Jalapeño Popper Butter Swim Biscuits
If you’re in the mood for a delicious and easy-to-make biscuit recipe, then you’ll want to try these Jalapeño Popper Butter Swim Biscuits that are bursting with flavor and require no rolling or biscuit cutters!
ANOTHER NEW TAKE ON MY CLASSIC SWIM BISCUITS
If you have been around for any bit of time, you have probably seen many of my popular Butter Swim Biscuit recipes. We also call these Butter Dip biscuits because they are ‘dipped’ or ‘swimming’ in butter while baking. I have a ton of different variations and flavors on the site here. They’re so good, delicious, and insanely easy to make. You can literally have fresh, homemade biscuits easily on any night of the week. This one is so unique and I think is so, so good! If you like savory biscuits like these, check out more of my butter dip (or butter swim) biscuits linked below at the bottom of the post. You’ll also find sweet versions too!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
These biscuits are hardly spicy at all. The heat in jalapeños is caused by a chemical compound called capsaicin, which is located mostly in the white veins running through them, as well as in the seeds. The higher the concentration of capsaicin, usually directly corresponds to how spicy the jalapeno will be. However, since we use the jalapeno with the seeds and ribs removed, this won’t be a spicy biscuit. If you want the heat, feel free to leave the seeds in the jalapenos.
You may find that your biscuits will get brown a little faster from the added bacon. If this starts to brown your butter dip biscuits before they’re finished baking, just tent them iwth aluminum foil about halfway through the baking time so they don’t get burnt on top while they finish baking all the way through. I also recommend baking these on a middle rack, not a top rack as the upper part of your oven is hotter than the rest.
You bet! Sometimes we don’t always have the time to crisp up some fresh bacon, or we may not have any on hand. So, you can absolutely use store bought bacon crumbles or bacon pieces in its place for this recipe.
I think buttermilk brings a nice rich flavor to these biscuits, but if you’re out, there are a few things you can do. You can make your own buttermilk with vinegar or lemon juice and regular milk, or you can use heavy cream in place of the buttermilk. You really need that fat here to keep these biscuits tender. You can technically use milk but they will turn out more crumbly since there isn’t as much fat in milk as there is in buttermilk and heavy cream.
This typically happens when you use a metal baking dish. So, I always recommend using an oven safe glass baking dish when making any of my butter swim biscuit recipes. Also, as I said above, do not bake on the top rack and if you see them getting too dar, just tent with aluminum foil until they’re done.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container or zip top bag with the excess air removed. Pop them in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Reheat your biscuits in the oven or air fryer if possible as the microwave may change the texture a bit (but they’ll still taste great!)
Additionally, you can freeze leftover biscuits in a freezer safe bag or container for up to 2-3 months. Thaw and reheat in the oven or air fryer when ready to eat again.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- salted butter – you can use unsalted if that is all you have but you might want to add another teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
- all-purpose flour – my favorite flour for biscuits will always be White Lily flour but I know that isn’t available everywhere. This recipe works great with any all purpose flour (you can use self-rising flour too, just leave out the baking powder and salt in the recipe since that is already included in self-rising flour).
- granulated sugar – this may not seem necessary but it really brings a balance to the buttermilk in the recipe but it does not make the biscuits sweet at all.
- aluminum-free baking powder – we use a good amount in this recipe and if you’re sensitive to the aluminum in baking powder, grab the aluminum free. I can taste it in recipes but some people can’t so this is optional depending on your preference.
- salt – just regular table salt.
- garlic powder – don’t skip this or the onion powder, it adds a lot of flavor.
- onion powder – I don’t think I would use freshly diced onions here, stick to the powder.
- cream cheese – you don’t need this to be at room temperature like most baked goods require. Just use the lines on the packaging that show you where to cut out two ounces.
- buttermilk – you want this to add moistness and creaminess to the biscuits. It keeps them super moist. You could also use heavy cream. Technically you could use milk but the biscuits will come out more crumbly. Real buttermilk will always make the best biscuits.
- freshly shredded cheddar cheese – I think freshly shredding the cheese really is the way to go here but if you’re short on time, you can use the pre-shredded stuff.
- crispy bacon – you can use the bagged store-bought bacon pieces.
- jalapeños – it wouldn’t be jalapeño popper biscuits without the jalapeños and this bread isn’t spicy but you can leave these out if you prefer. The heat from jalapeños is really in the pith and seeds so remove those to remove any heat.
HOW TO MAKE JALAPEÑO POPPER BUTTER SWIM BISCUITS
Preheat oven to 450F degrees. Spray an oven-safe glass or ceramic 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it). In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Separate the small cubes of cream cheese and add them to the flour, stir them in so they don’t stick to each other.
Pour in the buttermilk. Stir until a sticky batter forms. If batter still seems too dry add a tad bit more buttermilk until the batter is thick and sticky.
Finally, gently stir in shredded cheddar, bacon, and jalapenos. Gently stir until combined well.
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt stick of butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter into prepared baking dish (or you can melt the butter directly in the dish if you prefer.) Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough. Tip: I will spray my hand with some nonstick spray to help spread the dough out evenly in the pan.
Cut the dough into 9 squares (as best you can). This will help with cutting later when the biscuits are baked.
Bake (on the middle oven rack) for about 25-30 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
Oven times DO VARY since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch. Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean with no batter, they are done! Slice and serve!
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
Jalapeno Popper Butter Swim Biscuits (+Video)
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 ounces cream cheese, small diced
- 1 ¾ cups buttermilk (you may need up to 2 cups)
- 1 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- 8 slices bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
- 2 small jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed, small diced (or one large jalapeño)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F degrees (yes, that is the correct temperature). Spray an oven-safe glass or ceramic 9×9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray (I like the kind with flour in it).
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Separate the small cubes of cream cheese and add them to the flour, stir them in so they don’t stick to each other.
- Pour in the buttermilk. Stir until a sticky batter forms. If batter still seems too dry add a tad bit more buttermilk until the batter is thick and sticky.
- Finally, gently stir in shredded cheddar, bacon, and jalapenos. Gently stir until combined well.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt stick of butter in the microwave. Pour melted butter into prepared baking dish (or you can melt the butter directly in the baking dish if you prefer as long as it's not metal – I don't recommend using metal for these biscuits).
- Pour biscuit dough into baking dish (right on top of the melted butter.) Some of the butter will run over the top of the dough. Tip: I will spray my hand with some nonstick spray to help spread the dough out evenly in the pan.
- Cut the dough into 9 squares (as best you can). This will help with cutting later when the biscuits are baked.
- Bake (on the middle oven rack) for about 25-30 minutes, rotating dish once during baking.
- Oven times DO VARY since different ovens have different hot spots, but basically biscuits should be golden brown on top and spring back to the touch. Insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean with no batter, they are done! Slice and serve!
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- The biscuits will get extra brown when adding in the bacon, if need be, cover with foil halfway through so they do not brown too much.
- You can use store-bought bacon pieces
- Heavy cream can be substituted for buttermilk.
- I don’t recommend metal pans when making these butter swim biscuits. They can burn the edges of the biscuits before the middle has had a chance to fully cook.
- Leftover should be stored in the fridge for a few days or you can freeze for up to 2-3 months.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
I’ve been making butter swim biscuits for a few years. these are delicious. I would add a little bit more Heat next time. worth the extra effort! thank you for the recipe!
I’m a huge fan of your “regular” Butter Swim Biscuits and can’t wait to try this version. Although… I think it has too many delicious flavors going on to serve with my sister’s homemade Persimmon Habanero Jam like I do with the original biscuit.
I appreciate how you write out the recipe and explain the ingredients – makes for a successful bake.
Thanks so very much Vicki – I absolutely loved reading your comment! And that jam sounds absolutely fabulous!! I might need that recipe LOL
Could I use eggs in this recipe to make it a breakfast recipe?
Do you mean like scrambled eggs? Yes, I think that would work!
Do you think you could use pickled jalapenos in this recipe?
I don’t see why not 🙂