Bisquick Cheese Biscuits with Herbs

These Bisquick cheese biscuits are the home cook’s answer to Red Lobster’s famous cheddar bay biscuits. Three pantry ingredients into a bowl, dropped onto a sheet, baked hot and fast, then brushed with garlic-herb butter while still steaming. The whole job takes 20 minutes from cupboard to table.

Dropping by spoonful instead of cutting them out is what makes these so quick. The dough is loose and shaggy, which gives the biscuits their signature craggy tops with crisp ridges and soft tender interiors. Don’t try to smooth them; the rough texture is the texture.

The melted butter brushed on after baking is the move that turns a fine biscuit into a memorable one. Garlic powder, parsley flakes, and a pinch of Italian seasoning go into the warm butter and get painted across the hot biscuits, where the heat opens up the herbs and the butter soaks into the cracks.

Kitchen Tips

• Use grated cheddar, not pre-shredded if you can. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking starch that can leave the biscuits slightly powdery in texture.
• The water needs to be cold. Cold water keeps the fat in the baking mix from melting before the oven sets the biscuit, which is what gives the proper crumb.
• Brush the herb butter on while the biscuits are still hot from the oven. Cold biscuits won’t absorb the butter and the herbs sit on top instead of melding in.
• A small dish of warm garlic butter alongside is welcome at the table for dipping.

Variations

• Use sharp cheddar for more bite, or swap half for pepper jack for a spicy version.
• Stir in a teaspoon of finely chopped fresh chives or scallions with the cheese for green flecks throughout.
• Add a pinch of cayenne to the herb butter for a copycat closer to the restaurant original.