I’ve been putting apple butter on my biscuits for years, but I’d never put it IN the biscuit – until a few days ago. These apple butter biscuits have the sweet and sour apple flavor baked right into the biscuit.
Your grocery list
Baking and pantry items
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar
Dairy
- Unsalted butter
- Buttermilk
Other
- Apple butter (here’s a recipe to make apple butter in a slow-cooker, but store-bought apple butter will work in a pinch)
Equipment/tools you’ll need
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Measuring spoons/cups
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Mixing bowls
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Sifter or fine mesh strainer
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Knife & cutting board
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Food processor (or 2 knives, for cutting butter into the flour)
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Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
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Biscuit cutter (2″ makes the perfect sized biscuit, imo)
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Baking sheet
Step-by-step instructions for making apple butter biscuits
I start most baking recipes (that don’t require chill or proofing time) by preheating the oven. In this case, preheat to 450º F (232º C).
1) Make the biscuit dough
- Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a food processor).
- Carefully dice frozen butter and cut the butter into the flour until only a few chunks remain and most of the mixture resembles small pebbles. Transfer to a large mixing bowl (if using a food processor).
- Combine apple butter with buttermilk and pour into the flour and butter mix. Gently combine until a scraggly dough has formed. Be careful not to overmix or this will make your biscuits tough and dense instead of fluffy.
2) Fold dough and cut biscuits
- On a clean floured surface, (with a wooden spoon or spatula) pat dough into a large rectangle that is 3/4-inch thick.
- Laminating the dough (the process that creates those signature flaky layers in croissants) involves folding the rectangle of dough like a trifold brochure. Then rolling it out and repeating 2 or 3 times. I usually skip this unless I really want well defined layers in my biscuits. Taking the extra time to do this adds heat and gives the butter time to melt, which is exactly what you don’t want when you’re making soft, fluffy biscuits.
- Cut biscuits into shape/size of your choosing. I usually make square biscuits just because there are less scraps and, therefore, less need to re-combine and re-roll the biscuits which reduces the chance that your biscuits will be tough and dense.
3) Bake biscuits
- Line biscuits on a baking sheet. You can line it with parchment paper for easy clean-up and to keep the biscuits from sticking.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Finish with extra butter on the top.
Tips for making great apple butter biscuits
- Make your own apple butter, if you have the time. The flavor difference is noticeable and you’ll be so satisfied knowing you made these delicious biscuits from scratch.
- Use very cold buttermilk and butter. The colder, the better when it comes to making biscuits. Keeping the dough (more specifically, the butter in the dough) cold allows it to melt and release steam at just the right time which expands and helps the biscuits rise.
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Avoid over mixing/kneading the dough. Anytime dough is handled, gluten is formed in the dough. Some gluten is good and helps creature the structure that is needed for most baked goods, but over-kneading the biscuit dough will cause the biscuits to end up tough instead of tender.
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Make the most of each roll-out. Every time you roll out a new batch of biscuits from the leftover scraps, the texture of the final biscuit changes. This happens because the flour needed to keep them from sticking to the counter mixes into the newest roll-out and alter their texture. The difference may not be drastic, and it’s not usually a big deal for home cooks, but there will be a difference. When cutting biscuits, leave little to no space between biscuits.
How to store your apple butter biscuits
- Before baking: biscuit dough can be frozen and stored for up to a month. Start by lining the biscuits up on a baking sheet (not touching). After a few hours the biscuits will be completely frozen and can be stored in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. To reduce freezer burn, try to press as much air as possible out of the bag before sealing. There is no need to thaw before baking, just increase the bake time by 3-5 minutes.
- After baking: once the biscuits are baked, they can be stored in any airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. To reheat in oven: sprinkle biscuits with a teaspoon of water and wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil. Heat at 300º F for 5 minutes. To reheat in microwave: sprinkle biscuits with a teaspoon of water and wrap loosely in a paper towel. Microwave for 20 seconds.
Ways to adjust your apple butter biscuits
- You can add more spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cardamom
- Add a simple glaze made from 1 cup powdered sugar, 1. tsp vanilla extract, a squeeze of lemon juice, and 2-3 tsp of any kind of milk (add 2-3 ounces of softened cream cheese for a thicker, tangier glaze)
Apple Butter Biscuits
Equipment
- Measuring spoons/cups
- Mixing bowls
- Sifter or fine mesh strainer
- Knife & cutting board
- Food processor (or 2 knives, for cutting butter into the flour)
- Rubber spatula or wooden spoon
- Biscuit cutter (2" makes the perfect sized biscuit, imo)
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoons baking powder
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter frozen (½ cup = 1 stick)
- ½ cup apple butter
- ½ cup buttermilk very cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450º F.
- Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of a food processor).
- Carefully dice frozen butter and cut the butter into the flour until only a few chunks remain and most of the mixture resembles small pebbles. Transfer to a large mixing bowl (if using a food processor).
- Combine apple butter with buttermilk, pour into flour and butter mix, and gently combine until a scraggly dough has formed. Be careful not to overmix.
- On a clean floured surface, (with a wooden spoon or spatula) pat dough into a large rectangle that is 3/4-inch thick. Cut biscuits into shape/size of your choosing.
- Line biscuits on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Finish with extra butter on the top.
