I’m an inexperienced baker who tried making Joanna Gaines’ biscuits. The recipe was surprisingly easy to follow.

• I fell in love with Joanna Gaines’ biscuits at the Magnolia Table restaurant in Waco, Texas.
• I made the biscuits myself, even though I’m not an experienced baker.
• They were surprisingly easy to make.

Some foods are so delicious that they stay with you long after you eat them. I still daydream about a specific ice-cream cone I had on my honeymoon, and there’s a croissant in Amsterdam I’ve been thinking about for nearly a decade.

Another food I can’t forget? A biscuit created by none other than Joanna Gaines herself. I got to try “Jojo’s Biscuits” at the Magnolia Table restaurant in Waco, Texas, and they have been haunting my food daydreams ever since.

Gaines also recently launched a frozen version of the biscuits at Target. While the frozen biscuits are good, the homemade ones are next level.

To recreate the magic, I tried making “Jojo’s Biscuits” myself, despite not being an experienced baker.

I fell in love with Gaines’ biscuits at Magnolia Table, the restaurant she and Chip Gaines own in Waco, Texas.

During a visit to the “Fixer Upper” stars’ famous restaurant in Waco, Texas, in February 2022, I ordered the classic Farm Breakfast, which consisted of two eggs, Tater Tots, bacon, a side of fruit, and a biscuit served with strawberry butter.

I liked the meal, but the biscuit blew me away. It instantly melted in my mouth when I took a bite, having the soft texture I look for in a biscuit. The strawberry butter took it to the next level by adding moisture and a subtle sweetness to each bite.

It was one of the best biscuits I’ve ever had, which is saying a lot, as I grew up in the South. As I left the restaurant, I regretted only eating one.

I decided to try making the biscuits myself.

The recipe for “Jojo’s Biscuits” is available on the Magnolia website, and since I don’t know when I’ll be able to go to Waco again, it seemed only fitting to try to make them myself.

I’d heard the recipe, which makes about 20 biscuits, was difficult to make, which made me apprehensive because I’m an inexperienced baker.

For me, baking usually consists of adding ingredients to a box mix, so making biscuits from scratch was intimidating. However, I was up for the challenge since there was a chance of tasting something even vaguely similar to Magnolia Table’s breakfast treats.

Although I thought the recipe would be a bit challenging, I was pleased that it didn’t require too many ingredients.

You probably have most of what you need to make “Jojo’s Biscuits” in your kitchen cabinet:

• Self-rising flour
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Salted butter
• Eggs
• Buttermilk

Mixing the dry ingredients was easy.

The recipe says to whisk the self-rising flour, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl.

The entire recipe ends up in this bowl, so I recommend using the biggest one you have available.

It’s also a good idea to have a full bag of flour on hand, as you’ll need more of it toward the end of the recipe.

The butter had to be sliced before it could be incorporated with the dry ingredients.

The three sticks of cold butter used in the biscuit recipe need to be cut into ½-inch pieces or grated before being added to the dry ingredients. I’m not that comfortable with a grater, so I decided to slice the butter.

I used a baking scraper to measure out my butter sticks, as the one I have has ruler marks on it.

As I sliced up the butter, I laughed to myself, thinking it was no wonder I liked “Jojo’s Biscuits.” Who wouldn’t like a biscuit with three sticks of butter in it?

The recipe calls for a pastry blender to combine the butter and the dry ingredients.

Before making the biscuits, I had never used a pastry blender, so I ordered one on Amazon.

The recipe says the butter must be cut into pea-sized chunks, so I made sure to press each chunk of butter into the flour mixture.

The pastry blender was effective, but it wasn’t perfect.

Chunks of butter got stuck in the pastry cutter every few times I pressed it into my bowl full of ingredients.

I used a knife and my fingers to push the butter back into the bowl, continuing to combine it with the flour.

I got nearly everything down to pea size, but I struggled to find every slice of butter at this step because much of it had slipped toward the bottom of the bowl. I wish I had used a spoon to make sure I was splitting all of the butter in the bowl evenly.

Once the butter was mixed in, it was time to add the wet ingredients.

The next step of the recipe was to stir two beaten eggs into the mixture using a wooden spoon.

I mixed my eggs before I started combining my dry ingredients, so it was easy to grab and mix them in.

After that, it was time to add buttermilk, again using a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients together until they created “a sticky mass.” The recipe notes that you should add additional teaspoons of buttermilk one at a time if the mixture doesn’t have the right consistency. I had to add one teaspoon to my dough before it seemed right.

Stirring everything together was the most challenging part of the recipe because the dough was firm, thanks to all the butter. My arm started to get sore, and I had to take a few breaks.

I also thought I was done once or twice and then realized there was loose flour at the bottom of the bowl that hadn’t been incorporated into the mass. If I’d had a bigger spoon, I might have had an easier time mixing it all together.

I had to stir for about 10 minutes before the dough was combined properly.

I was excited to see my dough coming together, as it had the consistency and shape I was hoping for.

After it’s prepared, the dough should chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or overnight. I let mine sit for about 45 minutes, pre-heating my oven to 400 degrees a few minutes before I took it out of the fridge.

Flouring my work surface before I assembled my biscuits was a crucial step.

Once the dough had chilled, I pressed it out with my hands and cut out biscuits.

According to the recipe, the dough is supposed to be pressed into a round about 14 inches wide and ½ inch thick. I measured my dough to ensure it was the proper length across, but I wasn’t as consistent with making sure the slab was the same height all the way across.

Before removing my dough, I thoroughly floured my workstation and hands, as the recipe instructed.

Because the dough had become sticky as I stirred it together, I could tell this step would be important. I was glad I applied a lot of flour to my work surface, as I didn’t have any issues with my dough sticking as I cut out my biscuits.

I used a wine glass to cut my biscuits.

The recipe calls for a floured, 2 ¾-inch round cutter to cut out the biscuits from the dough.

Since I’m not an avid baker, I don’t have cookie cutters or round molds at home, but I do have wine glasses. I measured one of my glasses, and it happened to be the exact size Gaines recommended. I knew my love of rosé would come in handy someday.

I made sure to thoroughly flour the rim of the glass before I pushed it through the dough, and it worked like a charm. I was left with beautiful, round biscuits.

The final step was adding an egg wash to the top of the biscuits.

I put my biscuits on a cookie tray lined with parchment paper, nestling them together as the recipe instructs. I typically make cookies when I bake, so I was surprised the biscuits were supposed to touch.

To make the egg wash, I combined one egg with buttermilk and brushed the mixture on top of the biscuits.

Once every biscuit had been lightly coated, it was time to pop them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

As I put them in the oven, I was worried I had done something wrong because the recipe had been so easy to make. Sure, it was time-consuming to stir everything together, but it wasn’t challenging otherwise.

I was pleased my biscuits had a golden brown look after exactly 20 minutes.

I pulled my biscuits out when the crust had turned a golden brown, and I was immediately met by a scent I can only call buttery.

It was warm and inviting, and based on both the aroma and the look of the biscuits, I was optimistic I had actually pulled the recipe off.

I let the biscuits cool for about five minutes before I took a bite.

When I took my first bite, I was thrilled to find the biscuits tasted almost exactly like those at Magnolia Table.

My mouth watered as I bit into the flaky treat.

The biscuits had a soft interior surrounded by a crumbly crust, just like the one I had tasted at Magnolia Table. They were sweet, but I could tell they would taste just as good with jam as they would with bacon, which is ideal for a breakfast carb.

If I’d had strawberry butter within reach, I would have felt like I was back at a counter seat in Waco.

My biscuits were slightly irregular because I didn’t press my dough out consistently.

Although all the biscuits were delicious, some were thicker than others because I had not been as diligent as I should have been when pressing out my dough.

It didn’t matter this time since I was only making the biscuits for myself, but if I made the recipe for a group, I wouldn’t want anyone to get a smaller biscuit than someone else.

I recommend taking your time shaping the dough and cutting your rounds if you try this recipe.

And because they’re best when you take your time with the biscuits, it took me a few hours to complete, especially because the dough needed time to chill in the fridge.

That wasn’t a problem here, but I could see that being annoying if I wanted to make this recipe for breakfast and woke up hungry.

Next time I wanted to have them for breakfast, I would probably let the dough chill overnight, as it would make serving the biscuits for breakfast or brunch nearly stress-free.

I’d definitely make these biscuits again.

Although I was apprehensive about baking the biscuits, it was simpler than I thought, and the taste was absolutely worth the effort.

I could definitely see myself making the biscuits again as a breakfast treat, or I might substitute them for dinner rolls next time I have a crowd over.

Not only would I have a delicious treat with my dinner, but I could also save any leftover dough for a second batch of biscuits for a delicious brunch later in the week. It’s a win-win.

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