2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chipotle powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups grated and tightly packed sharp cheddar cheese
1¼ cups buttermilk
1 large egg
Kosher salt
Honey butter, for topping
To make honey butter, simply combine room temperature butter and honey. I like a ratio of 2:1, but you can do equal parts of each if you want it sweeter. Stir with a spatula until combined and add salt to taste.
Heat oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick baking mat.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, pepper, chipotle powder, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and salt. Add the butter and, using your hands (my preference) or the back of a wooden spoon, work the butter into the dough. Continue working until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the cheese and continue mixing to incorporate it into the dough.
Whisk the buttermilk and egg together in a small bowl. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined, taking care not to overmix.
Use a small ice cream scoop or ¼-cup measuring cup to scoop the dough and drop it into mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake in the center of the oven for about 20 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with plenty of honey butter. The biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
*To make the honey butter we use on these biscuits, simply combine 3 parts room temperature butter to 1 part honey and mix until incorporated