Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place oven rack in the middle position. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, granulated sugar and salt.
Add butter to flour mixture and toss to coat each piece with flour mixture to prevent butter from clumping together. Use fingertips to mash each piece of butter flat. If any flattened bits are larger than a quarter, break them up, continuing to coat each butter piece with flour mixture. Set bowl in freezer for 5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk 1 egg. Add cream and cream cheese and whisk to combine.

Remove flour mixture from freezer and pour egg mixture over it, using a large silicone spatula to fold mixture together until dry ingredients are just moistened. Tip "shaggy" dough out of bowl and onto a floured surface, even if some dry bits of flour aren't incorporated yet.

Using floured hands, pat mixture into an 8- by 6-inch rectangle. Cut block in half crosswise, and stack one half on top of the other half, patting the dough down into a rectangle again. Repeat procedure, patting, cutting and stacking two more times. Pat dough down one last time until it’s one inch thick.

Using a 2½-inch round cutter, press straight down into dough without twisting. Repeat, leaving enough space between each round of dough so that edges don’t pinch together.
Transfer the rounds to prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches of space between each round of dough. Lightly knead together the remaining scraps and repeat to stamp out remaining biscuits. Place baking sheets with biscuits in freezer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining egg in a small bowl. Remove biscuits from freezer and brush tops with beaten egg. It's best for biscuits to be as cold as possible when going in the oven, so this part needs to go quickly. Sprinkle with Demerara sugar, if using.

Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until biscuits have puffed up and are browned on top, about 22-24 minutes. Remove biscuits from oven and repeat with second sheet pan. (Or bake both pans at once if your oven rack allows.)

Place pans on a rack to cool slightly before serving.

Note: The biscuits can be made ahead through the point of putting the biscuits in the freezer just before baking, and then frozen in a sealed container or bag. When ready to prepare, whisk an egg together and brush over top of biscuits after placing them on baking sheet, then bake completely frozen for about 25-28 minutes.

The biscuits are excellent warm, but, once cooled, they can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The baked biscuits may also be frozen for up to 2 months.