Buttermilk Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy

You should be very excited about this post.  Because I'm very excited to share it with you!  My husband has been wanting this for breakfast for quite some time now, but I had to find a biscuit recipe that I really felt confident about.  Because the last time I tried to make them homemade, it was an unfortunate disaster that ended up in the trash.  But these turned out to be just beautiful.  They are soft and flaky, and they really don't take too much effort.  This is definitely my go-to recipe for biscuits.

Now.. chocolate gravy.. some of you may have never heard of this before (like me), unless you're from the south.  The first time I've heard of it was shortly after my husband and I were married and we were at his parents house for a weekend.  I was very unsure about it.. chocolate and gravy.. just didn't sound right to me.  But I'll try [almost] anything once, and my mother-in-law is a great cook so it just had to be good!  Let's face it, southern cooking is just amazing anyway.  Now this isn't her recipe because well, she is 15 hours behind us and that makes it a little difficult to just call any time, but I don't think this recipe varies too far from hers.

If you haven't had this, I urge you to try it at least once!  It's worth it, I promise.  :)

Buttermilk Biscuits
recipes from Sprinkle Bakes

• 2 cups self-rising flour
• 2 tbsp. cold shortening
• 6 tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
• 3/4 to 1 cup buttermilk (again, buttermilk substitute)
• 2 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Put flour into a large mixing bowl; add the cut up cold butter and shortening and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender (if you do not have a pastry blender, you can use a fork) and blend until coarse crumbs form.  Then make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the buttermilk (start with 3/4 cup buttermilk).  Mix with a fork until just combined, avoid over-mixing - if your dough is too stiff, add 1 tbsp. of buttermilk at a time).  Put the sticky dough on a lightly floured surface and knead about 5 times.  Pat dough out flat (with floured hands) to 1" thickness.

Cut the dough into rounds with a sharp-edged cutter (I used a cleaned out mandarin orange can).  Cut straight down without twisting to ensure tall and straight biscuits.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray.  Place on a baking sheet 1-inch apart for crusty sides or almost touching for soft sides and bake for 13-15 minutes, or until golden.  Remove from the oven and brush the biscuit tops with the 2 tbsp melted butter.  Serve warm.  Makes about 8 biscuits.

Chocolate Gravy

• 4 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups milk (preferably whole, but you don't have to.. I used 1%)
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium sauce pan whisk together the dry ingredients.  Pour in the milk and whisk vigorously to combine.  Heat over medium-high until the mixture bubbles.  Turn heat down to medium and stir until mixture has thickened to a gravy consistency.  Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

TIP:  Is the gravy not thickening how you want it to?  Mix about a teaspoon of cornstarch into a little bit of cold water.  Pour a small amount of the water/cornstarch mix into your gravy, I'd say start off with a tablespoon.  Bring to a boil for about 1 minute.  Remove from heat when thickened.

Let cool slightly then transfer to a gravy boat. Serve warm over buttermilk biscuits.  Makes about 2 cups.

Beautiful, aren't they?

Not too chocolate-y.... but just perfect!