Cornmeal drop biscuits are easier than tea biscuits, have a rich taste and will make your kitchen smell amazing! These biscuits are made with no buttermilk and a good amount of cheese, and are ready in less than 30 minutes.
Everyone should have a recipe that’s easy to put together and makes you smile at every bite. These drop biscuits couldn’t be any easier and the ingredients couldn’t be simpler.
They last for days if stored correctly, and are as good as new when reheated. These corn and cheese biscuits will please your entire family!
What’s a drop biscuit?
A drop biscuit is is one where the dough has more wet ingredients than rolled biscuits. A wetter dough will allow you to spoon and drop it onto a baking sheet.
For a drop and bake biscuit, there’s no need to flour the surface you’ll be working on or roll the dough open: you just need to drop portions of the dough onto a lined sheet and bake using a preheated oven.
They don’t rise as much as rolled biscuits, and the texture is more coarse. Even so, these biscuits are still delicious and way easier to make, specially if you’re a beginner.
As said, they won’t rise as much as a regular tea biscuit, but they also won’t be flat.
When I want them taller, I shape the biscuits, then place the baking sheet into the fridge for 20 minutes before baking.
One very important thing to check is the oven’s temperature. If not preheated enough, you risk getting flat cookies. Also, always use extra cold butter, milk and sour cream, and do not handle the dough more than necessary.
This recipe uses baking powder and soda for the biscuits to rise. You need to use both. I also recommend always checking if these ingredients haven’t expired before using for baking. If they lost its power, you might get flat biscuits.
The only substitution I tried for this recipe is the type of cheese.
I’ve baked these drop biscuits with cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan, and they were delicious every time!
How to make them from scratch
No prepared mix here: with easy-to-find ingredients, we’re making these drop biscuits from scratch.
The two stars of the recipe are cornmeal and cheese. You can use your favorite hard cheese, but I usually go with cheddar.
Start by preheating the oven to 425°F.
1. Mix all dry ingredients. Stir to combine.
2. Add butter. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, incorporate the butter into the dry mixture. Use cold butter and watch the video for visual guidance.
3. Add cheese. Combine quickly with your hands or a spoon.
4. Mix sour cream with milk.
5. Add milk mixture and stir until dough is formed and no dry spots remain.
6. Using a cookie scooper or spoon, scoop and drop dough on a lined baking sheet.
Once they’re in the oven, these cheese biscuits are ready in about 15 minutes.
What to eat with it?
Looking for options to have with these biscuits?
- Butter is amazing to have with those, specially when they’re just out from the oven;
- If you have a sweet tooth, try drizzling some apple honey on it;
- And if you’re in the mood for a sweet and savory mix, this easy caponata is a good call.
Ready to bake delicious cornmeal drop biscuits?
📖 Recipe
Easy Cornmeal Drop Biscuits (No Buttermilk)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup butter cold
- 1 cup cheese
- 1 cup milk cold
- ¼ cup sour cream cold
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 425°F.
- Mix all dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda and powder, salt, sugar and cornmeal. Stir to combine.
- Add butter. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, incorporate the butter into the dry mixture.
- Add cheese. Combine quickly with your hands or a spoon.
- In a medium bowl, mix sour cream with milk.
- Add milk mixture to the butter cheese mixture and stir until dough is formed and no dry spots remain.
- Using a cookie scooper or spoon, scoop and drop dough on a lined baking sheet.
- These cheese biscuits are ready in about 15 minutes. They'll be golden yellow on top, and will look set.
- Serve warm.
Adekanye Udokama
Pls what can I substitute in place of cornmeal
Milk and Pop
Hi Adekanye, I never tried those without cornmeal, but if I needed to substitute it I would probably add more all-purpose flour. For 1 cup of cornmeal, add 1 cup +2 tbsp of ap flour. I also would add another 1/3 to 1/2 cup of cheddar to compensate on flavor (I find that cornmeal makes this recipe really flavorful). Hope you like it!