Waffling Leftovers: Biscuits

I went through a phase where I used my waffle iron to prepare nearly all food.  Well, all my leftovers that is.  For many things, the effort of throwing leftovers into a waffle iron was just as easy as heating up any other way, and for most, the results were spectacular.  I had a ton of fun, a ton of successes, and really did evangelize it extensively.  You can check out my master post for more of those adventures.

I still use my waffle iron, or just panini plates, on my trusty Griddler many times a week.  But it has been ages since I've tried a new item.  At long last, a new creation: waffle iron leftover biscuits.

To answer the age old question: Will it waffle?  This one is an easy yes, and, another case of improvement.  Adding to my repertoire ...

The Original: Classic Bisquick Biscuits.

On Christmas morning, my mother makes a lovely brunch spread, complete with my favorite bread pudding (from Smitten Kitchen, the pumpkin bread pudding - soooooo good!), phenomenal sticky buns (King Arthur Flour recipe), and a slew of savory brunch staples (bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, multiple egg dishes, etc, etc, etc).  A neighbor always gives us her homemade fantastic walnut streusel coffee cake, which really rounds out the whole spread.  It is a lovely feast, with plenty of sweet carbs (my favorite breakfast items!)

My mom also usually makes muffins and scones, which always just feels like overkill at that point.  They are good, don't get me wrong, but no one really has space for them, and they just pale in comparison to the other offerings.

So this year I suggested something different: biscuits.  I was thinking that they could be quite versatile, and allow people to take them in any direction they wanted.  In the mood for savory rather than more sweet?  Split in half, and fill with the egg scramble, or sausage and cheese, or smother with leftover Christmas eve feast gravy.  Want something just a touch sweet?  Add mom's homemade cranberry orange honey butter.  More sweet?  Treat like shortcake and add fresh berries and whipped cream.  So. Many. Options.

I loved them fresh with sausage and maple syrup.  I really, really loved them later in the day warmed up and slathered with the cranberry orange honey butter.

Day Old Biscuits: Waffling!

But the next morning ... they had lost their splendor.  The flavor was muted, the texture a bit off.  Not stale exactly, but nothing like the previous day.

Biscuits are just one item that does not do well a day old.  Which I knew from plenty of experiences, I've yet to find a biscuit that really holds up, no matter the style (classic southern buttermilk, sweeter shortcake biscuits, more scone-like biscuits ...).

So what do you do with day old biscuits?  I often use them mixed into bread pudding.  But we had tons of leftover bread pudding (and cornbread stuffing) so we really didn't need another dish like that.  Thus, into the waffle iron they went.

I split a biscuit in half, inserted at 350*, and let it go for just a few minutes.

Waffled Day Old Biscuit.

It toasted up nicely.  I'm sure I could have gotten a similar effect from a toaster or toaster oven, although I think I got more crispy bits this way, as there are more contact points.

Plus, just like with normal waffles, the newly created pockets would be great for holding toppings!

Waffled Biscuit with Toppings.

One half got the sweet treatment, fluffy marshmallow whipped cream and sprinkles, and the other half got more of that homemade cranberry orange honey butter (can you tell I couldn't get enough of it?)

Both ways worked, although the sweet one clearly needed more embellishment, and right after the photo was taken, fresh berries and a bit of ice cream were added.  The cranberry orange honey butter version was a complete winner though, I loved how the butter pooled up inside the pockets, and added plenty more.

I was very pleased with the results, more functional (pockets!) than the original, nearly as tasty as the first day, and it really saved these leftovers.