Dark Chocolate Orange Sticky Biscuits
You know sticky buns? These are kind of like those, except not at all. The first thing all my friends said when they tried these was, “Oh my God,” and then some more indistinguishable happy eating noises after that.
I love biscuits, and had a small crisis when I realized I have yet to publish a biscuit recipe on this blog. I had to fix that immediately, but at the time I was also feeling really creative and adventurous. The result: the most delectable dark chocolate, orange zest filled biscuits covered in orange cream caramel. Oh yes. Does it make any sense? No. Is it delicious? Yes.
The ingredients make this one. 70% cacao dark chocolate and a crap-ton of orange zest. And orange caramel. The orange has got to be strong to balance that deep dark chocolate. Then there’s full-fat sour cream to make the dough super soft and delectable.
Shaving the dark chocolate keeps there from being any disappointing chocolate-less bites. I tossed the chocolate with a few drops of Grand Marnier liqueur to up the orange flavor. As far as assembling the dough goes, just sift dry ingredients, add sour cream, zest, orange juice, and chocolate. That’s pretty much all there is to it!
The chocolate-packed dough gets cut into rounds and baked in a super hot oven. Placing the biscuits close together while they bake will help them get tall and fluffy.
While the biscuits are baking, make the orange cream caramel. Sugar, orange juice, and a little more zest start the bubbly sugar mixture. Then add the cream and watch it all come together.
Yummy biscuits warm out of the oven. Poke holes in the biscuits and drizzle the caramel over the top. Then devour immediately.
Dark Chocolate Orange Sticky Biscuits
Makes: 8–9 biscuits, Time: 30 mins prep, 10 mins baking
Ingredients: 2 cups pastry flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp cold butter, 1 cup sour cream, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp orange zest, 2 tsp fresh orange juice, 2–3 oz shaved dark chocolate
For the glaze: 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, 1/2 tsp orange zest, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup heavy cream, pinch of salt
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
2. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.
3. Cut two tablespoons of cold butter into the dry ingredients using a pastry blender or two knives.
4. Mix sour cream with soda and vanilla, then add to dry ingredient mixture. Add orange zest and mix with a fork until dough starts to come together.
5. Add chocolate and gently fold it into the dough with your hands. Add orange juice gradually until you can form the dough into a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 10–15 minutes.
6. Roll out dough to about 1 inch thickness on a lightly floured clean work surface. Use a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut out rounds. Place close together on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.
7. While the biscuits bake, make the glaze. Heat orange juice, zest, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Gently stir the mixture, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent it from burning. Bring the mixture to a roiling boil and allow it to thicken, then turn the heat off.
8. Add cream to sugar and orange juice mixture and then increase the heat to medium again. Continue stirring and cooking until sugar begins to caramelize and thicken, then transfer the glaze to a bowl.
9. Remove biscuits from oven and poke a few holes in each biscuit with a toothpick. While they are still warm, spread the glaze over the top. Top with more chocolate if desired.
Sometimes the best baked goods are the ones that don’t make sense. They’re the wonderful mysteries that you take a risk and bite into, and they change your world. Make these biscuits for breakfast, brunch, dessert- it doesn’t matter.
Next time you bake, create.
It’s rewarding and yummy too!
