Food is one of the most versatile forms of connection between people, places and cultures. Whether it be during family gatherings, the holidays or lunch with friends, food is a constant in our social lives.
Many of us even have special dishes and food from home that bring us memories and comfort. Here, I am going to share with you a simple recipe that reminds me of home, freshly-baked homemade foods and mornings spent rushing to high school. These easy-to-make cheesy chive biscuits are great for a quick morning breakfast, on-the-go snack or lunch food! Paired with gravy and mashed potatoes, these can also become a wonderful side dish to any dinner.
With only a few necessary tools and ingredients, these pastries can be made by any college student!
To begin, you’ll need only three ingredients: biscuit dough, shredded cheese and chives. These can easily be found in the refrigerated section of any supermarket, and if you’d like to make your own biscuit dough or shred your own cheese, go right ahead! Make it your own!
As for tools, I simply used a ceramic plate, bowl, scissors and our community toaster oven for cooking. You may use either a toaster oven or a full oven, whichever is more convenient (as long as it can be set to bake at 350 degrees).
Start by popping open the cylinder of biscuit dough (tip: scissors work great for this!) and laying out the biscuits on a plate or sheet. When working with a large amount of dough, put the dough you are not using in the fridge so it doesn’t get too sticky to work with. Then, wash your chives and cut them into small pieces using the scissors. While there are a variety of ways you can make these savory goods, there are two that I consistently use that I’ve found to result in the best biscuits.
In order to make biscuits that have more of a cheese and chive filling, simply stretch the dough out a little thinner, then sprinkle your shredded cheese and cut chives directly on top. Be very generous with the filling; having more is much better than having less in these biscuits!
Once nearly the whole surface is covered, fold the dough into a bun by grabbing the sides, lifting them up and then pinching them inwards. Keep pinching and working with the dough until the top is sealed and you can no longer see any of the filling on the inside. Once the dough is secure so that the fillings don’t fall out, flip the bun over and garnish the top with extra cheese and chives!
My second method incorporates the cheese and chives throughout the biscuits (my personal favorite!). Like the first method, sprinkle a hefty helping of cheese and chives onto the dough. This next process is much easier if you are holding the dough flat in your hand. Then squish the contents together and knead the dough in your hand until the cheese and chives are well mixed.
Continuously add more cheese and chives as you knead until there appears to be a good ratio of toppings to dough. Based on personal preference, you may add as much or little of either add-in as you would like! Finish it off with an extra garnish of cheese and chives!
After repeating this with the rest of the biscuits, place them on an oven-safe or toaster oven-safe dish. Because I am living in a college dorm with limited tools, a ceramic plate worked perfect for this! I placed four biscuits at a time on the plate and did two batches of cooking. Follow the baking instructions on the biscuit dough package or recipe until they are golden brown.
And that’s it! Let your biscuits cool and enjoy! The ones folded like a bun have a more cheesy and chive-filled center surrounded by the biscuit, while the kneaded biscuits more consistently incorporate the fillings throughout the pastry, which are more resemblant of a traditional biscuit shape. I hope you enjoy this heart-warming comfort food and let it bring you joy wherever or whenever you make them!
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