Sweet Potato and Marshmallow Biscuits
Light, fluffy, spiced muffins with a hint of sweet. Delicious! Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
Light, fluffy, spiced muffins with a hint of sweet. Delicious! Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 pound sweet potatoes once roasted, you will use 3/4 cup of this
- 1/3 cup buttermilk try not to substitute. it really does make a difference.
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger ground (powder, not fresh)
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves ground
- 5 tablespoons butter cold
- 1 cup marshmallows miniature, or if using large, cut into quarters. i prefer large marshmallows. also, don't use fancy marshmallows here. they will melt instead of puff. i've tried different brands and find kraft jet puffed work the best.
- Carbohydrate 41.8268101792507 g
- Cholesterol 12.9818576446862 mg
- Fat 5.13572560086209 g
- Fiber 1.84128545263525 g
- Protein 3.35813165460958 g
- Saturated Fat 3.13665259166019 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (113g)
- Sodium 1201.11914558177 mg
- Sugar 39.9855247266154 g
- Trans Fat 0.420739482654917 g
- Calories 224 calories
Step-by-step
- The day before or a couple hours in advance, cook the sweet potatoes: Preheat oven to 400°F. Place sweet potato on a tray and roast until soft, about 1 hour. Let cool completely in its skin, then peel. Either run potato flesh through a potato ricer or mash it until very smooth. You’re looking for 3/4 cup (191 grams) mashed sweet potato (a one pound sweet potato generally yields about 1 1/3 cups total.)
- You’ll probably have turned your oven off by now, so if you're looking to cook these biscuits preheat it to 350°F. I say "If you're looking to cook these biscuits" because they are also perfect for freezing. Anyway, if you're cooking them, prepare a cookie sheet for baking either with aluminum foil, Silpat, or greasing. Whisk 3/4 cup reserved sweet potato puree with buttermilk until smoothly combined. In a separate large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, spices, and salt together. If you have a pastry blender, add the cold butter in chunks and use the blender to cut the butter into the flour mixture until the biggest pieces are the size of small peas. If you don’t have a pastry blender, cut the butter into small pieces with a knife and work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Your objective is not to get the dough too warm, so no over-mixing! (This is also why you are completely cooling the sweet potato before making this.) Next, add the sweet potato mixture to the flour mixture. If you're using a mixer, mix at the lowest setting. If you're using a spoon, stir and break it up until the mixture is in big, soft chunks. Get your hands in the bowl and gently knead the dough into an even mass, using as few motions as possible (and thus, warming the dough as little as possible.). Roll the dough out on a floured counter to a 1/2-inch thickness and divide evenly in half. Arrange marshmallows loosely over half of dough. If using large marshmallows, cut each marshmallow into quarters and place over half of dough. Place the second half on top of the marshmallows and use rolling pin to gently press the sides together, keeping the final dough thickness at a full inch. Dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter (or cup, or glass) in flour then form biscuits by cutting straight down and not twisting — this will help give your biscuits the maximum rise. Bake biscuits on prepared sheet for 13 to 15 minutes, until puffed and slightly golden on top. Cool on rack and enjoy as soon as possible. If you don't plan on eating them all at once, I suggest freezing as these biscuits really are best a couple of minutes out of the oven. To freeze, put the freshly made biscuits on a cookie sheet or tray lined with wax or parchment paper. Make sure the sheet will fit in your freezer. Put the sheet of biscuits in the freezer for at least 30 minutes, but longer if you can. Once frozen, transfer the biscuits to a freezer bag until needed. Bake at same temperature straight from freezer; biscuits will take about 2 minutes longer (15-17 minutes) to bake. Enjoy!
Standard buttermilk biscuits rely entirely on cold dairy fat for their flakiness, but this variation incorporates roasted root vegetable puree directly into the dough. Swapping standard starch for tuber solids changes the moisture levels significantly, demanding careful handling to prevent toughness. Roasting the sweet potato a day ahead ensures the flesh cools completely, which keeps the cold butter solid during the mixing phase.
Assessing doneness requires keen observation since the tinted interior hides the bake level. Watch for the exterior to turn lightly golden and the overall height to expand fully within thirteen to fifteen minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Pressing a finger gently against the side should yield a firm crust without feeling doughy inside. Standard metal baking sheets conduct heat evenly, preventing the bottom from burning before the center finishes cooking.
Standard grocery store gelatin-based confections behave much better in hot dough than artisanal varieties containing natural gums. Cutting large marshmallows into quarters distributes the sugar pockets evenly throughout the flour layers without creating giant hollow voids. Keeping the final dough thickness at a full inch provides enough structural support for the pockets to puff properly during baking.
Surplus unbaked portions freeze exceptionally well on a parchment-lined tray for thirty minutes before transfer to bags. Frozen pieces require no thawing prior to the oven, though extending the baking time by two minutes ensures the interior cooks thoroughly. Freshly baked items lose their optimal texture rapidly, making immediate consumption or proper freezing essential steps.
