Moosewood Quick Cinnamon Biscuits


Yields: 9 buscuits
Prep time: 25 minutes
Baking time: about 30 minutes

Cinnamon Sugar mix:
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Biscuit Dough:
2 21/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Icing
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons milk or heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of the cream and stir briskly until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. With your hands, fold the dough over a few times in the bowl, until all of the loose bits are incorporated and the dough is smooth.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands and gently pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle about 9 x 13 inches. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle evely with the cinnamon sugar mix.

Starting from a long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Slice into 9 equal rounds. Place the biscuit rounds, cut side down, in an unoiled 8-inch square baking dish or pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.

While the biscuits bake, prepare the icing. Mix together the confectioners' sugar and milk or cream until smooth. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately drizzle them with the icing. Serve warm.

Reprinted from Moosewood Restaurant New Classics, Copyright 2001 by Moosewood, Inc. Clarkson Potter/publishers New York.