black pepper buttermilk biscuits

My bestie Ashley (yes, I say “bestie” in real life. These are things I do. Don’t judge.) tweeted a link to a post today about calling out all the awesomeness in life. At first, I thought it was just another one of those posts you read to waste some time at work (kind of like this one, which I sent to said bestie because she loves cats so much), but after reading it, I a) got a kick in my worry/Debbie Downer pants and b) suddenly paid better attention to what, in fact, is so awesome about life.

Now I know it’s been, like, 8 hours since I had this revelation, but it’s seriously amazing, you guys. Think about it — did that coffee you drank this morning perk you up? That’s fantastic! Did you get to hug your husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/mom/sister/dad/brother/bestie/pet turtle today? That is a gift. And this weird bout of warm weather is pretty freaking phenomenal, isn’t it? From the wise ol’ mouth of Kurt Vonnegut who said, “I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, ‘If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is,'” even the seemingly most minute things on Earth are worth being enthusiastic about — these black pepper buttermilk biscuits included.

I made these biscuits last Saturday after getting up ridiculously early for a weekend morning AND having already worked out. It was insane. I wanted to make them and wake up the husband with their intoxicating, delicious smell (heavy cream and butter, hello!), but of course he woke up before I had a chance to clean off the war zone of flour I created on the kitchen table (and also, maybe, in my hair and all over my pajamas). Still, even though I didn’t have one of those “perfect” moments where I’m all fancy and cute-looking on a Saturday morning and “Hey, babe, look how I made you some biscuits for breakfast in a sparkling-clean kitchen!” (which, let’s be honest, probably only happens never), having some time to sit down with my family to eat some yummy biscuits and talk about nothing is pretty dang awesome in itself.

So when you make these biscuits, be excited about them (making them, eating them, sharing them with someone you love — whatever). Even biscuits make the world a better place.

P.S. So does this.

Black Pepper Buttermilk Biscuits
Courtesy of Food Network

Yields: 20-24 biscuits

Ingredients:
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick), melted
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, chilled
1/2 cup heavy cream
Freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in cold butter with your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined.
Place dough on a lightly floured counter and roll out, using your hands, into a 10-by-12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick. Using a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut dough into circles and place them 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll out the scraps and repeat until most or all of the dough is used up.
Brush tops with heavy cream and sprinkle with a few dashes of ground pepper. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack with parchment paper or a baking sheet underneath (to catch the butter). Brush melted butter on tops of warm biscuits; serve.