Simple Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits From Scratch
Skip the canned dough — these easy cinnamon sugar biscuits are made completely from scratch and are ready in under 40 minutes. Soft, cinnamon-spiced buttermilk biscuits are sprinkled generously with cinnamon sugar and baked in a sugar-coated pan. Add a quick powdered sugar glaze, and you’ve got a cozy breakfast treat that’s easy to double for a crowd.
I’d be willing to wager most food bloggers have at least one recipe they make all the time but have never actually shared on their blog. Well… this is one of mine.
I’ve been baking these cinnamon biscuits – or cinny biscuits, as I call them – for nearly 10 years. I used to make them with the biscuits-in-a-tube (you know the ones 😉), but ever since I perfected my homemade buttermilk biscuits for two, those canned biscuits haven’t made it back into my kitchen.
These biscuits give you all the cinnamon-sugar comfort of my small batch cinnamon rolls, but in a flaky biscuit form. And they are oh, so, versatile!
The buttery-soft, flaky texture is the perfect canvas for seasonal flavors. Add pumpkin spice in the fall. Lemon zest in the spring. These particular biscuits work year-round – I’ve even drizzled them with my brown butter cinnamon glaze for a festive Christmas breakfast.
The possibilities? Endless.
Let’s Make My ‘Cinny’ Biscuits
This is one of those recipes that, after a couple of batches, you’ll probably know by heart. Maybe that speaks to its simplicity – or maybe I’ve just made them too many times. 🙂
Grate cold butter on a box grater for better distribution into the flour. 
Grease a cake pan liberally with butter and coat with cinnamon sugar.
Tip! I like to grate my butter and pop it in the freezer until I’m ready to use it.
Add the butter flakes to the dry ingredients and lightly mix to coat the flour. Add the buttermilk in increments and gently mix until you have a shaggy dough.
Tip! Mixing the dough may take a little finesse. Temperature plays a big role in how much the dough needs to hydrate. So, if you’re tempted to pour extra liquid into the dough, don’t worry – it will come together as you press and fold it.
On a floured surface, form the dough into a ball and press it into a rectangle with your fingers. Fold the dough in half, press into a rectangle, and rotate. Repeat 2-3 times before cutting.
Tip! Flattening, folding, and rotating the dough is called lamination. This is what creates all the layers.
Place the biscuits in the pan, brush with buttermilk, then sprinkle cinnamon sugar. Bake the biscuits for about 20 minutes until the tops and edges are golden brown.
Tip! For fluffy biscuits, nestle them close together in the pan so they touch. This insulates the sides and keeps the interior extra soft. Prefer crisp edges all the way around and a flakier bite? Space them apart so each one bakes with its own golden crust.
Finishing The Biscuits
Here’s the best part – the biscuits are wonderful when they are warm, so you don’t need to wait for them to cool. Serve them straight from the pan, and it’s your choice if you top them with an easy glaze, slather with butter, or eat them as-is!
These cinnamon sugar biscuits are truly from my home to yours, and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!
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Did you make the biscuits? I’d love to hear how it went! Let me know in the comments below (plus a star-rating for extra appreciation)! And – did you opt for the extra-rich brown butter glaze or keep the biscuits au naturale?! 🙂
Cinnamon Sugar Biscuits From Scratch
by Erin Cernich
This recipe may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.Equipment
- 8-Inch Round Cake Pan
- Rolling Mat (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all purpose flour (plus more for dusting)
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 7 tablespoons (98 g) unsalted butter, cold (plus more to grease pan)
- 1 cup (237 ml) buttermilk, cold (reserve and set aside 1 tablespoon)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Using a box cheese grater, grate the cold butter onto a piece of parchment paper. Put the grated butter in the freezer until ready to use.
- In a liquid measuring cup, measure out the buttermilk. Place it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Tip – see the Notes below to make homemade buttermilk.
- Preheat oven to 425F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Grease an 8-inch round cake pan with a tablespoon of butter. Coat the pan with cinnamon sugar – swirl around to get the sides!
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- Add the chilled butter shavings to the flour and stir until all the pieces are coated with flour.7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to brush over the top of the biscuits.
- Pour about 2/3 of the buttermilk over the dry ingredients. You may not need all of it. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix gently until the dough is moist, coarse, and crumbly. Add more buttermilk as needed. You don't want the dough to be too wet. Temperature and humidity can affect how much is needed. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of buttermilk to brush over the biscuits before baking. If you used all of it, regular milk or cream will work.1 cup buttermilk, cold
- Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Using your hands, gently work the dough together and form it into a rough rectangle. If the dough is sticky, lightly flour the top of the dough. Tip – I provide a link above for the rolling mat I like to use to form and cut the biscuits. It sticks to the countertop and makes clean-up easy!
- Once the dough has come together, fold it in half. With your fingertips, gently flatten the dough. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, gently flattening the layers again. Repeat this 2 to 3 more times. Keep the surface lightly floured to avoid the dough sticking to your work surface. The folding and rotating (aka "laminating") is what creates the flaky layers in the biscuits.
- Flatten the dough to approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick. Dip the biscuit cutter into flour. Starting in one of the corners of the dough, gently press the biscuit cutter straight down – making close cuts to get as many biscuits as you can before having to re-work the dough. Re-flatten and cut any remaining dough. Note – The number of biscuits you get will depend on how thick your dough is and what size biscuit cutter you use. For an 8-inch round pan, it will snuggly fit 7 biscuits.
- Place the biscuits in the prepared pan. It's ok if they touch. Brush the tops with the reserved buttermilk, then sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar
- Bake the biscuits until the tops are golden brown, about 20 to 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve warm. You can also drizzle the biscuits with a simple glaze (see next step).
- Simple Biscuit Glaze – Mix 3/4 cup of powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 2 to 3 teaspoons of cream, milk, or water. For a thinner glaze, add extra splashes of liquid to reach the desired consistency. You can also add a couple dashes of cinnamon for extra flavor.
Notes
- Serving Size – This recipe is easily doubled. Either use 2 8-inch baking pans, or 9×13 baking dish.
- Baking Pan – For the small batch, you can also use an 11 x 7-Inch baking pan.
- Homemade Buttermilk – Pour a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup, then pour milk to the 1 cup mark. Stir and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes before using. I prefer whole milk, but 2% will also work.
- Cold Butter – Butter is a key ingredient in this recipe, and it needs to be VERY cold before using.
- Grate the Butter – Grating the butter is a great way to get small pieces of butter evenly distributed into your dough. A pastry cutter will work as well, just cut the butter into tablespoons before using.
- Work by Hand – I do not use a rolling pin because I don’t want to overwork the dough or melt the butter. The folding and flattening technique is an easy alternative and it gives you more control of the dough and its thickness.
- Cinnamon Sugar – Use premade or make your own: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon for every 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Storage – Cover and store leftover biscuits at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.
Nutrition Estimates
About the Author …
Hi, I’m Erin! With years of experience baking for two in my own small household, I know about the love for desserts without the leftovers. I’ve tested, written, and photographed every one of the 300+ recipes on my website. And even had some of my desserts featured on Taste of Home, The Spruce Eats, ELLE, Parade, and more! From traditional to gluten free desserts for two, I have the recipe for you.
Click here to learn more about me →
Easy and delicious!
And I followed your cinnamon/sugar ratio to mix enough to fill a shaker for multiple uses. Thank you.
Thanks for trying the biscuits Nancy! And great idea to make extra cinnamon sugar – we go through a lot of it with our fall baking!