The weather is cooling down, the harvest moon is gearing up to make its big debut, and hot tea is brewing. Autumn is finally here and I love it.

 

Living in New York City, where we moved to pursue our music careers is truly magical during this time of year, but I must admit that nothing beats a good Midwest fall. With those grand harvests, open spaces, stargazing, and golden leaves crunching beneath our feet, fall in Michiana just makes me so happy. It’s time for apple picking, cozying up by the fireplace, and baking!

 

Growing up in South Bend, I remember waking up early, making breakfast with Dad, then heading over to Notre Dame’s Log Chapel for church before the big game. The night before, Mom and I would gather up all the ingredients to make cookies for the tailgate.

 

If you're gearing up to go tailgating or to a fall harvest gathering, be sure to double, perhaps even triple my “Irresistible Sweet Potato Biscuit” recipe. This recipe was gifted to me by a head chef in Jacksonville Florida and it is the crown jewel of my recipe-rolodex. I am excited to share this with you today.

Preheat the oven to 475ºF (230ºC) with rack on the middle shelf. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

 

Here is how to make sweet potato puree: Peel and cut 2 large sweet potatoes into 2-inch chunks. In a large saucepan, cover potatoes with water. Bring to a boil; cook until tender when pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain; puree by hand with potato masher or with a fork, if desired; season with coarse salt and ground pepper.)

 

Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, mix together freshly cooked sweet potato puree (make sure the puree is at room temperature as you don’t want to melt the butter). Add the softened butter to the puree, add in sugar, and mix; then take that mixture and stir quickly into flour mixture until combined (do not over mix— feel free to leave small chunks of the sweet potato puree in the mix. It should feel sticky to touch but still hold a shape. If needed, you can add in a tablespoon of flour if your mixture is too malleable.

 

Shape the biscuits: Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface, and knead very gently until dough comes together but is still slightly lumpy, five or six times. (If dough is too sticky, work in up to 3 tablespoons of additional flour.) Shape into a disk, and pat to an even 1-inch thickness. With a floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits as close together as possible. Gather together scraps, and repeat to cut out more biscuits.

 

Bake the biscuits: Place biscuits on a prepared baking sheet. Arrange biscuits neatly in rows. Bake for 13 -15 minutes until tall and lightly golden on the top. Pull them out of the oven once they have risen up and you can smell their sweet fragrance filling up your kitchen. Enjoy warm with butter, honey, or homemade jam!

 

Shine ON -

Jillian Speece | Nathaniel Hoff