Pioneer Woman's Buttermilk Biscuit Review

I recently started following the It's a Keeper blog and Christina has started a cookbook review, which I thought was a brilliant idea, especially since I just bought one of the cookbooks up for review...The Pioneer Woman.  Since I just ran across this project I didn't get much time to make anything to elaborate but I did whip up her buttermilk biscuits last night with dinner.  Here is the recipe straight from the book. 

Pioneer Woman's Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

Adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Cookbook

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (3/4 tsp table salt)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup chilled shortening
1/3 cup cold butter (5 1/3 tablespoons) cut into pieces

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Preheat your oven to 450F.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Stir together. Then add the chilled shortening and cold butter pieces.

3. With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. Pour in the buttermilk and mix gently with a fork until just combined. The dough will be a little sticky, not overly dry or crumbly.

5. Lightly flour a clean surface. Lightly dust your rolling pin with flour. Turn the dough out of the bowl and roll to a 1/2 to 3/4-inch thickness, depending on how thick you'd like your biscuits to be.

6. Cut rounds with a biscuit cutter and place them on a baking sheet.

7. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until golden brown. Do not underbake or the biscuits will be doughy. Brush the tops with melted butter.

This recipe makes 18 to 24 biscuits which is way to many for the four of us so I decided to 1/2 the recipe.  Not being the greatest at math this was no easy feat.  I did good until it came to 1/2 the Crisco.  Instead of doing 1/2 of a 1/3...I somehow doubled it.  Didn't seem to affect the biscuits outcome at all...they were fabulous.  They were a smidgen brown...so I don't know if maybe that was from the extra Crisco or perhaps I overcooked them a minute or two. 

What I liked about the recipe: 

1.  They were easy to make. 
2.  Did not take a long time.
3.  Compliment just about any meal...heck we had Beans & Weenies with ours....so see what I mean by complimenting ANY meal? 
4.  The kids actually liked them. 

What I didn't like: 

1.  They were slightly crumby so when I cut them in half they crumbled a bit. 
2.  I couldn't resist them when they came out of the oven...so three biscuits later I had ruined my dinner. 
3.  The recipes in this cookbook make large portions.  Wish they were smaller portioned recipes so I wouldn't have to do so much math. 

In addition to making the biscuits I followed the Pioneer Woman's advice and whipped together a honey butter.  You take equal parts butter and honey and whip them together.  Makes a PERFECT spread for these delicious biscuits. 

I would definitely recommend this recipe.  Now I must get off of here because tonight I am making her buttermilk fried chicken and blackberry cobbler.  I have some left over biscuits that should compliment this meal perfectly!!!