Upside-down apple biscuits

I’m feeling very wintry today. Maybe it’s the fact that our furnace has been on the fritz for 3 days and I am relegated to wearing Uggs and my winter coat around the house. Or maybe it’s the fact that I decided to go for a run yesterday, realizing only after I ran down the huge hill that our house is on that it was definitely too cold to go running (I mustered up the courage and ran anyways. Thank you, Under Armour). Either way, it’s cold out. And cold temperatures mean warm desserts (hazzah!). So I woke up this morning and had a little baking adventure. And out came these beautiful biscuits! The warm apple-cinnamon smell filled the house with a spiced goodness reminiscent of fall and no-snow-time. A perfect way to start the day.

For the sauce:

3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the apples:

1 1/2 tart apples (I used Granny Smith, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice

For the biscuits:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
1 cup cold buttermilk

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and sugar on medium heat until a spreadable mixture forms, about 2 minutes*. Pour the mixture into the bottom of a 9″ round cake pan and spread evenly to coat the bottom. Set aside.

In a large pan, melt butter for the apples. Add in the cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples. Sauté until the apples become tender and begin to caramelize. Once done, turn off heat and add lemon juice. Arrange the apples on top of the brown sugar mixture in a decorative fashion.

At this point, preheat the oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, powder, soda, salt, and sugar. Using a large grater, grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Working quickly, use your fingertips to knead the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles a coarse oatmeal. Using a fork, mix in the buttermilk. Move the dough onto a floured surface and pinch the dough into 8-10 round biscuits. Arrange on top of the apples.