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Sweet Cream Biscuits are a flaky biscuit made with heavy cream! This is the BEST biscuit you’ll ever make – completely from scratch and very easy to make. Using simple ingredients like flour, butter, baking powder, sugar and cream you’ll be busting out tender biscuits for Sunday brunch every weekend!
My favorite way to enjoy these biscuits is to make my famous strawberry shortcake (I have the easiest tip for the strawberries that makes strawberry shortcake the best summer dessert!) or with a little swipe of freezer jam on a lazy weekend morning.
Why This Recipe Won’t Fail
Cream Biscuits are the perfect biscuit, especially if you’re not used to making biscuits from scratch. They’ve got a sugary, crunchy outside and a soft and fluffy inside.
The heavy cream makes the difference! The fat from heavy cream makes these biscuits soft and moist because the water doesn’t evaporate out as quickly as milk.
Unsalted Butter is king!! During baking, the water in the butter evaporates into steam, this steam leaves behind air pockets that contribute to the craveable flaky texture of a biscuit!
Ingredients in Southern Sweet Cream Biscuits
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This is one of the most important ingredients in a sweet cream biscuit. It adds liquid to combine the dry ingredients AND adds fat required for a tender and moist biscuit.
- Flour: I always use all purpose flour because it’s simple and has the correct protein for a flaky biscuit. See below for self rising substitute.
- Sugar: We are making sweet biscuits so a hint of sweet is essential. I especially love the crunchy texture on top with the sanding or turbinado sugar.
- Baking Powder: Give those babies height!
- Butter: Bringing the fat and the chemistry behind flaky layers.
- Egg: Adds a little richness so the biscuits bake up soft and tender.
- Salt: Just enough to balance the sweetness and bring out the flavor.
- Egg White: Brushed on top for that pretty golden shine.
- Sanding Sugar: The sparkling, sweet crunch that makes them feel extra special.
How to Make Sweet Cream Biscuits
- Prep: Preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk: Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Toss: Toss the butter in the dry ingredient until well coated. Use a pastry cutter to mix in the butter.
- Cream: Beat the egg into the heavy cream and stir into the dry ingredients until combined. Mixture will be wet.
- Fold and Press: Turn the dough out onto a floured counter and fold a few times into a rectangle. Do not over fold!!
- Cut: Cut the dough rounds and place on the baking sheet.
- Egg Wash: Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with sugar!
- Bake: Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on the tops.
FAQs
You can most definitely use self rising flour. To make Sweet Cream Biscuits with self-rising flour: substitute the all-purpose flour with self rising and omit baking powder and salt. It’s that easy!
It’s really easy to over-mix. The dough should be mixed until just combined but still floury bits in the bottom then fold once or twice and gently patted into a rectangle.
No substitutions on the heavy cream, unless you want to make a buttermilk biscuit, but never use plain milk!
Yes! Cut out the biscuits using a biscuit cutter, but do not brush with egg white and sugar up to 12 hours ahead of time. Just set the dough in the fridge, covered with a towel.
Variations
This heavy cream biscuits recipe is the perfect base for making tasty additions if you so desire. Here are a few ideas:
- Blueberries
- Chocolate chips
- Lemon zest
Skip the sugar and go savory with:
- Herbs
- Shredded cheese
- Bacon or ham
Fluffy, tender, and perfectly golden, these Homemade Sweet Cream Biscuits are the easiest biscuit recipe ever. No yeast, no rolling pin—just simple ingredients and rich cream for the best breakfast or brunch side.
More Bread Recipes:
Watch How to Make Simple Sweet Cream Biscuits
Sweet Cream Biscuits
Ingredients
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour, (properly measured)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- 5 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup Butter, unsalted, cut into pieces
- 1 Large Egg, whisked
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream, plus 1 Tablespoon
- 1 Egg White, whisked
- Additional Sugar for Biscuits, turbinado sugar works great
Instructions
- Adjust your oven rack to lower middle position; heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar in a medium bowl.2 Cups All-Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Salt, 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder, 5 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
- Toss the butter with flour to coat. Using a pastry cutter, mix the butter into the flour until it appears to be like a grainy mixture.½ Cup Butter
- Mix a beaten egg with cream; pour into flour mixture.1 Large Egg, ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- Toss with fork until large clumps form. Turn mixture onto floured work surface and lightly knead only just until it comes together.
- Using a silicone mat with measurements, gently press the dough into a rectangle no bigger than 9 x 6 inches.
- Flour 2 ¾-inch biscuit cutter and cut 6 dough rounds. Gather the scraps together and cut out 2 to 4 more biscuits.
- Place the biscuits 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet; brush dough tops with egg white and sprinkle evenly with a good coating of sugar.1 Egg White, Additional Sugar for Biscuits
- Bake until golden brown, 12 minutes. Place the baking sheet on wire rack to cool.
Recipe Notes
- The biscuit dough can be prepared ahead of time. Cut it out using a biscuit cutter, but do not brush with egg white and sugar up to 12 hours ahead of time. Just set the dough in the fridge, covered with a towel.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
