Over the years, plenty of restaurants have featured strawberry biscuits on their menus. Hardees had them for a while, and most recently, they appeared on Popeyes’ menu.
But none of those taste as good as these homemade strawberry biscuits!
They’re the perfect blend of sweet and savory, with juicy bits of fresh strawberries nestled in buttery, flaky biscuits.
Add the smooth vanilla glaze, and those other restaurants can hang it up. These are definitely the best.
Why You’ll Love These Strawberry Biscuits
Irresistible Taste: Sweet-n-tangy strawberries. Rich, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. A sugary, sticky vanilla glaze. These are pretty much perfect.
Flaky Perfection: This recipe’s folding technique creates beautifully flaky layers. As a result, the biscuits have a light and airy texture that’s hard to resist.
Eye-Catching Presentation: Between the reddish pink pops of color, coarse sugar, and vanilla glaze, they’re gorgeous. They’re perfect for impressing guests at any gathering.
Ingredients
- Fresh Strawberries: Juicy, fruity, and tangy-sweet. These red berries add pops of sweetness and beautiful color.
- All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the biscuit dough.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: The leavening agents.
- Granulated Sugar: It enhances the berries’ natural sweetness and provides sweetness to the biscuits, too.
- Kosher Salt: To balance the sweetness and enhance the other flavors.
- Unsalted Butter: Use a high-quality butter that’s still cold. That’s the key to creating steam as the biscuits bake. And that steam, in turn, results in flaky, mouth-watering layers.
- Buttermilk: All biscuits are better when made with buttermilk.
- Large Egg: For the egg wash you brush on top. It gives the biscuits a shiny, golden finish and holds the coarse sugar in place.
- Coarse or Sparkling Sugar: Crunchy, glistening crystals add a bakery-style touch and a nice texture.
- Vanilla Glaze: A mix of powdered sugar, milk (or heavy cream), and vanilla extract. Drizzle it on top of each biscuit for a sweet, creamy finish.
How to Make Strawberry Biscuits
There are several steps to making strawberry biscuits. Fortunately, they’re super easy to follow.
1. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and work it into the dry ingredients until coarse crumbs form.
2. Add the berries. Gently fold the diced strawberries into the flour mixture.
3. Add the buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the mixture. Pour in the cold buttermilk and gently mix until a “shaggy” dough forms.
4. Form and fold. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Shape it into a rectangle and fold into thirds. Repeat the folding twice more.
5. Cut. Use a 2 1/2-inch cutter to cut the biscuits, re-rolling as needed.
6. Freeze. Place the cut biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
7. Bake. Brush the tops of the frozen biscuits with the egg wash and sprinkle the coarse sugar on top. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown.
8. Make the glaze. Let the biscuits cool for 10 minutes. While they’re cooling, whisk the powdered sugar, milk/cream, and vanilla until smooth.
9. Glaze and serve. Drizzle the vanilla glaze over the biscuits. Serve warm and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Strawberry Biscuits
There are two important things to remember when making these biscuits. Use cold ingredients and fresh strawberries. Everything else is pretty straightforward.
Still, I have a few tips to make them more irresistible.
- Get ’em nice and dry. Pat them gently with paper towels to remove any excess moisture. If they’re too wet, your biscuits will be soggy.
- Chop chop! Cut the butter into small pieces. It will incorporate into the flour mixture better that way. If the butter pieces are too large, they can be hard to mix.
- Don’t overmix or overbake! Mix the dough until it just comes together. If you overwork it, the biscuits will be too tough. The same goes for overbaking. Bake them until they’re golden brown and no longer.
- Pat, don’t roll. Use your hands to shape the dough into a rectangle. Don’t roll it flat with a rolling pin. Patting the dough instead will help the biscuits become nice and fluffy.
- Don’t twist the cutter! When people cut biscuits, they often twist the cutter after pressing it into the dough. Don’t do that! Simply press straight down and then lift it. Twisting the cutter can seal the dough’s edges and prevent the biscuits from fully rising.
- Glaze while warm. Don’t let the biscuits cool before adding the vanilla glaze. Pour it over them while they’re still warm. Doing so will help the glaze set for a smooth, even finish.
- Try fun variations. Experiment with different berries, such as blueberries or even raisins. You can also use different types of sugar to tweak the flavor.
How to Store
I don’t know how anyone ever has any of these left to store. My family always devours them as soon as they’re cool enough to eat.
Luckily, I still have storage tips for those of you with more self-control.
To Make Ahead: I don’t recommend making the biscuits ahead of time. However, you can prepare the dough in advance. Simply follow the recipe and shape the biscuits. Then, freeze them on a baking sheet and transfer them to a freezer bag. Bake the frozen dough directly from the freezer, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time.
To Store: Let the biscuits cool and place them in an air-tight container. Refrigerate them for up to 2 days.
To Freeze: Wrap the individual biscuits in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Store them in a freezer-safe bag for 2 to 3 months.
To Reheat: Let the frozen biscuits thaw in the fridge overnight or on the counter for about an hour. Then, reheat the chilled biscuits for 8 to 10 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. You can also wrap them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.