Sharp cheddar cheese, tart apples, and sweet buttermilk come together in these tender and delicious Apple-Cheddar Skillet Drop Biscuits. Hurry, get out your cast iron skillet!
These are so good on their own, but we love to serve them with our favorite easy chili recipe.
Easy Apple Cheddar Biscuits
I just want to eat drop biscuits all day long. I’d be good at that. I am not, however, good at gardening or ironing. So I think I should stick to something with a higher probability of success. HA.
For years now, friends and readers have been encouraging me to try apple pie with cheddar cheese. I haven’t been avoiding it on purpose, really. I just can’t bring myself to spend all that time making an apple pie, only to put cheddar cheese on top…hoping I’ll like it. But people swear by the combination.
I’d say these Apple-Cheddar Skillet Drop Biscuits are an excellent indication that I would like that pie, though. Because these are awesome. As usual, the salty, sweet, tart combination is great.
Next time I make them will either be with a bowl of soup or a cooked sausage patty as a breakfast sandwich. Bet that would be YUM. But honestly, they’re amazing all on their own.
Ingredients Needed
The feature ingredients of these biscuits is, of course, apples and cheddar cheese.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Apple: We use a Granny Smith apple for this recipe because the tartness works really well with the other ingredients, but any firm apple would be fine.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Grated fresh off the block, not pre-shredded. Fresh cheese will melt better and give you the best flavor.
- Flour: Simple all-purpose flour is great for this simple biscuit recipe. The flour should be spooned and leveled when measuring, not scooped.
- Granulated sugar: Just a little sugar to balance out the tart apples and sharp cheddar.
- Salt: to enhance the other flavors.
- Thyme: Fresh thyme has a nice sweet and a little bit peppery flavor.
- Unsalted butter: You’ll need cold and cubed butter for the biscuits and melted butter for the bottom of the cast iron skillet. If all you have is salted butter, omit the additional salt added.
- Baking powder & Baking soda: These are leavening agents that will give the biscuits some lift.
- Buttermilk: For richness and moisture which helps make a tender biscuit.
How to Make Skillet Biscuits
This is a really easy biscuit recipe, without the need to chill or knead the dough. Here’s a brief summary:
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and don’t miss the video below.)
- Combine the dry ingredients: whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda.
- Cut in the butter: Using a pastry blender (or your hands), cut in the butter until mixture resembles crumbs.
- Add the other ingredients: Stir in cheese and thyme. Add in the buttermilk and apples, stirring until just combined. (Do not over mix.) Dough will be wet and sticky.
- Divide dough: Divide dough into 12 equal portions, about 1/4-1/3 cup each, and drop mounds into a 12-inch cast iron skillet that’s coated ith melted butter.
- Bake: Bake in 2 450 degree F oven until golden and cooked through, about 20-22 minutes (tenting with foil halfway through to prevent excess browning.)
Tips for Success
- Measure the flour correctly: The flour should be spooned and leveled when measuring, no scooped. Too much flour will result in a dry, crumbly biscuit.
- Shred the apples: By shredding the apple into thin small strands, it eliminates the need for peeling or pre-cooking. You can cut the apple into small cubes if you want, but this would require peeling them and also sautéing them in the skillet first, otherwise they won’t soften enough while baking. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a hand held grater, removing any excess moisture.
- Don’t have a cast iron skillet? A nonstick oven-safe 12-inch skillet or casserole dish will do, but you may have to bake the biscuits longer to get the same outcome, since cast iron is slower to heat, but holds heat better. Keep an eye on the biscuits toward the end and make sure they’re cooked through, and not spongy.
Storing Leftovers
Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
More Biscuit Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Apple Cheddar Skillet Drop Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter , cut into small cubes
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves , finely chopped
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup shredded Granny Smith apple
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda until combined. Using a pastry blender (or your hands), cut in the butter until mixture resembles crumbs.
- Stir in cheese and thyme. Add in the buttermilk and apples, stirring until just combined. (Do not over mix.) Dough will be wet and sticky.
- Coat the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet with the melted butter.
- Divide dough into 12 equal portions, about 1/4-1/3 cup each, and drop mounds into skillet.
- Bake until golden and cooked through, about 20-22 minutes, tenting with foil halfway through to prevent excess browning.
- Serve warm with a slab of butter!
- NOTE: Don't have a cast iron skillet? A nonstick oven-safe 12-inch skillet or casserole dish will do, but you may have to bake the biscuits longer to get the same outcome, since cast iron is slower to heat, but holds heat better. Keep an eye on the biscuits toward the end and make sure they’re cooked through, and not spongy. (For more information and helpful tips, please refer to the full article.)
Video
Nutrition
Other Notes
Awesome flavors! We polished off all 12 for dinner.
Can Bisquick be substituted for flour, etc?
Can this be made with a different kind of sweetener other than sugar? And what about something like milk or water instead of buttermilk. How would that work?
Made as written but preheated the cast iron skillet first to get an extra crust. These were great.
I love the idea and the biscuits look delicious but can I make this into a rolled biscuit and if so how would I accomplish this delicious biscuit?
I don’t have a cast iron skillet, so I used a regular heavy skillet. Cooked them a couple minutes long – came out delicious!
THESE WERE SO YUMMY