Sweet Potato Beer Biscuits

I am on a beer cooking kick at the moment.  There are a few to blame for this.  First, the Better Beer Society for tasking us, the students, with pairing a harvest beer with a meal.  Second, the breweries for continuing to release such wonderful and inspiring harvest beers.  Third, our CSA for loading our last boxes to overflowing with sweet potatoes, squash and other amzaing fall bounty.  And fourth, the Beeroness, Jackie, for continually posting such mouth watering recipes.

A perfect storm...

adapted from Jackie at the Beeroness

yields approximately 10 biscuits

The Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, cooked, peeled and mashed (about 3/4 cup)
2/3 cup ale (pumpkin, Oktoberfest or hefenweizen)
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter (1 stick) cubed
additional butter, melted, for brushing

for the maple sage butter
3 Tbsp butter, softened
1-2 sage leaves, finely minced

1 tsp pure maple syrup.

The Process:
Preheat the oven to 425

In a medium bowl, mash the beer and sweet potato together until well combined.

In a second bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cinnamon.  Using a pastry cutter or your fingers add the butter, mixing and cutting until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the sweet potato mixture to the flour and mix until just combined.  Using well floured hands, roll the dough into a ball and turn out onto a well floured work surface.  Flatten and shape the dough into a rectangle about 6x14-inches and  about  1 1/2 inch thick.  Using a floured knife, divide the dough into 10 equal rectangles.  Transfer the biscuits to a parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush generously with melted butter.

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Meanwhile, mash remaining butter, sage and maple syrup together in a small bowl.  Form into a small pad and chill until ready to use.

Serve the biscuits warm with flavored butter.