Happy almost-Mother’s Day to all those baby mamas out there who are crushing it. To the ones who are working hard to raise babies, punch time clocks and so on and so forth. You work it 365 days a year, usually without any thank you, awards or so much as time to enjoy an extra generous pour of wine during the witching hour.

Mother’s Day is a day where, in an ideal world, you would get to do you. You could wake up, leisurely enjoy a cup of coffee and, maybe, nibble on one of these honey nut biscuits. There’d be flowers waiting at your bedside, and well-behaved children would have already fed, groomed and entertained themselves while you adjusted to the morning light.

But let’s be real: the chances of that happening are slim. More than likely, there’s a dirty diaper or a Cheerios explosion waiting for you. There’s a dishwasher to unload, laundry to fold and a few knees that will require bandages.

Motherhood is work. It’s exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. No matter how many books you read, mommy bloggers you follow or packs of diaper wipes you buy at the store, it’s nearly impossible to be prepared for everything this life will hand you. Motherhood is the job you can’t clock out of, but it’s also the one with the most benefits. It’s a beautiful role we play, and despite how much I often disdain wiping one more nose, making one more bottle or hearing “NO!” for the millionth time, I’ll always be honored to walk in these mama shoes. Even if they’re covered in baby food and spit-up.

Make something satisfying and delicious for the best mom ever. (Kate Wood/Wood and Spoon)

I’ve got just the thing to help you celebrate all the moms you know: breakfast! Why buy mom a gift when you can make her something entirely satisfying and delicious from the comfort of your own kitchen? And if you’re a mama reading this, thinking, “There’s no way my kids//husband//crazy landlord will be able to pull off one of these breakfasts for me on their own,” then I would charge you to make something delicious for yourself. You’ve earned it.

I’m sharing with you this most delicious recipe for honey nut biscuits. These are all butter, Southern-style biscuits, naturally sweetened with local honey and flecked with little bits of toasted pecans. Serve these with bacon and sausage, eggs or maybe even just a pad of butter and a drizzle of honey. I promise that your mama will thank you for it. These biscuits are sweet, buttery, incredibly flaky and almost too good to be true. Perfect for the mom in your life who needs all the thanks in the world.

Give these honey nut biscuits a try on Mother’s Day, whether for yourself or for the special lady in your life. It’s good to share gratitude, and I can almost guarantee that the effort will mean the world to her. Happy Mother’s Day to my beautiful friends and readers who make this mama’s life and world a little bit nuttier and sweeter. You guys are the best. Cheers.

Serve with bacon and sausage, eggs or maybe even just a pad of butter and a drizzle of honey. (Kate Wood/Wood and Spoon)

Honey Nut Biscuits

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 12

Category: Breakfast

Ingredients 

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, chopped into large chunks
• 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
• 1 cup cold milk (I use whole or 2%)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• Additional pecans for sprinkling on the biscuits, if desired.

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 415 degrees.
2. Prepare a baking pan by lining it with a sheet of parchment paper.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium-sized bowl.
4. Using a pastry cutter or the backs of two forks, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until there are pea-sized clumps throughout.
5. Toss in the pecans.
6. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk and honey, stirring until well-mixed.
7. Add this to the flour and butter mixture and fold gently just until all of the flour has been moistened.
8. Do not overwork the dough.
9. Dump the dough out onto a floured surface and pat the dough out until it’s a 1-inch-thick rectangle.
10. Working quickly, fold the dough in thirds, as you would a letter.
11. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat the folding process.
12. Rotate the dough 90 degrees once more and repeat the folding process.
13. Gently pat out the dough to 1 inch thick.
14. Use a 2-inch round biscuit cutter to cut out biscuit rounds and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
15. Gather dough scraps and gently pat them together to form another 1-inch-thick flat of dough and continue cutting out biscuits.
16. Take care to not overwork your dough, as this can yield tough biscuits.
17. Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and sprinkle with additional chopped pecans, if desired.
18. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-14 minutes or until the edges and tops of the biscuits are adequately golden.
19. Serve buttered with additional honey, if desired.

Notes

• Be sure to use very cold butter and milk. Butter and milk that are not cold enough can prevent your biscuits from rising well.
• Do not overwork your dough at any phase of the preparation.
• The folding of the dough helps to create flaky layers within the biscuit, but is not necessary if you don’t care about this.
• For flakiest layers, use a sharp biscuit cutter and push straight down into the dough.
• Refrain from twisting the cutter as you insert it into the dough, as this can cause the edges to seal off and keep from rising well.
• You can substitute walnuts, almonds or another preferred variety of nut for this recipe, if desired.
• You can substitute additional melted butter with heavy cream or milk.
• To reheat biscuits, toast in a toaster oven until fragrant.

Kate Wood’s recipes can be found on her Wood and Spoon blog and on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.