You can make the sweet potato puree ahead of time and store it for up to a week before baking it into biscuits.
Photo by Karen Hermann
Makes 14–16
2 cups self-rising flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
¼ cup shortening, cut into ½-inch cubes and chilled
1 cup sweet potato puree (see tips/techniques below)
½ cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 F. Into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a dough blade, add flour, cinnamon and sugar and stir together. Add butter and shortening and pulse until the butter pieces are about the size of small peas (five to seven pulses). Pour into a large bowl, make a well in the center of the flour, and add the sweet potato puree and buttermilk to the well. Using a spatula or your fingers in a circular motion, fold the flour into the wet mixture. Mix just enough until a dough ball forms. Do not overmix! Turn dough out onto a clean, dry, floured surface.
Using your floured hands, pat dough into a round disk about ½ inch thick and fold in half. Repeat this step two more times. (Keep the surface floured.) Then pat dough into a disk ½ inch thick for normal biscuits or ¾ inch for tall biscuits. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour, cut out biscuits starting at the outside of the dough and working your way to the center. Combine leftover scraps to form additional biscuits. Place cut biscuits on a baking sheet or in a cast-iron skillet, sprayed lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 10–15 minutes until lightly brown. Serve hot.
Chef’s tip: How to make sweet potato puree:
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Cut a small slice off end of potatoes
- Lightly spray potatoes with olive oil
- Bake for 45–60 minutes, until tender
- When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth
- Store covered in refrigerator for up to one week
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Cook up sweet recipes for old favorite sweet potatoes—Sweet potatoes are not just for fries anymore. Branch out and start experimenting with this naturally sweet and delicious vegetable. Besides being packed with fiber, antioxidants and vitamin A, sweet potatoes are just plain good!