They may be called biscuits, but they’re not the mile-high, flaky layered ones that immediately jump to mind.
Instead, Effie’s Homemade Biscuits are more like Scottish oatcakes.
Now, don’t let the term “oatcakes” fool you into thinking these must be so healthful that they taste like cardboard.
On the contrary, these thin, cookie-cracker-like hybrids are deceptively buttery, delightfully crunchy, subtly sweet, and gently salty. And they are positively addicting, as I found when I received samples to try.
The company is named for Effie MacLellan, who brought with her a generations-old, family recipe for the biscuits when she moved from Nova Scotia to Massachusetts.
Her daughter Joan MacIsaac, along with Joan’s best friend Irene Costello, started the company in 2008. They now make nine different flavors.
I had a chance to try four of them: original Oatcakes, Gruyere, Hazelnut, and Corn.
All are made with wheat flour, butter, turbinado cane sugar, baking soda, water, and salt, as well as oats, nuts, cheese, and masa, depending on the variety.
They also all possess a very wholesome and hearty taste of wheat, as well as boast a sweet-savory complexity.
The Oatcakes have a deep, pure oat taste and a nice nuttiness from the addition of almonds and almond flour. The Gruyere is nutty tasting from the cheese with a touch of warmth from black pepper. The Hazelnut has a deep roasty-toasty quality. The Corn might just be my favorite because it tastes exactly like a great corn muffin, thanks to corn meal, masa, and a surprise hit of anise seeds.
One serving of three biscuits has 130 to 160 calories, depending upon the variety, as well as 6 to 8 grams of fat, 15 to 20 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 to 200 milligrams of sodium, and 17 to 22 grams of total carbohydrates.
Find Effie’s Homemade at Safeway, Whole Foods, Zanotto’s, Nob Hill Foods, Andronico’s, Mollie Stone’s, Rainbow Grocery, Bi-Rite Market, Berkeley Bowl, and more. Or on the Effie’s website or Amazon. A 7.2-ounce box is about $8.
Or for a great host/hostess gift, order the new gift box sampler with four varieties plus a card with pairing ideas ($39).
The biscuits are super versatile, too. Serve them alongside a charcuterie board or any manner of dips and jams. Crumble them over yogurt or ice cream. Or smash them up, mix with melted butter, and bake into a tart crust.
With the entertainment season about to start in full force, you’ll want to keep some Effie’s biscuits on hand for easy appetizers and desserts.
Just be sure to buy extra, though, because you might just end up eating most of them, yourself.