Buttermilk "Bribery" Biscuits

The past several months, I have been encouraging the boys to try new things.  It's not always a success, but for the most part things are going well.  However, there are some nights, they are eating whatever I put in front of them.  Those are the nights, I am tired, I am not cooking a separate meal, and it's normally something very normal. 

For example, I made chicken noodle soup a few weeks back.  Both boys were pitching a fit over it.  When I was little, soup was a constant that we ate, and I enjoyed it.  This was also one of those nights, it was soup or nothing.  To accompany the soup that night I made scratch buttermilk biscuits.  They gobbled up their biscuit, or should I say, they inhaled them.  In order to have their second biscuit, I told them they had to finish their soup.  No problem, they stopped arguing, finished their soup, and was rewarded with a second biscuit.

Since that night, on a couple occasions, both boys asked for those yummy biscuits.  So tonight, another soup night, I made those oh so yummy "bribery" biscuits.  I told them I would make the biscuits, but no arguing over the soup.  Once again, no problem.  These biscuits really do work wonders :)

So what's the secret ingredient???  Well, there isn't one.  The recipe is very simple, from my grandmother.  All the ingredients are probably in your pantry.  You may just have to pick up the buttermilk.  Buttermilk really makes it so tasty, so please don't substitute regular milk.

The one item that you can substitute is the shortening.  If you really have strong convictions about using vegetable shortening, by all means use butter for all the fat in the recipe.  That being said, the combination of butter and shortening really does the biscuit delectable.

ingredients

2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. butter, chilled
2 tbsp. vegetable shortening, chilled
1 c. buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Either line a cookie sheet with parchment or lightly grease a high sided 9 inch cake pan, and set aside.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the butter and shortening, and with your fingers work it through the dry mixture, until it resembles bread crumbs.  It's best to work quickly and sort of rub the butter and shortening in your finger tips with the flour.

Then make a well, and add the buttermilk.  With a spatula, stir until a soft dough forms.  On a floured surface, turn the dough out.  Gently fold the dough on itself several times.  Using your hand pat a round circle of dough, about an inch thick.

Using a 2 inch round cutter, cut out your biscuits.  When cutting, go straight down through the biscuit, then turn the cutter once you have hit the counter top.  Place the biscuits on the prepared tray or pan.  I prefer using a cake pan, as I find the biscuits are more uniform when they bake.  Bake for 15 to 19 minutes, until golden brown.

Top with butter, jam, honey, etc.  These are also great for biscuits and gravy!