Karen’s Sweet Tooth Blog

How To Bake A Better Biscuit

Aunt Lillian was born and raised in Sale City, Georgia. She never went north of Atlanta, nor south of Valdosta, but her reputation for Georgia cooking did.

Aunt Lillian biscuits were originally patted by hand—they still are. Her biscuits are as golden as summer squash, light as cotton and homemade never tasted soooooooo good!

She taught me how to make them, since she said, “I was eatin’ more than my fair share so I needed to put in my fair share of bakin’ ‘em”.

Aunt Lillian shared a few of tidbits for baking her Georgia Biscuits:

• Fire up your pit. Should be good and hot. You can move the biscuits to the outer edges and cook your meat or soup in the middle. (Translation: pre-heat stove to 450 degrees).

• Use White Lily Flour. If you can’t find White Lily make sure use soft spring flour. When asked what is “soft spring flour” I was told, “ain’t got no bizness bakin’ biscuits if I don’t know about flour”. (Translation: For tender, flaky biscuits use flour that is lower in protein).

• Buttermilk must be cold. Mix enuf buttermilk to bring the dough together should be a little bit sticky before you turn it out on the cuttin’ board. Too much buttermilk—“well you got yo’self some good pancake batter. Try to make biscuits another day”.

• Mix just enuf for the dough to come together, don’t “rough up” your dough too much or you are going to have some mighty “tuff” biscuits. Turn it over 3-4 times on a cuttin’ board that has a little flour on it. (Translation: Knead it lightly)

• Pinch off a chunk, roll it, “pat down” and put in iron skillet. Cooking in a pie tin sometimes doesn’t hold the heat evenly. “Biscuits sides should touch each other to hold themselves up”.

• Always make them with a “lot of luv.” Don’t rush makin’ your food or eatin’ it. Biscuits taste better and go down easier.

I just had to ask, “Aunt Lillian, how long do you cook them”? Her reply, in typical Southern logic, “Don’t be silly, child…you cook ‘em till they done”!

From My Sweet Tooth To Yours,

Karen B.

© Karen Bolt 2007 – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

My niece, MiKayla and I, always bake Butter Pecan Belgian Chocolate Chip Cookies. It is our special Auntie and niece time to laugh, learn, and love those special shared moments.

Our making of cookies is as much fun as her teaching me texting jargon. I taught her that pre-heat means before you put cookies in the oven, not after. She taught me that melted leftover Belgian Chocolate Chips make great lipstick.

Aromas of rich chocolate, roasted pecans and hints of vanilla fill the kitchen and we wait in anticipation for the crispy cookies to finish baking. MiKayla, in her youthful wisdom says, “Auntie, the cookies remind me so much of you…kinda like warm hugs on a plate. I love you Auntie!”

Well that just about bakes it up. Life doesn’t get much better than that.

Have you had your warm hug today? Butter Pecan Belgian Chocolate Chip Cookies are a direct hug from me.

From My Sweet Tooth To Yours,

Karen B.

© Karen Bolt 2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Karen makes Madea’s Peach Cobbler on YouTube

MADEA’S PEACH COBBLER

FILLING

1 can 15 oz. peaches (with syrup)*
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup sugar

CRUST

½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
½ cup sugar
¼ stick butter (room temperature)

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This morning I was baking a special order pound cake, mixing the ingredients it brought back memories.

I remember sitting on the back porch in anticipation of the first slice. The screen door with its rusted hinge forever slamming every time someone went into the house, turned into a fan with each opening and closing sending aromas of vanilla, lemon along with eggs, butter and sugar tasting—not wafting—through the air (Yep, you could definitely taste the air!).

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MY SWEET TOOTH – Welcome to my blog.

Tradition has been preserved.

This site is dedicated to my mother Millie B., her sisters—Lillian and Mother Dear (affectionately called Madea). My mother and her sisters were born and raised in Valdosta, Georgia. It is from this southern/heritage that I continue their recipes for my cakes, cookies and pies.

I grew up in Denver, Colorado. But having southern roots, Mz. Millie made sure my sister Pam and I always experienced summer vacations with ripe summer watermelons, seasoned fried chicken, hand churned peach ice cream and prayer book Sundays in her hometown of Valdosta.

The food experience was amazing. If it (it being corn, peaches, pecans, beans—you name it!) didn’t grow in Aunt Lillian’s or Madea’s backyards certainly one of the neighbors were growing it.

And the taste—OMG!

My fondest memory of my food travels to Valdosta, was always knowing that Madea had a “Sock-It-To-Me” cake baked only for me. A pecan cinnamon swirl rafting through the heart of a thick batter, yielding to the final outcome of a rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth pound cake with a little crunch.

When asked for the recipe, it was given to me on a grease spotted scrap piece of brown paper bag with burnt edges. The recipe called for a “pinch of this”, “a dash of that”, “a couple of handfuls of flour”, “churned butter, but don’t get too much cream…mix in a LOT OF LOVE. Love being the key ingredient.

This is the purpose and essence of my baking. To translate these old hand written recipes into measureable ingredients and immeasurable amounts of LOVE without sacrificing taste.

From My Sweet Tooth To Yours,

Karen B.

PS. I still have the Sock-It-To-Me-Cake recipe that Madea gave me. It is enclosed in a piece of plastic wrap, stuck in old recipe book with dog-eared pages and missing the spine. Tradition is preserved…
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