by Amelia Schaffer

Created on: June 17, 2009

My mother taught me to make these biscuits when I was maybe ten. They're very simple and yet so delicious! I like to whip up a quick batch in for desserts with some fresh strawberries or a nice jam.

Mix together 2 cups flour and 4 teaspoons baking powder. Use a fork to incorporate 1/4 cup vegetable shortening until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in 3/4 cup milk.

Now, here's the really easy part. No need to roll out and cut them-in fact, all that work is bad for the dough, making it lose some of its nice fluffy texture. Instead, gently divide the dough into six or eight equal balls, flatten them slightly, and bake them on an ungreased cookie sheet at 425 Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.

That's it! Simple, easy biscuits at a fraction of the cost of canned dough, but with very little hassle!

Although if you want to get exciting, here are some things you can add to it:

- Green onions. About 3/4-1 cup thinly sliced green onion will give your biscuits a savoury, pungent flavor that goes very well with soups.

- Cheese. About a cup (4 oz.) of grated cheddar or Monterey jack will give you a delicious cheesy biscuit that only gets better when you top it with garlic butter. If you're feeling really adventurous, use pepper jack, or better yet add the green onions as well.

- Food coloring. Kids love dying their food different colors, and this is an easy recipe for kids to help you with. Just add a few drops of food coloring before you add the milk.

If you run out of milk (and don't we all, as soon as we need it?), don't let that block your biscuit craving. Just replace the milk with 3/4 c. cold water and about 1/4 c. unflavored coffee creamer. It's not great but it does the trick; in a baked good you can hardly tell the difference.

Now you're ready to make biscuits anytime!

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