Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits with Tart Cranberries

I’m not going to lie — cranberries and I have a complicated relationship.

After spilling a whole bag on the kitchen floor last week, making a quick salsa that disappeared with a bag of blue corn chips, and then promising myself I’d never wrestle with those tart little berries again, I still found a way to bake with them. Yes — I did it. Cranberries ended up in biscuits.

They’re strange: fruit you don’t really want to eat raw, hard to bite through, and not exactly ideal for smothering in peanut butter or dunking in caramel. Chocolate doesn’t quite fix it either. Still, they’re oddly appealing — cute, bright, and a little mysterious when you cut into the biscuit.

I’ll admit I stood over the sink eating warm pieces straight from a 9×13 pan while watching Sex and the City — one bite turned into several. But that’s the honest part: these biscuits are addictive in their own gentle way.

Light, fluffy, and slightly doughy, these biscuits are studded with bright cranberries that pop with tartness. They balance a hint of sweetness with savory butteriness, making them perfect warm from the oven with plenty of melted butter. Serve them at breakfast alongside eggs, or spread with brown sugar or cinnamon butter for a special treat.

Cranberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

Yield:
12 to 15 biscuits

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 4 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2/3 cup fresh cranberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Cut the cold butter into the flour using a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers until coarse crumbs form.
• Toss in the cranberries. Add the buttermilk and stir with a spoon until just combined; avoid overmixing. Use your hands if needed to bring the dough together.
• Drop batter by 1/4-cup scoops onto a nonstick baking sheet, or roll the dough on parchment and cut with a biscuit cutter. Bake 12–15 minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

Adapted from Bon Appétit.

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Now — who wants to come iron my placemats?