Chocolate Gravy and Biscuits

I'm not sure if this is a Southern thing or not but I grew up eating Chocolate 'Syrup' and Biscuits. My mom made the 'syrup' out of Nesquick. Though I loved it and have very fond memories of many a Sunday morning eating this with canned biscuits (baked of course), I have since been introduced to Chocolate 'Gravy' which I actually like better. (No offense, Mom.) This is a recipe I found that my family LOVES!

First, I make a double batch of biscuits from scratch. I just barely started doing this because I always thought that it was going to be too hard and time consuming. It's not. The biscuit recipe that I use is from a Special Olympics recipe book that I bought from my friend Dottie last year. The recipe has always turned out very yummy biscuits until today. I think I may have mixed the dough too much because the biscuits turned out a little flat (they still tasted good).

Just a note before you get started: I almost NEVER have buttermilk or self rising flour on hand. This is what I do. For buttermilk, I actually make up 3/4 cups of powdered milk and add 2 TBSP of lemon juice. For self-rising flour, I add 1 tsp. salt and 1 TBSP baking powder to 2 cups flour. These substitutions work great.

LIGHTER-THAN-AIR BUTTERMILK BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 c. butter or margarine, cut up
• 2 c. self-rising flour
• 3/4 c. butter milk
• butter or margarine, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut butter or margarine into flour with a pastry blender until crumbly
2. Add buttermilk, stirring just until dry mixture is moistened.
3. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times.
4. Pat or roll dough into 3/4 inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter.
5. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 425* for 12-14 minutes.
   
7. Brush biscuits with melted butter. Yields 7 biscuits.
   

CHOCOLATE GRAVY

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 2 cups milk

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add cocoa and flour; stir until a thick paste is formed. Stir in sugar and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick.

ENJOY!