Garlicky “Cheddar Bay” Biscuits

I prefer cooking and baking from scratch using local ingredients, but then some days, I just need a break and want to make things really quick and less stressful. Those days seem to coincide with the need for a comfort food day. On those days, I bust out the baking mix. Ya know? Pre-made? Add a few ingredients and toss in the oven. 
Even if you don’t feel confident in your baking skills, whip these up and nobody will care how experienced you are, they’ll just ask you to make them again. 
This recipe makes five fluffy, pillowy bundles of garlicky, cheesy goodness. 
I used up all the fresh parsley in my garden for other dishes but I had some dried parsley which worked just fine. I like to trim off what I think I will use and place over a small amount of Kosher sea salt, the salt adsorbs the oils and essences giving the flavor of parsley a new dimension. The rest of you parsley can be stored on the counter in some water, just change the water daily. Use minced parsley in pasta, pizza toppings, pesto, garlic butter for garlic bread...

Biscuit Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups Bisquick Mix
2/3 cup milk
3/4 shredded cheddar or cheese blend 

Topping Ingredients: 

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp finely minced parsley or 1 Tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 Tbsp THAT'S GOOD GARLIC!
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450º. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, make a well in your biscuit mix and add milk. Stir with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides and bottom until batter is somewhat smooth. Mix just enough to smooth out the lumps. Do not over-mix. The batter should look a little shaggy but slightly stiff. About 30-45 seconds should do.

 
Add cheese. We cold-smoke our own cheese up here on the farm. If you use smoked cheese, you won't be disappointed! Mix cheese and batter together. 

Line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, scoop 1/3-1/2 cup of batter into mounds. Use spatula to pile batter onto itself. If your biscuits look uneven in size, scrape a little off a bigger biscuit and smooth on top of a smaller biscuit. Bake at 450º for 8-10 minutes. 

While biscuits are baking, mix topping ingredients. Remove biscuits from oven when the tops are golden brown and the lower edges look slightly crispy. Let cool for 5 minutes and baste with garlic butter. Serve warm!

 These make amazing egg/cheddar biscuits for a hearty breakfast, slice them for a sandwich or sliders!