Vegan Sausage Biscuit

McDonald’s Sausage Biscuit. I can remember the last time I ever had one: May 17, 2010. It was the morning my friend Bethany and I began our cross country road trip out West after completing our Master’s degrees. We had spent the night sleeping on the floor of Bethany’s apartment, curled up in piles of sheets and blankets that Bethany affectionately referred to as our “dog beds.” We emptied the last few pieces out of her apartment and into our bright yellow Penske truck, and then crossed Comm Ave. to drop off the keys with Bethany’s landlord. On our way back, we stopped at McDonald’s, and I ordered my customary breakfast: Sausage Biscuit with orange juice.

Every car trip we took when I was a kid kicked off the same way, with me in the backseat eating the same McDonald’s breakfast, and early morning flights would include breakfast at the airport McDonald’s. In reality, the number of Sausage Biscuits I’ve eaten probably hovers around 30. I’m not a morning person, and rarely wake up in time to meet the draconian cutoff time, and my mom was way too health conscious to allow it more than occasionally. But it holds such an iconic place in my mind. It was one of the things I knew I would miss when I became vegan, if only for the ritual of it, the rarity of it.

For the last few years, the memory of a Sausage Biscuit would periodically cross my mind. I knew the biscuit would be easy enough to veganize; but the sausage was  unattainable. Every year or so I would do a sweep of the breakfast “meat” options available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s only to find that every sausage patty contained egg. So, I resigned myself to living without, until a few weeks ago when I picked up my (recently vegan) friend Christian. He got in the car holding a small patty in a paper towel. Naturally, I asked what he was eating, and he told me that it was a sausage patty. Incredulous, I asked, “Are you sure it’s vegan?! They always have egg in them!” He assured me that it was in fact egg-free, so I tried a bite. 

I knew exactly what to do with this new-found ingredient. So, last weekend, I made a batch of flaky and tender biscuits, and glazed the sausage patties in maple syrup. With a glass of orange juice on the side, the only thing missing was the yellow wrapper.

Vegan Sausage Biscuits

1 recipe Biscuits
1 package vegan sausage patties (I used Whole Foods 365 brand)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon canola oil

Heat the oil in a small pan over medium high heat. Place the sausage patties in the pan. Brush the top of each patty with maple syrup. After 1-2 minutes, flip each patty over and brush the other side with maple syrup. Cook until heated through, flipping occasionally, about 8 minutes. When the biscuits are ready, cut in half and assemble the sausage biscuits. Enjoy immediately, and try not to die of happiness.