Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits

These are tender, old-fashioned, low-fat cookies that are seasoned with buttermilk, butter, and a little honey.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Spoon flour into dry measuring cups; smooth with a knife. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; beat the butter using a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse flour. Chill for 10 minutes.Mix buttermilk and honey, stirring with a whisk, until smooth. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture; mix until smooth.Place the dough on a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 4 times. Roll out the dough into a 9-inch x 5-inch rectangle (1/2-inch thick); sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Fold the dough crosswise into three pieces (as if folding a piece of paper to fit in an envelope). Roll out the dough into a 9-inch x 5-inch rectangle (1/2-inch thick); sprinkle the top of the dough with flour. Divide the dough crosswise into three pieces; gently roll out or pat to 3/4-inch thickness. Cut the dough with a 1 3/4-inch thick sponge cake tin to form 14 circles of dough. Place the dough circles 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 ° C for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan; cool 2 minutes on a wire rack. Serve warm.Pumpkin Spice Cookies: Add 1 1/4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to the flour mixture. Reduce the buttermilk to 1/3 cup; add 3/4 cup canned pumpkin to the buttermilk mixture. Bake at 400 ° C for 14 minutes. Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 1 sponge cake).CALORIES 122 (32% of fat); FAT 3 g (sat 6 g, mono 1 g, poly 2 g); PROTEIN 3 g; CARBOHYDRATES 9 g; FIBER 9 g; CHOLESTEROL 11 mg; IRON 1 mg; SODIUM 192 mg; CALCIUM 59 mgParmesan and pepper cookies: Add 1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to the flour mixture. Reduce the amount of butter to 1/4 cup. Add 1/2 cup (2 oz) grated fresh parmesan cheese to the buttermilk mixture. Bake at 400° C for 13 minutes. Yield: 14 servings (serving size: 1 sponge cake).CALORIES 131 (32% of fat); FAT 7 g (sat 9 g, mono 9 g, poly 2 g); PROTEIN 2 g; CARBOHYDRATES 5 g; FIBER 5 g; CHOLESTEROL 13 mg; IRON 9 mg; SODIUM 239 mg; CALCIUM 98 mg