Prepare your oven by preheating it to 400⁰F.
While your oven is heating up, finely grate the cheddar cheese if using fresh until you have 1 cup. Or measure out 1 cup of pre-shredded cheese. Set aside.
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
To these dry ingredients, add the cold butter. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the dough starts to come together in pea-size pieces. Don't overmix, it's ok for it to be loose and shaggy at this stage.
Add the cheese, milk, and 1/2 t of garlic powder into the mix.
Use clean hands or a wooden spoon to mix the ingredients, taking care to stop when the mixture is just combined.
Using a measuring cup (or a large spoon), scoop out ¼-cup portions and drop the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet. Keep some distance between the dropped mixture so that the biscuits don’t bake into each other.
Place into the preheated oven and bake until golden brown, around 15-17 minutes. As they are baking, mix together the melted butter, salt, remaining 1/4 t of garlic powder, and parsley flakes in a small bowl and set it aside.
While the biscuits are warm, using a pastry brush, generously dab the butter-garlic mixture on top.
Serve warm.