Makeover or not to Makeover?

So I've been trying a lot of recipes lately out of my Taste of Home Healthy Cooking magazines - I've been trying to watch what I eat and not only are they tasty, typically easy recipes, they also include nutritional information, which a lot of recipe books and magazines don't do.  One of their features lately was making over restaurant favorites including Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits.  Now as someone who actually used to work at Red Lobster and knows what gets done to these biscuits to make them so amazingly tasty, I was skeptical of a recipe that claimed to cut half the fat and 1/3 of the calories.  While these did not match the Red Lobster goodness that we all know, they were pretty close and if you're really watching your calories and fat, they're a good way to have a small indulgence. 

 

So here's what you need:

 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 4 Tbsp cold butter, divided
• 1/3 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes

 

 

 

In a good size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder and baking soda.  Cut in 3 Tbsp butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add cheese.  Stir in buttermilk just until moistened. 

 

Drop by two tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet greased with cooking spray.  Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Melt remaining butter; stir in parsley and remaining garlic powder.  Brush over biscuits and serve warm. 

 

 

So overall, these are a good biscuit.  Are they Red Lobster quality? Hell no.  For my taste, they needed additional salt and garlic and something was still missing from the biscuits.  Texturally, they did remind me of the Red Lobster biscuits but lacked in flavor.  The dough was also a pain to get onto the baking sheets as it was incredibly sticky.  And when they say serve warm, if you don't plan on eating them all when they come out of the oven, it means don't make them.  After they cooled, they were very dense and mealy.  Long story short, if you can afford the extra calories, just go to Red Lobster, but if not, then these are a decent substitute.