.

Remove one and split it.


Spread some of the butter on it. Move quickly.


Now hold still and watch as the butter melts.


When it just completely melts, eat. Repeat until the tray is gone.

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Cinnamon Honey Butter

1 large sweet potato
2 cups White Lily All Purpose Flour (not self rising)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon, separated
1/2 tsp ground clove
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
about 1 2/3 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter flavored shortening, plus more to grease the pan
1 cup all purpose flour, for shaping
1 stick salted butter, softened
3 tbsp honey

Preheat oven to 425.
Grease a 9"x9" baking pan with shortening.
Peel the sweet potato.
Put it on a microwave safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for 5 minutes. Check for doneness. Microwave 1 minute at a time more until the sweet potato is soft and fork tender.
Sift together the White Lily flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, cardamom and clove into a medium bowl.
Cut in the shortening it forms they are the size of small peas.
Add about 1 cup buttermilk to a blender with the sweet potato and puree until smooth.
Stir the puree into the flour mix, just until moistened. Do not overwork or your biscuits will be tough.
Add buttermilk until it gets to the consistency slightly thicker than cottage cheese.
Place the flour for shaping in the largest bowl you have.
Flour your hands liberally.
Dump the batter in the middle of the flour.
Pull off biscuit size chunks and toss them between your hands so they are covered in flour.
Place in the pan, pressing them up against each other to help them rise.
Bake at 425 for about 30 minutes, until they just start to brown.
Mix the butter, remaining tsp cinnamon and honey together in a bowl. Taste and add more of anything to suit your tastes.
Chill all but about 3 tbsps of the butter to firm it up.
Spread the 3 tbsp butter on the biscuits right when they come out of the oven so that it melts into them.





*Exit music and credits roll*
Touch of Grace Biscuits, Bakewise by Shirley O Corriher, page 152
Sweet Potato Bisuits posted by Lazy Susin, which was based on Sweet Potato Biscuits by Paula Dean
Apples and Sweet Potatoes Pound Cake by i nom things, whose recipe was adapted from Apple Pound Cake by Crystal 6