I’ve never been moved to recreate a dish that I tasted at a restaurant until I found this simple recipe for Jim ‘N Nick’s Cheese Biscuits. Based in Birmingham, AL, Jim ‘N Nick’s is one of the The Astronomer and my all-time favorite barbecue joints. Whenever we roll down South, we dine here at least once, if not twice. The Cheese Biscuits are always a highlight—sweet, savory, and totally moreish. These moist little muffins are traditionally served with whipped butter, alongside a heap of brisket and pulled pork. I think they’re also terrific eaten plain for breakfast.
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg, beaten well
- 4 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan.
Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside. Whisk egg, milk, butter, and vanilla together in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend.
Incorporate shredded cheese into batter. Do not over mix.
Divide batter evenly among greased muffin tins. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. When fully baked, the tops of the biscuits will be golden and springy to the touch and a thin knife inserted into the center of the biscuits will come out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each biscuit from its mold.
Makes 10 to 12 biscuits.
those look so good. i wonder if the results will be the same if i used a cupcake liner. a little less clean up that way.
angel van – I’m certain the taste won’t be any different. Aesthetically, it will look different from the ones produced in the restaurant, but no matter. Go for it!
those photos are gobstoppingly delicious looking.
oh… biscuits that look like muffins! looks food, sounds delicious
I can’t help but laugh that the post following your finely detailed and documented French Laundry experience was about Jim ‘n Nicks’ cheese biscuits. As a girl from Alabama, I can truly appreciate these little gems. When home, my mom also makes these quite often, and they only seem to taste better each time. I really am just tickled to see The French Laundry and Jim ‘n Nicks sharing the same space! Congratulations on both the engagement and the opportunity to enjoy a night at a foodie’s dream. I’m still waiting on that experience…
I am a huge Jim & Nick’s fan and was there just a week ago!!! The cheeses biscuits/muffins are my main reason for visiting and what I will always eat first!!! Then, if I have room, I might have a little BBQ. However, I tried this recipe and in my humble opinion, although this recipe makes a good muffin, the taste is not Jim & Nick’s. I have tried several different recipes claiming to be the “real deal” but none have turned out to be. One of the main things I noticed comparing my recent visit and actually bringing some muffins home is that Jim & Nick’s are yellow inside and all the recipes I’ve tried, including this one are not. Of course, the main thing is that the taste is just not the same. As I said, this recipe makes a very good muffin but don’t get your hopes up expecting it to taste the same.
Interesting. As an insider I can tell you your recipe is a little off. There are ingredients you need to add and/or change. But I won’t be giving you any hints as to what because that would ruin all the fun! 😀 JnN cheese biscuits are a staple and a huge draw. I don’t know many people who haven’t had them at least once and loved them. Kudos on a very close recreation though, hope you’re enjoying them!
you’ve forgotten one critical ingredient– These are supposed to be cheesy-CORN muffins! Add about an ear’s worth of cooked corn to the recipe above, and you’ve got it!
Also a JNN insider and corn is NOT the missing ingrediant…keep trying 🙂
Try buttermilk instead of sweet milk. I’ve found that buttermilk makes all the difference in the world when it comes to making any kind of biscuit.
This recipe tastes exactly the same when using buttermilk. 🙂
I am baking some now and I am using half corn meal and half flour, using sharp cheese and a little less sugar.
Buttermilk will make them rise more so that goes into the mix too.
I used to work at Jim ‘N Nick’s in Trussville, Al. (Birmingham) The pictures sure look the same as the ones we made. Wonder if they’ll taste the same. Where’d you get the recipe? It’s sposta be a secret… LOL
I made these last night and I agree with some of the prior comments. I’m a ‘bama girl (War Eagle!) transplanted elsewhere and grew up eating there. First, let me say that the product of this recipe is quite good, but not the same as Jim ‘n Nick’s. I don’t know exactly what the difference is, but I’m guessing that some of that flour needs to be replaced with cornmeal of some sort (my thinking is one cup of flour, half a cup of self-rising cornmeal mix, up to a half-and-half mix; I wish I’d done this, but didn’t). Definitely not corn! Also, I think the mix needs some salt in it, so I added that, and I’m pretty sure the milk portion of the recipe should be replaced with buttermilk (as some others mentioned). Finally, I think I’d reduce the sugar – half a cup would suffice.
If anyone manages to get it just right, let us know!
We drive for Southern Cal Transport out of Birmingham. Let us tell you we find Jim & Nicks to be the best. WE ALWAYS Stop there when passing through. We are here now and ate there Sat. night ummmmmmmmmmmmmm so good. We travel the 48 states and CANNOT find a better place. They also have excellent fried green tomatoes that are out of this world. They say they only make it on Mondays. BUT because we never know when we will be there the cook will come out of the kitchen to our table and welcome us there and make us fried green tomatoes no matter what day of the week. GREAT PLACE TO EAT EXCELLENT SEVICE AND GREAT FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. The bisquits are so good my German Sheperad dog would rather eat a three day old Jim & Nicks bisquit than a fresh hamburger!!!! Hard to believe but very true. In fact we are laying over w/the truck in shop. So guess where we are eating tonight?
i tried this recipe but added 2 tbs of cornmeal. wasnt j&n but its closer than the first recipe i tried. im thinking a lil more sugar and a pinch of salt. also. . .hmmmm. im thinking about them melting in my mouth. . .i didnt use butter so yeah, i need to add that.oh, i used a tsp o vanilla and im thinking more of that as well.
i will keep trying until i perfect! lol
maybe its in one of those restaurant secrets cookbook
Someone’s was almost right but you left out VANILLA. No cornmeal
Jim N Nicks biscuits/muffins
4 T butter (no substitutes), melted
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 c sugar
3/4 c milk
1 egg
1/4 t vanilla
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
Mix all ingredients together and pour into greased mini-muffin tins. Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.
This was given to me by someone who had worked there but my grandmother says she taste a touch of honey.
I wondered about the missing corn or corn meal as well. Tried this recipe for the first time tonight using all cornbread mix subbed for the flour, and adding 1/4 tsp salt, and using buttermilk instead of sweet milk. Not quite right – next time will do the cornbread mix & flour half & half. Very close & good but not quite “right.” I live just around the corner from J&N Southside – will have to see if I can buddy up to somebody in the kitchen & get the real scoop 🙂 Thanks for a great starting point!
I’ve been to Jim and Nick’s many times.. we have two here locally in Charleston, SC and I often say I could have the cheesy biscuits as a meal! Needless to say I was thrilled to find this recipe. I made them recently to go with chicken chili. My fiance LOVED them.. although he says they are more like cheesy cupcakes than cheesy biscuits lol.
This recipe is good but still not as good as the real thing..I have made several times….This morning, I used one cup flour and 1/2 cup boxed corn muffin mix….a little closer but still not as good as Jim n Nicks….there apparently is an ingredient that is needed that everyone is overlooking…
OMG WE MADE THESE N CLASS TODAY 4-2-10 IT WAS SO GOOD. 1ST TIME TRYING IT 2
Thanks a bunch for the recipe- they taste just like Jim n’ Nicks :D!
I just made these for the first time this morning. I used self rising flour instead of flour and baking powder. No corn meal. They tasted exactly like J&N biscuits. We ate there last night so I still have a taste for them. Thank you for the recipe.
I tried the recipe and adjusted it and they were great. Here are my changes if you want to try.
only 1 1/4 cup and use self rising flour
add 1/4 cup jiffy buttermilk cornbread mix
change 1/4 teaspoon vanilla to 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
make 1 cup shreaded sharp cheese 1 1/4 cup
17 minutes at 400 degrees in a convection oven
I took this to work and everyone thought Jim N Nick’s started making their cheese biscuits bigger. When I told them I made them at home they couldn’t believe it.
I found the original recipe to be more sweet and less dense than the real thing. It may have been the rainy weather here, but I made a few modification to suit my taste.
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
6 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
I also changed to 375 degrees, to cut down on the browning.
But I enjoyed your recipe!
While these cheese ‘biscuits’ are pretty good, they do not come very close to real Jim N Nick’s cheese biscuits. These biscuits are much sweeter and not salty at all (no salt in the recipe). These taste like sugar cookies with a hint of cheese.
I have the actual recipe JNN uses for the Cheese Bread. It makes 235 at a time. There’s no cornmeal, and it uses European butter (higher fat content). Unfortunately (fortunate for me) the best place to get these is at Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ. Keep trying and have fun tweaking the recipe. 🙂
Is it cream cheese that is missing?
Maybe sourcream instead of cream cheese? sorry!!!
1 cup of sugar is definitely too much – makes them taste like breakfast muffins. Perhaps it does need a tweak of salt. I’m thinking the “hint of honey” might have come from a honey butter spread. I might try the buttermilk next time.
I had these at Jim and Nicks in Birmingham and I seriously thought they were cheesy corn muffins. They were so soft too and I was wondering why. Now, finding out that they’re actually biscuits, I see why they were like they were. They’re worth a 3-hour trip back to Birmingham.
Oh, and I thought maybe the cheese in Jim and Nicks was in bigger chunks than just shredded cheese. Anyone else think that?
I personally worked at “JNN” in Jasper, and I have not tested these recipes. I personally do not know the actual recipe because it’s supposed to be made in bulk and stored. One batch of this makes like 10 pans of muffins. Cutting it down by that much would be a task, for sure. I’m willing to bet that most are close, but only taste tests will sufice to being CLOSE to the actual thing.
The only way to get it Just Right, is to have the recipe itself.
I’m taking on this task, and I will do what it takes to get it right.
I am making the biscuits today! Crossing my fingers that I can figure it out and put it in my recipe book.
…or maybe just keep the secret to a few friends.
I want to make this! but I want the correct recipe. My hubby loves these from JNN.
here is the recipe
1 box of jiffy corn bread mix
2 springs of cilantro
1 carot
1 snicker bar
2 tsp of jello mix (red or grape)
1 cup of im full of poop
keep cooking ruff ruff meow
Is the missing ingredient YEAST?? They sure tasted like risen yeast biscuits to me…part yeast and part baking soda or powder as the leavening agent?
Now, if we could just get their Macaroni and Cheese Recipe. LOVE IT !!
Try this if you are looking for JN’s recipe for cheesy cornbread muffins:
1 cup Corn Meal
1 cup Yellow Cake Mix
2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Milk
2 Eggs
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1/4 cup Honey
1 stick butter, barely melted
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, coarse chopped, not grated
Brown Sugar for dusting tops
Butter a mini muffin tin. Heat oven to 325F.
Mix dry ingredients together in mixer bowl. Add remaining ingredients except cheese and brown sugar. Mix a couple of minutes on low to medium speed. Scrape often. Fold in cheese. Spoon into prepared mini muffin tins to fill 3/4. Dust tops with brown sugar. Bake 15 minutes until top feels done. Do not overbake. Cool a few minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely. Muffins are soft when they first out of oven; they firm up when cooled. To store, put in food storage bag and freeze. Makes 36. (JN’s put thawed muffins in hot 450F oven just before serving. That is why they have that little crust on top)
You guys are way off on the recipe. I can tell you what’s in it, as I made 1000 of biscuits when I worked in the kitchen. You can figure out the amounts on your own for the quantity you want to make. But the ingredients are…
Flour
Sugar
European Butter
Eggs
Baking Soda AND
Baking Powder
Salt
Coarsely shredded Chedder Cheese
There is NO cornmeal, NO Jiffy crap, NO honey, NO sour cream, NO cream cheese and NO vanilla…and the butter CANNOT be melted, just softened.
Take all the dry ingredients mix them together first, thaw out the butter until soft, break that up into the recipe..Then add the chedder cheese, mix that all up.
Then add the buttermilk and eggs and mix well.
Viola!
PS- It’s better hand mixed, not with a mixer 🙂
Was the flour JNN flour or plain all purpose flour? JNN flour already has the other ingredients mixed in. That is where the corn meal, etc. is. Try using the ingredients you list and the taste will not be the flavor of JNN biscuits. Just like KFC chicken batter. The secret ingredients are in their flour.
You say to add the buttermilk with the eggs but don’t have buttermilk listed as an ingredient???
One more thing I noticed. Usually if a recipe has buttermilk, it won’t have baking powder. Possibly baking soda but not baking powder.
These are great. Does anyone have the recipe for their fried green tomato batter?
JNN Kitchen staffer is correct I also work for JNN and have made these every day since I started with Jim N Nick’s. Yes JNN Kitchen staffer may not have listed the buttermilk as an ingredient up top but he/she listed it on the bottom. So listen to what they said please. I would break down the recipe for you all but I don’t want to break down the 24 dozen batch recipe plus its not my recipe to give away. So play around with it and have fun ^_^
You JNN Staffers piss me off. The second I get the recipe I’m posting it for all to see.
You need to add one more egg and then 1.5 tsp of baking soda along with the baking powder and then it is really close. The extra egg will add the added yellow that everyone is looking for and make it more moist and hold together better.
Superbly palatable! 🙂 Needs more cheese to match Jim ‘n Nicks. Also substitute about 1/4 cup honey for some sugar. Makes ’em moister and smoother. My family loved ’em.
I tried this recipe and it is good. Just not j&n I believe the thing we are all missing is the european butter. I would like to know what kind jim an nicks uses. You can get european butter here but i believe they must have a special kind of butter.
so i work at jim n nicks and your not even close ;-] keep trying though you forgot a few things
JnN’s now sell the biscuit mix in bags. Was there last night and bought a bag. Can’t wait to see if it’s the real deal!
Jim ‘N Nick’s cheese biscuits are one of my favorite things of all time. I never thought I could make them myself. But these taste EXACTLY the same except BIGGER!! Thanks so much this made my night 🙂
I can tell all of you the secret ingredients!!! first you don’t just use plain flour, it is wheat flour(bleached), what you are missing is baking soda, and corn starch!!!you can figure out the rest, and dont forget to use unsalted butter!(just don’t tell anyone who told you!!!LOL,
Hey to all food lovers!! Great base reipe – made them-tweeked a couple things-my fam lu-huuuved them!!! Hope u guys enjoy: preheat oven to 350℉ (i made mini muffins at higher temp and browned too much in my oven-temps may varydepending on oven or size u make)
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour-
1/4 cup self rising corn meal
3/4 plus 1/8 cup sugar
5 Tbs stick butter-cut into 1/4 in chunks
2-2 1/4 cups shredded cheddar ( i had preshredded in fridge-may not need as much if u shred block >>>>>>>cheddar-havent tried yet)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
Mix all above ingredients together-including chz and butter-i used my hand and really mashed the butter into the mix so the pieces were covered in flour mix and even smaller.
1 egg and 7 oz of buttermilk are ur wet ingredients-mix well til egg is smooth and completly combined w buttermilk——-pour into dry ingredients and use your hand to stir and ensure even mixing. You are ready to spray muffin pans with non-stick spray-not forgetting sides. Fill 1/2 to 3/4 way full and pop em in your lucky oven. I would check after about 11 or 12 minutes-they may need closer to 14min but i watched mine like a hawk bc they smelled soooo good-didnt want to take any chances! The edges should show a little browning to let ya know they are ready!! I checked a few of the bigger muffins w toothpicks just in case-your call. Hope u like them as much as we do-have made them 3 times in 24hrs!!! To send home with my mom last night and freeze some—–if they make it to a freezer bag!! We have 4kids-thses prob wont last long-good luck, and play with the recipe to your own taste if need be-so worth it.
well I used 1 cup of aldi’s pancake mix
1/2 cup of aldi’s biscuit mix
evaporated milk about 1/4 cup
water to make a stiff dough
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup of shredded cheese (mild cheddar/colby)
5 Tbsp of softened butter
400 f oven temp
mini muffin tin 24
cut the butter into the mixed baking mixes
added the cheese
added the milk/water/eggs and mixed until incorporated
filled tins to almost full
baked for 12 min. until slight brown on top toothpick came out clean
let rest for approx 5 minutes
came out very close to J n N offerings
I think applesauce or finely shredded apple is in the muffins from Jim & Nicks. It’s not just cheddar cheese, the texture has a firmness in some bites.
Use Durum semolina flour to get the yellow color in the biscuits. Available at many natural food stores.
I liked these, but as the other posters said, they just weren’t quite right. Too sweet, not enough of that salty sharp cheddar. I will say they smelled AMAZING in the oven though.
I loved these cheesy biscuits on my trip to America.
I can tell you what the yellow ingredient is and its not cornmeal… its beta carotene.
Im guessing that’s why European butter is key.
Butter here in Australia is yellow. I had never seen white butter till I visited US. Many factors can contribute to more beta carotene, type of cow, if they are grain or grass fed and how much fat content is used.
So maybe just try the European butter if that is what has been suggested and cut out the cornmeal 🙂
When I eat them in Jim &I Nicks I taste a faint hint of citrus, and honey. You can even smell the citrus in them faintly.