Sweet Rosemary Drop Biscuits

These savory-sweet Rosemary drop biscuits have been a family favorite for years. It's an easy and quick recipe I have come to rely on whenever I want to make something special for breakfast or as a side for salads, hearty stews, or dinner meals. They are gluten-free and come together in less than 15 minutes (without baking time). Plus, I also share a dairy-free recipe that is equally worthy of serving at your table. Savory and slightly sweetened with sugar-free (homemade) jam or compote, these butter-crips baked goods are a delightful treat. Let's make these healthy-ish and easy drop biscuits!

This healthy and quick biscuits mix is so easy to make that you eventually concoct this without much thinking. They are soft on the inside with crisp edges and slightly sweet with a pleasant aromatic smell of Rosemary.

My husband grew up with Southern-Style biscuits and gravy. So I had some stiff judges amongst my family when it comes to the healthier version of these small baked goods. But they are here to stay! They taste delicious when dunked in jam or served with farmers' eggs. But they pair just as well with a hearty soup or chicken crockpot stew. And because they are so easy to bake, it is perfectly reasonable to make a weeknight batch if you wanted to. It's a great gluten-free biscuits recipe for the home cook.

Chose your gluten-free flour combo

So, I have two options for you.

• A dough part made with gluten-free all-purpose flour and buckwheat flour;
• Or instead of buckwheat you can choose a sweet and lighter ancient grain such as gluten-free Teff and add that to the mix;
• Both of these flours add their unique, pleasant taste and nutritional boost.

Baking with Buckwheat flour

If you are not familiar with buckwheat, this plant is not a grain, and despite its name, it is not a grass either like wheat. It's considered a "pseudocereal," a gluten-free fruit seed related to rhubarb that you can enjoy as a cereal or ground into flour.

On occasion, I like to use it in my gluten-free baking to add a subtle earthy flavor and extra dietary fiber. Plus, it is an excellent source of digestible plant protein and rich in vitamins and minerals.

I have used ground Kasha solely as a flour before to make my cinnamon vanilla waffles—you should try these. But this type of buckwheat (Kasha) is a toasted groat that already has nutty undertones and an aromatic flavor. Using regular store-bought Buckwheat flour by itself for baking can turn out somewhat bitter, and a bit too intense for some. However, mix the right amount of this "ancient grain" with gluten-free all-purpose flour, and you get beautiful rustic looking baked goods that are extra tender with delicious earthy flavors.

Baking with Teff Flour

Teff is a gluten-free whole grain and probably more well known to make breakfast porridge. Or, if you have ever eaten in an Ethiopian restaurant, then you no doubt have had it in the form of crepe-like sourdough bread (called injera.)

Teff flour adds a lovely natural sweetness to these biscuits and a beautiful rustic red-brownish color—they look gorgeous on any table. And they add a nice nutritional boost, especially when it comes to fiber, minerals, and as a source of plant-based protein.

Teff flour is now readily available in almost every store or online. You can also buy the whole grain and grind that into flour. But because its texture is extremely tiny, you'll have to be a bit more patient with the grinding process and let it run for a longer time—than let's say steel-cut oats—until you get a finer meal. A coffee grinder, Nutribullet works best in my experience, but any blender or food processor will do.

For this recipe, I mix one-fourth cup more to the gluten-free all-purpose flour than when using buckwheat flour due to its lighter texture.

Chilled real butter versus coconut butter

I have made these biscuits with either real butter or coconut butter at times. If you wish to keep it dairy-free, then the second option is a great alternative. Just note that these biscuits won't be as fluffy as when using regular butter—but still tender, and incredibly flavorful.

Add a touch of fruity jam or compote

I highly recommend adding a fruity jam or compote to the batter. It adds a slightly sweet punch that complements the peppery Rosemary and the nutty flavors of Teff or Buckwheat flour. And the biscuits become heavenly soft on the inside—savory, healthily sweet, with a crispy top. Here are some suggestions for jams or compotes I usually use.

• My favorite is homemade Rhubarb compote primarily when you use buckwheat flour. But if you have no time to make this, use a storebought sugar-free compote or jam with a rhubarb flavor.
• Other great options are storebought berry jams, also preferably sugar-free—I love St. Dalfour. Any berry jam will do or feel free to play around with different flavors—maybe a blueberry orange marmalade.
• I have also used a sugar-free apple butter before, and this works exceptionally well when combined with the Teff flour combo.

Serving suggestions

I don't have to tell you that they are, of course, perfect for breakfast or Sunday brunch. My daughter loves to slather them with (coconut) butter and dip them in jam while my husband prefers them with an egg dish.

But they also can be a welcome side to hearty soups or healthy salads or egg salads for lunch.

And don't count them out for dinner to complement stews or make these biscuits burgers with Italian flavors.

Always love to hear if you tried out this recipe and if it worked for you. Let me know in the comment below or simply message me. Go ahead and PIN this recipe to your gluten-free board and follow me on Pinterest to see what other fun things I share. Don't forget to subscribe!

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Yield: Yields about 9 biscuits

Sweet Rosemary Drop Biscuits

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

An easy gluten-free biscuits recipe with Rosemary and (sugar-free) jam or compote. Perfect for breakfast, a festive brunch, or to complement your dinner table!

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Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
• 3/4 cup Buckwheat flour (for this recipe I used the organic, gluten-free buckwheat flour from Arrowhead Mills) or use 1 cup of Teff flour.
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 10 tablespoons unsalted real butter, chilled or 8 tablespoons coconut butter (to keep it dairy-free)
• 1 1/2 cups (sugar-free) berry jam of your choice or use my homemade rhubarb-pear compote or the rhubarb-apricots compote

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover the bottom of a large baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, and rosemary.
3. Add the chilled butter. Use your fingertips to rub and knead in all the butter, and the flour becomes crumbly. If using coconut butter, simply add and then lightly knead it in with your hands until well absorbed.
4. Add the jam or compote and knead into the flour mixture until well combined. The dough will be fairly wet and sticky.
5. Take about a handful of dough, roll into a ball and then flatten it lightly. Drop it on the prepared sheet and repeat until all dough has been used up. Space out the biscuits equally on the baking sheet. Another option is to use a 2,5-inch cookie dough scoop to mound balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet and slightly flatten them a bit with your finger.
6. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until brown and slightly firm at the top.
7. Remove from the oven and let them cool before serving.

Notes

Note: combining the dough mixture lightly by hand, makes the biscuits light and tender. You can make the biscuits smaller, but if you do check them after 15 minutes of baking.