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The very best Layered Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits with Salted Honey Butter. Because today is truly in need of a savory, spicy, oh so flaky, buttery biscuit. These biscuits are extra special, made with buttermilk, sharp cheddar cheese, fresh jalapeños, and layered with cream cheese and salted butter. Beyond delicious. Bonus? They’re super easy to make! Eat them warm, right out of the oven, with a smear of salted honey butter…there’s not a better biscuit!
I never thought I would be saying this, but I’m so excited about these biscuits. These are some of the best biscuits you will make, and surely the best biscuits I’ve created. They’re stacked tall, so flaky, extra buttery, and swirled throughout with sharp cheddar cheese and spicy jalapeños…
Then finished with sweet, creamy (and a touch salty), honey butter.
So good. So Delicious.
Do you want to know a little fact? Honey butter makes everything better. As does a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Promise you.
Ok, done with the dramatics, but in all seriousness, I’m really excited to share these biscuits with you guys today. Sometimes when I set out to make recipes I’m already so excited about them. Other times I go into the recipe development process unsure (for a variety of reasons). Biscuits are never something that have overly excited me. This is probably why almost all of the biscuit recipes we have here on HBH are baked into a sweet cobbler, used for shortcakes, or baked into another cobbler (this time savory).
They’re a part of a recipe, not a recipe on their own. As of today, that’s changing, because these biscuits are extra special. They require their own stand-alone recipe space.
Yes, they’re that GOOD.
The inspiration.
I hesitated to create this recipe, as I mentioned above, because I’d never done just a biscuit recipe. But after some debate, I decided I needed to try my hand at a solo biscuit. Something about this time of year always makes me think of more southern recipes, so biscuits!
Since I didn’t want to create a basic all-butter biscuit, I turned to a flavor I knew I could love, jalapeño cheddar. A classic combo that never gets old and felt perfectly fitting for a buttery, oh so flaky biscuit.
Why are these biscuits so special?
Three reasons.
One, the addition of spicy jalapeños and sharp cheddar cheese. Yes, this is the obvious reason, but if you’ve yet to try this flavor combination, I’m here to encourage you. Something about spicy jalapeños with sharp cheddar is just delicious. The cheese cuts the spice, creating the perfect balance of spicy, savory flavor.
Reason two, stacking the biscuits, one on top of another, to physically create layers. I read about this method on Bon Appètit and am so happy I gave it a try when I made this strawberry cobbler a few weeks ago. It’s a game-changer and creates the perfect flaky, buttery biscuit. I tried to capture as many process photos as I could, to give you all visuals, but it’s easier than you’d think. Essentially you’re just cutting the biscuits, stacking them, and then rolling them out a second time. It’s kind of a simpler version of laminating the biscuit dough (the process of folding butter into dough several times to create very thin layers of butter then dough, butter then dough).
And it works.
Reason three? Cream cheese in-between the layers. Yes. Cream cheese in-between the layers of buttery biscuit dough. The cream cheese adds a really nice “cream” flavor with every bite. Which I particularly love when paired with those spicy jalapeño peppers.
The key step…
Aside from all the layers, this next step is KEY to a layered, oh so flaky biscuit.
Freeze the biscuits for a few minutes before they go into the oven. This helps to re-chill the butter and in-turn gives your biscuits added flakiness. Just before baking, brush the tops with butter to keep the biscuits from drying out while baking.
Now bake.
While they bake make the salted honey butter.
I’d say this is optional, but really, it’s not. You just have to smear this all over your warm biscuits. It’s the most indulgent addition, and it’s absolutely what your biscuit needs. The sweetness balances out the spice.
And let’s be real, you can never have too much butter on a biscuit. Go with me on this, it’s really the only way.
And with that, let’s all agree to put biscuits on the menu for tonight. These make for a great breakfast, afternoon snack, or side to truly any dinner you’re serving. You can’t go wrong. Perfect biscuit for all the upcoming late spring and summer days ahead.
Looking for other savory bread recipes? Try these.
Browned Butter Jalapeño Cornbread Muffins
No-Knead Rosemary Garlic Parmesan Bread
Lastly, if you make these layered jalapeño cheddar biscuits with salted honey butter, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Layered Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits with Salted Honey Butter
Servings: 12 biscuits
Calories Per Serving: 458 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1-2 jalapeños, seeded, if desired, and chopped
- 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) cold salted butter, cubed, plus melted butter, for brushing
- 1 cup cold buttermilk
- 4 ounces cold cream cheese, sliced into 3 slices
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons honey
- flaky sea salt
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.2. In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and butter. Pulse until the mix clumps together to form larger pea-size balls. Add the cheddar and jalapeños, pulsing 1-2 times to combine. Drizzle in the buttermilk until the dough is "shaggy" looking. The dough will be a little dry.3. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and pat into a 1-inch thick square. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Add 1 slice of cream cheese to 3 of the squares, gently pressing to flatten. Stack the cream cheese topped pieces on top of each other. Add the final piece (with no cream cheese) on top of the stack (see above photos). Press down to flatten. Dust the surface with flour and roll the dough into a 1 inch thick rectangle. Cut into 12 biscuits. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze 10-15 minutes, to chill.4. Remove the biscuits from the freezer and brush with melted butter. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden on top. 5. Meanwhile, make the honey butter. In a small bowl, combine the butter, honey, and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Serve the biscuits warm with honey butter and flaky salt.
Notes
Buttermilk Substitute: while using buttermilk is best, you can also just use milk or heavy cream.
To make Homemade Buttermilk: Combine 1 scant cup of milk and 1 tablespoon either lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mix sit 5 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened and you see small curdled bits. Use as directed above.
Biscuits: the layering method was adapted from Bon Appètit.
Unfortunately, mine didn’t rise at all! Do you have any idea why this may be?
Hi Sally,
So sorry you had issues with the biscuits! It would be helpful to know if you adjusted the recipe at all? Also it is good to check and make sure your baking powder is fresh, if it is expired that will be your issue. I hope this helps! xTieghan
Awesome! Thanks so much for the response, Tieghan! Can’t wait to try them again. I’ll watch the buttermilk this time. 🙂 lol
Hey there! 🙂 So…I made these the other day and followed the recipe (or so I thought…) and good lord they did not work right for me. lol. I blame myself entirely. From the get-go the dough never got shaggy. As I poured in the buttermilk the dough was soaked and…sticky. And the biscuits never rose. at.all. Now, I will say that I probably put them WAY too close together, but I don’t think it was the baking powder because I just bought it a few months ago. Any tips?? I’d love to try them again, but I don’t know what went wrong! :/
Hi Stephanie,
So sorry you were having issues with the recipe. I think your main issue was adding too much buttermilk. The measurement is for up to 1 cup, so you want to stop adding the buttermilk once the dough has a “shaggy” look. This is why the remainder of the recipe did not work out. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong! I have tried this recipe and the cream biscuits on the strawberry cobbler and they won’t rise! They are done on the outside, but the cream cheese is still there on the inside and they are clearly undercooked. Should I raise/lower the oven temp? Could my baking powder be no good? I have them in the freezer for 10 min prior to baking and try to keep all ingredients very cold.
The flavor is excellent, just not getting the fluffy layers.
Hey Jodi! I am so sorry you are having trouble with the biscuits. To me it sounds like you should try using fresh baking powder because I really can’t think of any other reason that the biscuits would not rise. How old is it?
I’d try fresh baking powder before adjusting the temp. of the oven. Really hoping that fixes the issue for you!! Please let me know if you have any other questions and how this goes. Thank you!! xTieghan
I made these tonight and they turned out so well! Tons of layers and the cream cheese layered in was a hit. Awesome recipe!
Thank you so much Sara! xTieghan
Hi! I made these tonight and they were so tasty, but my biscuits didn’t rise at all. I halved the recipe but was able to make 9 biscuits.
Hi Heather! I am sorry to hear that. Is there anything that could have been missed while making the recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
These were so delicious! They were fabulous day of, and we’ve been snacking as the week rolls on. The butter spread is a game changer, too! Looking forward to making more of your biscuit recipes! 🙂
Thank you Dominique! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made these and they wer DELICIOUS! However, mine did not become as fluffy and full as the ones you have pictured. Thoughts?
Hi Megan,
So sorry your biscuits were not super fluffy. I am wondering if you adjusted the recipe at all? It is hard for me to say without knowing this. Please let me know how I can help! xTieghan
I followed the recipe and these were SOOO good. Highly recommend! I actually used my kitchen aid stand mixer because I don’t have a big food processor. I had no issues doing it this way and they still turned out perfect. This was my first time making biscuits and they were pretty easy!
Thank you so much Brittney! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Similar to Sara, I followed this recipe to a t. The biscuits cooked on the outside, but remained pretty raw on the inside. 🙁
Hi Cris,
So sorry about this. My guess is your biscuits were too thick, try rolling them out a bit more next time. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Did not work at all for me. They seemed to steam in the oven rather than bake and ended up hardly rising and no
matter how long i cooked them for they remained raw in the middle and got brown on the top but completely inedible.
Not sure what happened as recipe very clear and had high hopes for it but i just got a steamed mess coming out
of my oven tonight
Hi Sara! Oh no, I am really sorry these did not work for you. Is there anything you changed about the recipe? I would love to help! xTieghan
While I need to work on my kneading skills to make my biscuits as flaky good as Tieghan’s the flavor of these is incredible ! We loved them plain, topped with the honey butter and as various breakfast sandwich creations. Highly recommend these topped with honey butter, a fried egg, avocado and chorizo. YUM
Haha I am so glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! Thank you so much Tori! xTieghan
Oh my goodness, these were awesome!! It was my first attempt at making buttermilk biscuits and I was surprised at how easy they were, with such spectacular results.
My food processor is a little small (7-cup, I think?) So I just added the buttermilk to the flour/butter mixture in there and then mixed the peppers and cheese in with my hands once I dumped it on the counter. Worked perfectly. Can’t wait til we can start entertaining again so that I can make these for company!
Hi Bethany! I am really glad these turned out so well for you! Especially as your first time making them! Thank you so much! xTieghan
What if I don’t have a large food processor? Any recommendations for hand mixing?
Hi Candice,
You can use a pastry cutter or you can freeze the butter and use a cheese grater and mix by hand. I hope love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I made these last night, and the flavor/texture was great, save for the cream cheese- it was too overwhelming. I followed the instructions in the recipe to a T except for the cream cheese assembly- 4oz of cream cheese cut into three chunks made for really thick blocks, and I was worried about huge globs of cream cheese in the final product. To avoid this, I cut the cream cheese into thin slices and spread them out evenly over the top of each of the three dough squares before stacking them, but even doing this, the cream cheese was super thick and concentrated in the biscuits towards the middle, with the edge biscuits almost cream cheese-free. I think the flavor of the cream cheese adds a lot, I just wish it was more evenly distributed. Next time I’m going to try freezing the cream cheese and cutting it up into small cubes, and mixing those in with the buttermilk. I love cream cheese, but these biscuits are so buttery and rich already that the large pockets of cream cheese were a little much!
Hi Kathleen! Thank you so much! I hope this works better with frozen cream cheese.. If there is anything I can help you with please let me know! xTieghan