Ms. Bauknight has been cooking since she was about 7 years old. Her favorite dishes to bake are biscuits and cookies. Her favorite dish to cook is macaroni and cheese. One thing she doesn’t like to cook are collard greens. She made food according to every letter of the alphabet in school when she taught.  Fun fact: one of her rules is always having a sharp knife, never a dull one. Her father used very large knives when he cooked, but she preferred to work with smaller knives when chopping up food. Her father also taught himself how to butcher animals.

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2 cups flour

1 tablespoon + ¼ teaspoon of baking power

½ teaspoon baking soda

5 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter

½ cup large mashed sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon honey

1 egg, beaten + 1 tablespoon water

 

Preheat oven to 375. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mixing the shortening until the mixture looks like peas. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add buttermilk, sweet potatoes, and honey. Stir as hard as you can until a ball form. Knead lightly for 30 seconds until the dough just begins to look smooth. Place on floured surface. Pat the dough ¾ inch thick. Pat into 7×8 rectangle. Cut into 2-inch rounds. Transfer to the pan and brush with butter or sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly brown.