Accidentally Vegan: Savory Biscuits

Either version of these is really good.

Somewhere along the line, I became a fan of home-made biscuits, so I was pleased when Bon Appetit published a recipe for sour cream and scallion drop biscuits. Naturally, I made them, and my wife and I declared them “delicious.”

Next time around, I wanted to make them without all of the fat contained in 1.5 cups of sour cream, so I scoured the web for an alternative: and found one. You’ll be surprised at this recipe, and maybe even more surprised that the alternative sour cream-version tasted and looked nearly identical to the sour cream-made batch.

A closer look.

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups regular flour
• 2t baking powder
• 2t kosher salt (or not: I used just a pinch)
• 1t sugar
• ½t baking soda
• 6T melted unsalted butter (or margarine)
• 2-4 thinly sliced scallions
• 1.5 cups sour cream (I made a vegan alternative, below)
• 2T melted unsalted butter (or margarine)
• Hot paprika

Sour cream alternative (from the Blender Girl’s website):

• 12oz package of silken tofu
• 2T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2T lemon juice (fresh, if possible)
• 1t coconut nectar (I skipped this ingredient)
• 1/4t sea salt

Throw all of this stuff in a blender and blast it on high, until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender.

Now for the biscuits:

What to do:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and baking soda.
2. Slowly add the 6T of melted butter (or margarine) and mix with your hands.
3. Put a well in the center of the dough and add the scallions and sour cream (or fake sour cream).
4. Mix until there are no more dry spots and a rough dough has formed.
5. Drop ½-cup dough mounds onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, about 1.5 inches apart. Gently brush the tops with butter (or margarine) and sprinkle with hot paprika, if you like.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
7. Cool on a wire rack—if they last that long.

Cook till slightly golden.