So, you might be thinking – what the heck is huntsman cheese? Well, first of all, it is a favorite of Mr. C. (Mine too, if you want full disclosure.) Huntsman cheese is a happy marriage of two wonderful cheeses – double Gloucester and blue stilton. Two layers of strong, richly veined blue stilton sandwiched between three layers of full fat, rich and creamy double Gloucester. And I must say, just like my own marriage, this combination of cheeses is a marriage made in heaven!

So originally I conceived this recipe to use some blue cheese that was left over from preparing blue cheese salad dressing. But when I realized I really didn’t have enough to prepare this recipe, I went hunting for other types of cheese that might be complimentary. What I found was Mr. Cs stash of huntsman cheese. Ta-da. Problem solved.

So instead of using the last little bit of blue cheese, I happily chunked up a half cup of the huntsman cheese. (And yes, I asked permission first.) (And no the blue cheese did not go to waste. I sprinkled it on our salads the next evening.)

Anyway, the huntsman cheese made for some very tasty biscuits. And oh so easy to build. No rolling out dough, just an easy use of my #40 ice cream scoop* and Bob’ your uncle. Bake for a few minutes and all is well with the world. Crunchy and full of flavor. Just perfect, delicious, homemade biscuits.

Now another wonderful part of this recipe, is that you can use other types of crumbly or grated cheese. Gorgonzola, blue, Gruyère, Parmesan, Pecorino-Romano, to mention a few. Just don’t go all crazy and add more than a half cup. And don’t pack the cheese into the measuring cup. Just let it fall where it lies and call it good. (I say this, because I have a tendency to consider cheese the same way I do a beautiful warm summer day in the NW. The more the better! And I know I am not alone in this regard. Right Jim?!?! But fight the tendency. This is not like making mac and cheese or cheddar cheese soup. Consider following this recipe as carefully as you would a high school science experiment with your teacher watching every move you make! (I say this only to preserve the integrity of this recipe and to keep your oven pristine.) All kidding aside, I hope you make a batch of these biscuits, because they are really, really delicious.

As always, keep baking, keep laughing, and keep counting your blessings. Peace and love to all.

1 c. + 2 T. unbleached all-purpose flour (fluffed) 

1 T. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

tiny pinch freshly ground black pepper

4 T. (½ stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

½ c. crumbled huntsman cheese (not packed)

4 tsp. thinly sliced fresh chives

½ c. buttermilk (Bavarian style if possible)

Place the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, add the butter and mix until the butter resembles small flakes. Don’t over mix. 

Add the cheese and chives, slowly mix until just combined. Pour in the buttermilk and again, mix just until combined.

Using an ice cream scoop* (about 2 tablespoons worth of dough), drop balls of dough on a parchment paper lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Flatten gently with your fingers. (And of course, if you don’t have the right sized ice cream scoop, just a couple tablespoons of free form dough plunked onto the baking sheet will do nicely.)

Bake in a pre-heated 450 degree oven for 14-16 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack at least 5 minutes before serving. If you can’t eat the biscuits while they are still warm, gently warm them in your microwave before serving. Butter is not necessary with these babies. Recipe is easily doubled.

*I round/heap the dough (make a ball) in a number 40 ice cream scoop to form these biscuits. This produces fairly small drop biscuits. But that’s just fine with me because what I like best about drop biscuits is all the crispy edges.

Learn more about ice cream scoops below.  

ICE CREAM SCOOPS

I use ice cream scoops for all kinds of cooking projects. But mainly I use them to make certain all the cookies from a batch are of similar size. Let’s face it, it’s much easier and more efficient to form cookies using a scoop. Takes about a third the time of dropping the dough by spoonfulls. Anyway, I have 4 scoop sizes that I mainly use. (OK, I only own these 4 sizes of scoops. But none-the-less, they work for me.)

#100 – 2 teaspoons (which means that if you are dishing up ice cream, you would get 100 scoops from 1 quart of ice cream) I use this any time I want tiny little cookies.

#60 – 1 tablespoon. I use this scoop for small cookies and meatballs

#40 – 1½ tablespoons. I use this scoop for larger cookies and for this recipe. (When I make cookies I flatten the dough to the same level as the rim of the ice cream scoop. For this recipe, I basically make a ball.

#10 – 3/8 cup. I use this scoop for muffins, cupcakes, and ice cream