Gluten-Free Blackberry Biscuits {Made with Whey}

This sweet berry biscuit is the perfect addition to a Sunday brunch.

I had a plethora of whey left over from some homemade cheese that I made and wanted to incorporate this into my baking. With my whey in hand, I decided to surprise the family with fresh blackberry biscuits for breakfast in the morning. As soon as these biscuits were out of the oven and cooling, everyone flocked into the kitchen to see what had been made. I’m not going to lie, the biscuits didn’t make it through the night.

So, here’s the warning: If you make these biscuits don’t expect them to last long. If you make a berry compote to drizzle on it – look out!

I used whey in this recipe because I had an over abundance of it from a cheese making project and have been trying to use it up. Whey can be used in lieu of liquids in baking. Sweet whey comes from cheese making where bacterial cultures have been used and the whey has been drained at a pH of 5.2 or above. This type of whey is used most for baking and can benefit your goods in two ways: it adds additional nutrition and the natural acidity makes a perfect dough conditioner. It reacts with baking soda to produce all the leavening (carbon dioxide bubbles) you need. The flavor is similar to using buttermilk and I have found it keeps the baked goods more moist (I may be wrong, but this is from my experience using it).

This gluten-free version came out delicious and it’s more nutritious compared to using wheat flours.

Gluten-Free Blackberry Biscuits

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 1/4 cups whey (if you don’t have whey, use buttermilk)
• 1 cup blackberries
• Course sugar to sprinkle on top

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spray baking pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the whey (or buttermilk) and melted butter.
4. Use the spatula to fold blackberries in with the ingredients together. Mix just until all flour is moistened. Mixture should be a cake batter consistency.
5. Brush with any remaining butter and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.
6. Bake in the preheated 425 degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Once cooled, use a pizza cutter to cut through biscuits and serve warm.