Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits Remix
E
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Fluffy, cinnamon-dusted biscuits revamped with some ingredient swaps and timing tweaks. Uses almond milk in place of buttermilk, cornstarch slightly reduced. Baking time nudged to 23-29 minutes, watch for those golden tops and toothpick test. A heavy cream or coconut milk baste topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of cardamom swirl into a sweet crust. Pan size can vary—adjust heat and watch edges for doneness. Cold butter cut in with pastry cutter key for flaky texture. Cinnamon sugar swirled quickly, melt the sugar into cracks. Cooling before slicing essential to keep shape intact. Scent of spice fills the room, a crackly tan crust beckons. Kitchen tested, with hands-on sensory cues and troubleshooting.
Prep:
17 min
Cook:
27 min
Total:
44 min
Servings:
8 servings
#baking
#southern cooking
#biscuits
#cinnamon sugar
#almond milk
#quick bread
Flaky, spiced biscuits with cinnamon sugar tops—never allowed me to settle. Pulled from several batches, slammed into almond milk to balance tender crumb with dairy-free flick. Butter cold enough to functional clumps, cornstarch sitting at slightly lower level keeps that snap. Swirling cinnamon sugar; not just dusting, more like a sweet glaze cracked and warm. Getting that caramelized top right? Key moment that whispers biscuit done. High oven heat shakes the rise. No quick mix; you want lumps—texture saved in that rough batter. Holding biscuits warm tricky, reheating kills the crust fast. Cooling waits are pain but worth the tough love. Little cardamom twist in the sugar lifts the smell beyond basic cinnamon. Old tried and true, with tweaks born of impatience and curiosities. Recipe past rolled into something I rely on; one pan, easy watch and listen. No fluff. Just biscuit.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, chilled
- For topping:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3 tablespoons coconut milk or heavy cream, for basting
- Vegetable shortening for greasing pan
About the ingredients
If no buttermilk on hand, almond milk with teaspoon vinegar works. Don’t swap cold butter for melted or room temp—your end crumb harshly suffers. Cornstarch reduction comes from trial to keep balance of tender and structure—don’t skip, but tweak slightly if desired. For basting tops, coconut milk adds subtle richness and dairy-free option, but heavy cream makes more luxurious crust. Cinnamon sugar mix has nutmeg and cardamom to lift flavors; cardamom optional but a personal go-to to surprise senses. Vegetable shortening for pan grease avoids butter burning at high heat; you can use nonstick spray in a pinch but may lose that slight crust on bottom edges. Bag and chill butter ahead if you run late. Rest batter briefly before baking to hydrate flour; skipping leads to crumbly dry inside.
Method
- Preheat oven to 430°F. Grease a 3-quart casserole with vegetable shortening; smaller or larger pan means adjusting bake times and checking edges often.
- Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, brown sugar and salt vigorously in large bowl. Cornstarch reduction to keep silkiness without gumminess. Whisk air in.
- Cut cold butter in with a pastry cutter until mixture resembles fine crumbs with some pea-sized bits. Keep butter cold; warmth ruins flakiness.
- Add chilled almond milk slowly. Stir just till batter forms coarse, lumpy texture. No overmixing; dough should look rough, not smooth.
- Scoop batter into pan. Spread lightly. Expect spread in oven—don’t panic if shape softens.
- Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom in medium bowl for topping. Cardamom adds a sneaky warmth, my twist from many trials.
- Brush biscuit tops with coconut milk or heavy cream. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix generously atop.
- Take a knife or big toothpick; swirl topping into batter top like marbling. Quick, not perfect.
- Bake uncovered for about 23 to 29 minutes until tops turn light caramel brown, edges lift and a toothpick poked in comes out mostly clean with few moist crumbs.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10-12 minutes. Hot biscuits are delicate; cutting hot will mash crumb. Cooling tightens crumb and crust.
- Slice with serrated knife for clean edges. Serve with butter or honey, your call.
- If pan size changes, watch the edges, the rise, and color closely. Use smell too; nutty cinnamon aroma strong when near done.
Cooking tips
High oven heat is your friend—425 to 430°F with brisk hot air encourages rise and browning. Grease pan well to prevent sticking; shortening better than butter here. Whisking dry ingredients together distributes leavener evenly, taking short time but major payoff in rise. The pastry cutter step cold and quick; keep butter cold but don’t pulverize completely—pea-sized clumps equal flakiness. Stir just till liquid incorporated. Overmixing develops gluten making dense biscuits. Scooping batter loosely in pan; spread slight but don’t fuss over perfect shaping—the spread in oven natural. Mixing sugar topping separately then swirling creates layered sweet spots rather than flat dusting. Basting with cream or coconut milk encourages caramelization and moisture retention on top. Watch color and crackly surface; edges lifting a late-stage indicator. Toothpick test important, but check multiple spots due to muffin-like wet centers sometimes hiding in middle. Cooling—critical step to ‘set’ crumb and avoid doughy, collapse-prone slices. Use serrated knife to keep edges intact. Adjust bake time depending on pan size and altitude, lean on sensory cues: smell, color, and toothpick over timer.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Keep butter cold; warm butter wrecks flake structure. Use pastry cutter fast, pea-sized lumps. Butter chunks mean layers. Don’t overwork or the dough toughens. Cold butter chunks melt slower in oven producing flaky texture. If room temp, biscuits flatten or get dense.
- 💡 Almond milk with a splash vinegar mimics buttermilk tang. Adds acid to activate baking soda. Skip if you have cultured buttermilk. Acid helps quick rise and tender crumb. Don’t substitute with regular milk without acid or rise suffers. Stir gently to keep lumps in batter; smooth dough kills lift.
- 💡 Baking temp at 430°F punches high oven heat for fast rise and caramelized top. Watch edges closely. Overbaking dries crumb; underbake = doughy middle. Use smell and sight for doneness: nutty cinnamon aroma signals nearing done, edges lifting means ready soon.
- 💡 Swirling cinnamon sugar into top batter gives crackled crystalized top, not just dusted layer. Use knife or toothpick, swirl quick before baking. Baste top with coconut milk or heavy cream to boost browning and moisture. Cream adds richness; coconut milk adds subtle flavor and dairy-free option.
- 💡 Pan size affects bake time and biscuit lift; smaller pan yields thicker biscuits but longer bake. Larger pan faster, edges may brown quicker. Grease pan with shortening not butter to avoid burning edge crust. Watch colors and texture, adjust times if needed. Cooling in pan tightens crumb, slicing hot smashes soft crumb.
Common questions
Can I use regular milk instead of almond milk?
Regular milk needs acid like vinegar or lemon added. Otherwise rise drops because baking soda needs acid to activate. Optional step but affects texture and lift. If no acid, use buttermilk or almond milk plus vinegar combo.
How cold should butter be for best results?
Butter ice cold, fridge temp or colder. Not softened or melted. Room temp ruins flake; butter creamizes into dough losing pea-like clumps. Chill cubed butter, chop before using. Some even freeze butter briefly. Cold butter chunks = flaky layers.
What if my biscuits come out too dense or dry?
Usually overmixing or warm butter culprit. Mix batter just till flour wetted, lumps okay. Avoid heat when cutting butter. Baking too long dries biscuits. Check early, pull at edge lift and color. Cooling in pan helps hold moisture.
How best to store leftovers?
Wrapped in foil or airtight container. Refrigerate short term for couple days. Reheat in oven to revive crust, avoid microwave which softens crust fast. Freeze baked biscuits, thaw then reheat. Dough can be chilled briefly, not frozen raw.
