These 6 ingredient Layered Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits look like a bakery made them! With layers of cinnamon streusel, they're so easy to make.
Recently when I was making my Heavy Cream Biscuits, the thought came to mind if adding cinnamon and brown sugar would make something beautiful. Say hello to the delicious combination of buttermilk biscuits and coffee cake!
Coffee cake is known for its moist crumb and streusel topping, while biscuits boast a buttery, flaky texture. The combination of these two creates a cinnamon sugar biscuit that's tender, lightly sweetened, and irresistibly crumbly.
Save The Recipe!
Add your email below and we’ll send it straight to your inbox+ you’ll receive all our newest recipes!
When you fall in love with this cinnamon biscuits recipe, be sure to try my Honey Butter Biscuits, Bacon Cheddar Biscuits, and Cranberry Biscuits!
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Sweetness Balanced with Buttery Flakiness: Coffee cake biscuits strike a perfect balance between the sweetness of the cinnamon sugar filling and the buttery flakiness of the biscuit layers.
- Homemade Goodness: Baking cinnamon sugar biscuits smells amazing and they’re a breakfast or dessert treat your family will love
- Simple Ingredients: The ingredients needed to make these biscuits are likely already in your pantry and refrigerator.
- Combination of Two Favorites: Combining the flavors and textures of coffee cake and buttermilk biscuits is a beautifully delicious thing!
Ingredients in Cinnamon Biscuits
Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below
- Salted Butter: Provides fat for flavor and flakiness. When the cold butter melts in the oven, it creates steam pockets, which contribute to the biscuit's flakiness. The butter in the streusel adds to the texture and melt ability.
- Self-Rising Flour: The main structural component, providing the structure and body of the biscuits and is also premixed with salt and leavening agents that help the biscuits rise and become fluffy.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness in the biscuit dough.
- Whole Buttermilk: Adds a tangy flavor and moisture to the biscuits. The acidity also interacts with the leavening agents in the flour to create carbon dioxide gas, which helps the biscuits rise.
- Brown Sugar: Gives the streusel a molasses-like sweetness and adds moisture, color and texture.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and a pleasant flavor that pairs well with the sweetness of the biscuits.
Tools You'll Need
- Cheese Grater
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula
- 9"x9" Baking Dish or 9" Cast Iron Skillet
- Mixing Bowl
Using Buttermilk in Biscuits
Buttermilk contributes to a biscuits tenderness, flavor, moisture, and leavening. It has a tangy and slightly acidic flavor, which adds a yummy contrast to the richness of the biscuit's fat content.
You can make a buttermilk substitute at home if you don't have any buttermilk on hand. There are a couple of methods you can use:
- Milk and Vinegar or Lemon Juice:
- Ingredients: 1 cup of milk (whole milk or 2% works best) and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice
- Instructions: Pour the vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup. Add enough milk to reach the 1-cup mark. Stir the mixture gently. Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes to allow the milk to curdle and thicken. You'll see small curdles forming.
- Milk and Yogurt:
- Ingredients: ½ cup of plain yogurt and ½ cup of milk (whole milk or 2% works best)
- Instructions: Mix the plain yogurt and milk in a bowl until they are well combined. Use this mixture as a one-to-one replacement for buttermilk in your recipe.
The choice between whole or low-fat buttermilk for buttermilk biscuits often comes down to personal preference and dietary considerations. Here are some factors to consider when deciding which type of buttermilk to use:
- Whole Buttermilk (my personal preference):
- With its higher fat content, it has richer flavor and enhances the tenderness.
- Low-Fat Buttermilk:
- If you're looking to reduce the overall fat content in your biscuits, low-fat buttermilk can work as well. The biscuits may be slightly less rich and dense compared to those made with whole buttermilk.
How to make Layered Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits
- For the cinnamon streusel recipe, in a small bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Grate then fold the butter into the mixture.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and grated frozen butter. Freeze 10 minutes.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture, add buttermilk and stir 15 times. The dough will be slightly loose. Add 2-4 tablespoons buttermilk if the dough seems too dry.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a cohesive ball. Flatten dough into a 12"x8" rectangle. Score the dough into 4 even rectangles. Make rectangle stacks. Flatten the 2 stacks separately into 2 6"x8" rectangles.
- Gently press half of the streusel mixture on 1 of the rectangles.
- Place the second rectangle on top of the streusel topped rectangle. Slice the stacked rectangles into 6 even biscuits.
- Melt butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish in the oven. Place the biscuits in the preheated pan. Add the remaining streusel mixture on top and press lightly.
- Bake 450˚F 15-18 minutes or until the streusel biscuits are lightly browned.
Tips and Substitutions
- Use Cold Fat: Just like with regular biscuits, use cold butter or shortening. Cold fat creates flakiness when it melts during baking.
- Roll the Dough Evenly: Roll or pat your biscuit dough to a consistent thickness to ensures even baking.
- Fat Substitutions: While butter or shortening is commonly used, you can experiment with margarine or a butter substitute if you prefer. Keep in mind that it may slightly alter the flavor and texture.
- Sweeteners: If you want to reduce the sugar content, you can consider using a sugar substitute like Stevia or erythritol in the streusel mixture and biscuit dough. Keep in mind that the texture and taste may differ.
- Dairy-Free Options: If you need a dairy-free option, you can use dairy-free butter or margarine and a non-dairy milk, such as almond milk or coconut milk, in your biscuit recipe.
- Gluten-Free: To make gluten-free cinnamon sugar biscuits, use a gluten-free flour blend and ensure all other ingredients, such as baking powder, are also gluten-free.
Storage and Freezing
Store in an air-tight container at room temperature up to 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel for in 10 to 20-second intervals. Be careful not to overheat them, as biscuits can become chewy in the microwave.
You can also freeze them for longer storage in a freezer-safe container. Thaw at room-temperature when ready to consume.
FAQs
You can make a buttermilk substitute at home if you don't have any buttermilk on hand. There are a couple of methods you can use:
Milk and Vinegar or Lemon Juice:
Ingredients: 1 cup of milk (whole milk or 2% works best) and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions: Pour the vinegar or lemon juice into a measuring cup. Add enough milk to reach the 1-cup mark. Stir the mixture gently. Let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes to allow the milk to curdle and thicken. You'll see small curdles forming.
Milk and Yogurt:
Ingredients: ½ cup of plain yogurt and ½ cup of milk (whole milk or 2% works best)
Instructions: Mix the plain yogurt and milk in a bowl until they are well combined. Use this mixture as a one-to-one replacement for buttermilk in your recipe.
With its higher fat content, full-fat buttermilk yields a richer flavor and enhances the tenderness of baked goods. Full-fat buttermilk contains around 3.5% to 4% fat content. Low-fat buttermilk contains around 1% to 2% fat.
While all-purpose flour is the most commonly used flour for biscuits, you can experiment with other types of flours, such as pastry or cake flour. However, these have a lower protein content and may result in biscuits that are exceptionally tender but might not hold up as well structurally. Self-rising flour, as used in this recipe, has been pre-mixed with baking powder and salt.
To make biscuits flaky and tender, rather than dense, you'll want to use the right flour, handle the dough gently, keep cold ingredients cold, don’t skip the fat, don’t over-mix, cut with a sharp cutter, place the dough closely together in the baking dish, and don’t overbake.
While margarine can be used as a substitute for butter or shortening in biscuit recipes, they may turn out slightly softer and may not be as flaky. The flavor will also be different, as margarine typically has a milder taste.
More Breakfast Recipes
Layered Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits
Ingredients
Biscuit
- ½ cup butter frozen 10 minutes
- 2 ½ cups self-rising flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup chilled whole buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
Streusel Filling
- ⅓ cup self-rising flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter frozen 10 minutes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar and grated frozen butter. Freeze 10 minutes.
- Make a well in the center of the mixture, add buttermilk and stir 15 times. The dough will be slightly loose. Add 2-4 tablespoons buttermilk if the dough seems too dry.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a cohesive ball. Flatten dough into a 12"x8" rectangle. Score the dough into 4 even rectangles. Make rectangle stacks. Flatten the 2 stacks separately into 2 6"x8" rectangles.
- For the streusel, in a small bowl whisk together flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Grate then fold the butter into the mixture.
- Gently press half of the streusel mixture on 1 of the rectangles.
- Place the second rectangle on top of the streusel topped rectangle. Slice the stacked rectangles into 6 even biscuits.
- Melt butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet or baking dish in the oven. Place the biscuits in the preheated pan. Add the remaining streusel mixture on top and press lightly.
- Bake 15-18 minutes or until the streusal biscuit are lightly browned.
Video
Notes
- Use Cold Fat: Just like with regular biscuits, use cold butter or shortening.
Cold fat creates flakiness when it melts during baking. - Roll the Dough Evenly: Roll or pat your biscuit dough to a consistent thickness to ensures even baking.
- Fat Substitutions: While butter or shortening is commonly used, you can experiment with margarine or a butter substitute if you prefer. Keep in mind that it may slightly alter the flavor and texture.
- Sweeteners: If you want to reduce the sugar content, you can consider using a sugar substitute like Stevia or erythritol in the streusel mixture and biscuit dough. Keep in mind that the texture and taste may differ.
- Dairy-Free Options: If you need a dairy-free option, you can use dairy-free butter or margarine and a non-dairy milk, such as almond milk or coconut milk, in your biscuit recipe.
- Gluten-Free: To make gluten-free cinnamon sugar biscuits, use a gluten-free flour blend and ensure all other ingredients, such as baking powder, are also gluten-free.
Victoria
I plan on giving these as gifts, but I want to give them frozen so they can bake them when they want to. Will they have to be defrosted, proof or no proof if defrosted before baking or baked frozen?
Laura Ashley
They will need to be thawed before baking 🙂 I hope your gift recipients LOVE them!!