5-Minute Olive Oil Drop Biscuits

Remember those magical Pillsbury Grand Biscuits that expanded out of a cardboard tube? The ones that were virtually instant and contained a radioactive ingredient list, but made you feel you all cozy and pastoral, because "freshly baked biscuits"?

Yes, I remember them well. They—along with Hot Pockets and Bagel Bites—formed the backbone of my latchkey childhood diet. 

Now that I'm pretending to be a grown-up, I don't feel as good about serving these at Chez Faye. (For full transparency: eating them myself is a different story, because I have a deep-rooted love for disgusting processed food and have very few standards for what trash I put in my body. Blame the latchkey childhood.)

But I hate baking bread from scratch. Not because I think gluten is evil—I'm more of the opinion that people who think gluten is evil are evil—but because it requires so much time, expertise, and mess, to toil over something you can buy for a few bucks at the market. 

These biscuits are the only exception. I bake them at least a few times a month, because:

• They use extra-virgin olive oil in lieu of butter/shortening, so they taste light and unctuously fruity.
• They come out golden and crusty on the outside, moist and pillowy on the inside.
• They don't sit in your stomach like stones you digest in a stupor of self-loathing.

Best of all, these biscuits take under 5 minutes to make the dough for. You only need one bowl to make the dough in, so they take less than a minute to clean up. Pop them in the oven now, or refrigerate the dough for later. 

And if you despise grocery shopping as much as I do, good news: you probably already have all the necessary ingredients in your pantry, with the exception of buttermilk. Just go out and buy a carton for couple of bucks. You can use the leftover in dressings, soups, pancakes, or for a few more dozen biscuits. 

[You only need stuff that's already in your pantry (unless you're a domestic degenerate) + buttermilk.]

[One bowl, one pan, and technically only one hand needed.]

5-MINUTE OLIVE OIL DROP BISCUITS

SERVINGS: Makes 5-6 biscuits (double this if you're serving more than 2 people)  | TIME: 15 minutes (active time: 5 min.)

WHAT YOU NEED

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup buttermilk (low-fat/light buttermilk works fine) 

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Preheat oven to 450 F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until well-combined. Pour in olive oil and buttermilk; stir until just moistened.
3. Divide batter into 5-6 portions, depending on how big you want the biscuits to be. Drop batter onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I like to take the full ball of dough in my hand and make 5-6 little dough piles, adding to them little by little to ensure even size and create extra ridges/textures.) Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges. 
4. Serve warm. Ideally with a pat of butter to melt in a split biscuit. 

Note: This recipe is delicious on its own, but it also forms the perfect base for fancier biscuits. Depending on what I have on hand, sometimes I'll add chopped rosemary; other times I'll throw in shredded cheddar and chopped jalapeños—whatever tickles your fancy.