Biscuits were one of the first things my late southern grandmother taught me how to make. It was a very methodical process shown to her by her mother. I remember in my young mind wondering “Why does a well have to be made in the flour for the wet ingredients? Can’t you just throw it all in a bowl and mix it together?” I wondered these questions, but dared not ask. I was the apprentice learning from the master. I repeated everything exactly the way I was shown.
For years after learning these wonderful recipes I made them for my family using the exact same methods I was taught. As I became a more comfortable cook, I began simplifying the process realizing that the end product was identical either way. I tweaked the recipes I had learned and even created new variations. That’s the beauty of food. You can put your twist on classic recipes and create new ones.
Here’s my recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits! We like to eat them with sweet cinnamon butter (the way I like to eat my baked sweet potatoes!) but it’s totally optional because they’re good either way. They’re just better with the cinnamon butter 🙂
I begin by combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter until the flour is crumbly. Add all the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
Pat or roll dough into a 1-inch thick circle on a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured surface. You can dust on a little potato or tapioca starch if it gets sticky. With a 2-inch cutter or round drinking glass cut as many biscuit out as you can in the dough, cutting closely together to minimize scraps. Re-roll scrap pieces and continue to cut out biscuits until all the dough is used up. Place biscuits closely together on a parchment paper lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes. Remove when the edges begin to turn golden brown.
While the biscuits are cooling, prepare the cinnamon butter. It’s as easy as mixing up the three ingredients in a bowl. It takes just a few minutes and is such a nice compliment to the biscuits. My son, who’s not a big fan of sweet potatoes, couldn’t get enough of these biscuits with the cinnamon butter! I imagine this butter would be great on pumpkin pancakes or raisin bread as well. Mmmm, can’t wait to try those combinations!
Hope you enjoy these fluffy and delicious, gluten-free Sweet Potato Biscuits with Cinnamon Butter! I know we sure did!
- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup potato starch
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon flax meal
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons cold grass-fed or dairy-free butter such as Earth Balance*
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 cup grass-fed or dairy-free butter such as Earth Balance*
- 3 tablespoons honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar*
- 1/2-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (depending on how much cinnamon you like)
- Preheat oven to 450F. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, flax meal, and salt. Cut butter into the flour mixture until it becomes coarse and crumbly. Add maple syrup, sweet potato, and milk, stirring just until combined. Don’t overmix. You want just enough liquid to make it hold together. If dough is too dry though, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Just be careful not to add too much liquid. It will make the dough really sticky and biscuits will be flatter.
- Roll dough out onto parchment paper or surface lightly dusted with potato/tapioca starch. Roll or pat dough into a flat 1-inch thick circle. The thicker you cut the biscuits, the fluffier the biscuits will be after they bake. Using a 2-inch round cutter or the rim of a round drinking glass, cut as many biscuits as you can from the dough. When finished, gather the scraps and gently press the dough back together and cut more biscuits. Continue to do this until all the dough is used up, should get 10-12 biscuits. Place biscuits closely together on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or lightly greased with coconut oil. Bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes or until the edge of biscuits begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Best served warm.
- In a small bowl, use a fork or an electric mixer to mix together the butter, sweetener of choice, and cinnamon until well combined. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- *Use dairy free butter and maple syrup or coconut sugar to make these vegan.
Cameron Gilmore says
June 12, 2018 at 12:19 pmThese are delicious!!! Sweet or savory. I made the vegan version and I used unbleached flour. I ate them with cinnamon butter fresh out of he oven and enjoyed them the next day with some southern red beans and rice. Everyone loved them! This will be a recipe I use again and again. I will try the tapioca and potato starch version eventually when I have those in my pantry. Great biscuit recipe! Thank you!
Joscelyn | Wife Mama Foodie says
June 22, 2018 at 12:37 amThanks, Cameron! So glad you enjoyed these biscuits! They are a delicious addition to almost any meal and simple to whip up too. And to me, the more cinnamon butter on each biscuit, the better, haha!! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience! Hope you are able to find other recipes on the site to enjoy! 😉
Minna says
October 6, 2014 at 8:54 pmDefinitely on my list of thanksgiving sides I want to make! Also, Joscelyn, your step by steps have convinced me I really need one of those pastry blenders… My right arm gets more exercise than intended using my fork to cut in the butter for the flour!
Joscelyn | Wifemamafoodie says
October 6, 2014 at 11:57 pmHaha, pastry blenders make life a whole lot easier, Minna! Not as easy as making it in a food processor, but a lot easier than a fork anyway! This blender was my Grandmother’s too, making it all the more fitting to use to make these biscuits. These will pair perfectly with Thanksgiving dinner though, and may even suffice for the sweet potato side! 😉
Kimberly/TheLittlePantation says
October 6, 2014 at 3:12 pmI know I’ve said it before, but I soSO love your step-by-step pictures.
and as for the recipe, well it looks great.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Kimberly
Joscelyn | Wifemamafoodie says
October 6, 2014 at 3:26 pmThanks, Kimberly! It does take a lot longer to produce a post, but I’ve always preferred seeing things visually rather than in written format, so hopefully all the other visual people appreciate it too, haha! Thanks again 🙂