Keto Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Low-Carb and Gluten-Free)

Always on the lookout for low-carb recipes, I stumbled upon an interesting version for the ever popular Cheddar Bay Biscuits, a national restaurant chain favorite.  I made the recipe as written and I have to say, they weren’t that great - not enough cheese, not enough garlic, and basically, not enough flavor!  So I tweaked, and tweaked, until I came up with this version which is full of cheesy-garlicky flavor.  And check out these nutritional stats: each of my biscuits contain 9 whole grams of protein and only 2 net carbs!  Compare that to the traditional version which contain only 3 grams of protein and a whopping 16 carbs.  Is my version exactly like the original?  Obviously not (although my husband says he likes mine better!), but this healthier version is surprisingly similar.  If you're looking for a low-carb, keto, or gluten-free version to try, I think you'll be very pleased with this recipe. 

Note: because my biscuits contain no gluten, they bake up a little flatter than the original, but baking them in a commercial quality pan like this one will produce fluffier biscuits.

Alternatively, you bake these biscuits in a professional quality muffin pan lined with these perfect silicone cupcake liners. You don’t have to spray them and they peel away perfectly every time. Also, they’re easy to clean and you can reuse them thousands of times.

The ingredients (clockwise from the top) - sour cream, an egg, almond flour (aka almond meal), sharp cheddar cheese, baking powder, salt, garlic powder (or granulated garlic), dried parsley, and melted butter.

Start by whisking the almond flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and parsley together.  The almond flour has a tendency to clump so use that whisk to break the clumps up.

That was easy.

Next toss the cheddar cheese into the almond flour mixture - this will keep all the bits of cheddar cheese separate when we add the wet ingredients. 

Here's a thought, I bet these would be good made with pepper jack cheese!  I'll have to give that a try.

Switch to a spatula and stir in the sour cream, egg, and melted butter.  

I don't know.... this is such a complicated recipe... JOKING!

Divide the batter into 6 equal portions (about 3 tablespoons each) and space evenly on a silpat-lined half sheet pan.

This recipe will make exactly 6 biscuits if you portion the batter with a #20 scoop (and it's a great size for dishing ice cream too!).  By the way, did you know the sweeper arm of most portion scoops will have a number which indicates the size of the scoop?  The #20 here means this scoop will measure 20 portions per quart.  Likewise, a #30 will portion 30 scoops per quart, and so on.  Who says food blogs aren't educational?

Ok, back to the biscuits… bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown all over.  The cheese will be as hot as lava so allow the biscuits to cool for a couple of minutes before serving. 

Oh my... I wish you could smell my kitchen right now! 

Enjoy these biscuits while they're warm and the cheese is all melty.  That’s all there is to it.

Alright, I can’t stand it… I'm totally dying here so I gotta go… Come to Mamma!!

Mmmmmmm...  I really, really, really, really, hope you'll give this recipe a try.  Oh, and don’t miss more of my keto recipes below. Happy Baking!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• almond flour (aka almond meal) https://amzn.to/3NuagOm

• #20 portion scoop https://amzn.to/3Jf65T8

• my favorite silicone baking mat https://amzn.to/3LjM8fM

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3ouO63l

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3hattc1

• oven thermometer (don't trust your oven!!) https://amzn.to/3WtpIOY

• optional commercial quality pan (for fluffier biscuits) https://amzn.to/3T1JwGd

• perfect release silicone cupcake liners https://amzn.to/3sRMJxk

---

Keto Cheddar Bay Biscuits (Low-Carb and Gluten-Free)

makes 6 biscuits

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup finely ground almond flour (or meal), sifted

• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (see notes below to be sure your baking powder is still active)

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or granulated garlic)

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

• 1/4 cup sour cream

• 1 large egg

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F and place rack in center position.

2. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, dried parsley, baking powder, garlic powder, and salt, being sure to break up any clumps.

3. Add shredded cheese and toss well to coat.

4. Add sour cream, egg, and melted butter, mixing well with a spatula until well combined.

5. Use a #20 scoop to divide batter into 6 equal portions and place on silpat-lined half sheet pan.

6. Bake for 10-13 minutes or until golden brown all over.

7. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving - these are best served warm.

Notes

• This recipe doubles well (and all 12 can be placed on the same sheet pan).  

• Be sure your baking powder is active by testing its effectiveness. To do this, stir 1/4 teaspoon baking powder into 1/4 cup hot tap water. If the baking powder fizzes, good. If not, discard and replace with a fresh container.

Keto stats for each biscuit:  9g protein, 4g carbs, 2g fiber.

Scratch Strawberry Shortcake

Shortcake definition:  A small cake made of sweet biscuit dough that is typically served as a dessert with fruit and whipped cream.

Yes please!!

View fullsize

Follow the directions below to make the biscuit dough.

View fullsize

Roll the dough until it’s bout 1/2-inch thick, then use the straight side of a double-sided cutter to cut out round biscuit shapes.

View fullsize

This recipe will make 6 shortcakes (plus a bunch of yummy scraps - more about them later).

View fullsize

Give the shortcakes a quick brush with buttermilk before they go in the oven.

View fullsize

Rerolled scraps of dough almost never bake up as well as the first rolling, so here's what I do with them...

View fullsize

I cut them into random pieces and bake them separately - they make a tasty snack. 

View fullsize

Since the random pieces are smaller, they'll bake a lot faster so keep an eye on them.

View fullsize

And there you go - the perfect vehicle for juicy strawberry filling and luscious whipped cream.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pastry blender https://amzn.to/2I9WvFR

• professional half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3rQrET4

• professional half sheet pan liner https://amzn.to/2UKeRTE

• double sided round cutter set https://amzn.to/3r2kMCW

• bench scraper https://amzn.to/2IjE0hm

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3II6mOo

---

Scratch Strawberry Shortcakes

makes 6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped and hulled fresh strawberries

• 1-2 tablespoons sugar

• 4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup buttermilk (shake well)

• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries and sugar together; chill until needed

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the softened butter; mix until no visible chunks of butter remain.

5. Stir in the buttermilk and egg until a shaggy dough forms.

6. Turn mixture out onto a floured surface and very gently press/knead the mixture together (don't overdo it - we want the shortcakes to remain tender).

7. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

8. Use 3-inch round cutter to cut out 6 shortcakes.

9. Place shortcakes on a silicone lined sheet pan.

10. Brush shortcake tops with buttermilk and bake for 40-45 minutes until they're golden brown (internal temp should be 205-210F).

11. Cool completely.

Nothing will pair better with these amazing treats than real freshly whipped cream.  Once you try it, you'll never go back to the canned stuff (or worse, the frozen non-dairy stuff).  

---

Homemade Whipped Cream

makes 3-4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 2-4 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk or beat cream, sugar, and vanilla until mixture doubles in volume and thickens considerably. Click here for photos.

2. To serve, cut the cooled shortcakes in half and top with generous dollops of whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy immediately. Recipe makes 6 servings.