Although I wasn’t thrilled with Paula Deen’s fried chicken recipe, I have no complaints about her cheese biscuit recipe. It is easy to make, it doesn’t require any special tools and the biscuits are fantastic.
Another reason to love this recipe? I accidentally added the cheese at the wrong time this time and the biscuits were as flaky and wondrous as the dozens of other times I’ve made them.
These are best right after you bake them, but they are still good for the next two days as long as you keep them in a plastic bag or other airtight container. I don’t know if they’re good for longer than that because they’ve never lasted more than two days in our house.
I had made these at least five times before I realized that the recipe actually continues on the next page and suggests you brush them with melted garlic butter (It is Paula Deen, after all). But since they were great without it, I haven’t tempted fate. Go ahead and brush them with butter if you want them to be more Savannah-tastic.
This makes about 12 biscuits
Cheese biscuits (from The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook)
2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup Crisco shortening
3/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir flour, baking powder and sugar together using a fork; cut in shortening until it resembles cornmeal*. Add cheese. Stir in buttermilk all at one time until just blended. Do not overstir. Using an ice cream scoop, drop spoonfuls of dough onto a well-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

*I usually use my hands to combine the flour and Crisco. It is messy, but it works pretty well.