Thomas Jefferson's Sweet Potato Biscuits

Ingredients

5 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
One and one-half teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
One-half teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups cooked, mashed and cooled sweet potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
One-half cup coarsely chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and allspice. Add the shortening and cut in with 2 knives until crumbly. Add the sweet potatoes and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the cream and pecans and stir just until moistened.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough to one and one-half inches thick. Cut out with a 2-inch floured biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or let cool on a wire rack until room temperature.

Makes about 2 dozen biscuits