Cream Biscuits Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Make Ahead

by: Merrill Stubbs

December7,2010

4.3

15 Ratings

  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 15 minutes
  • Makes 8 biscuits

Jump to Recipe

Author Notes

These biscuits have been a staple in our household for years. In The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Marion Cunningham writes that she learned to make them at one of James Beard’s summer cooking classes in Seaside, Oregon.Instead of buttermilk or regular milk, the recipe calls for heavy cream, which makes for a super simple mixing process and ensures tender biscuits every time. A note to those anticipating the savory tang of a traditional buttermilk biscuit -- these are more like a rich, savory scone. —Merrill Stubbs

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • Melted butter
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in a mixing bowl, stirring with a fork to blend.
  2. Slowly add the cream to the dry ingredients, stirring constantly, until the dough holds together.Knead gently on a lightly floured surface for about 1 minute.Pat it into 1/2-inch thick round and use a sharp knife to it cut into 8 wedges.
  3. Arrange the wedges 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet and brush the tops of the biscuits with melted butter. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Serve warm with plenty of butter and/or honey.

Tags:

  • Biscuit
  • Bread
  • American
  • Milk/Cream
  • Grains
  • Make Ahead
  • Serves a Crowd
  • Mother's Day
  • Valentine's Day
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizer
  • Side

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • betty888

  • Reed Keyes

  • Rachel Christensen

  • Hiromi Motojima

  • lastnightsdinner

Popular on Food52

42 Reviews

Rebecca H. November 15, 2022

This is the recipe I go to for making both strawberry shortcakes and for biscuits topping in Chicken Pot Pie. I omit the melted butter when making pot pie biscuit topping. But, it is the ultimate comfort food when cooking for someone who's recovering from illness or surgery and every time I make it, the family I've made it for tell me it's the best chicken pie they've ever had. And it's always about the homemade biscuits on top!

Merrill S. November 16, 2022

Rebecca, thank you for sharing. What a great idea!

betty888 December 8, 2019

I was craving biscuits on this cold Sunday morning. These came together in a flash and are so delicious!

Renée R. January 13, 2018

I woke up this morning, ready for my weekend slice of toast for breakfast. I always keep a homemade loaf of bread in the freezer. Well, with the holidays and all, somehow there was no bread. I was instantly depressed. Decided to peruse Food52 for biscuit recipes and happened upon this one. Made it exactly as written and OH MAMA!!! These are melt in your mouth perfection. Now that I'm sustained and satiated I can face taking down my Christmas decorations. Thank you, Merrill. Job well done!

LizCo77 November 27, 2016

These are so simple and so delicious, it's remarkable. I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for making me look good on Thanksgiving!

Wanda B. June 23, 2016

Never mind on the butter.........I should have read the whole recipe...It's just for brushing on. Silly ME!!!

Wanda B. June 23, 2016

How much butter?

Reed K. March 4, 2016

will definitely be making, with the addition of currants (I love a cream current scone with some milky tea...)

Kerry G. October 18, 2015

...and 2nd time, I used 1.5c flour, and reduced salt by half as I only had 250 ml cream

Kerry G. October 11, 2015

Perfect! I made these because I needed to use up extra cream. Now I will be buying extra cream so that I need to make these ;-)

liz September 11, 2015

These look terrific. Could I use plain kefir instead of cream? It works great in pancakes etc.

Merrill S. September 11, 2015

I haven't tried it so I'm not sure how they'd turn out. Let me know if you do!

Rachel C. January 8, 2015

WOW i just made these today and they are fantastic. i immediately ate 2. into the freezer they go.

Hiromi M. December 21, 2014

I made this for our afternoon tea party and everyone just loved it! And this was the easiest and simplest thing I made for the party. I used tiny bit more than 1 cup of cream. But one of my friend suggested to use greek yogurt instead of half of the cream, so I may try that. Although that may make the biscuit a bit sour? Anyway, it is really good as is. I had it with strawberry jam and mascarpone cheese, and lemon curd I made for macarons.

lastnightsdinner December 16, 2014

This recipe is STILL my go-to for biscuits. I actually embellished it a bit recently, adding about 4 oz. of grated cheese (a parmesan/fontina/asiago blend), a little dry mustard, some snipped chives and lots of fresh black pepper (oh, and omitting the sugar). Used them to top a pot pie! So good!

Merrill S. December 16, 2014

That sounds amazing! I may have to make your version this weekend...

Marian B. December 16, 2014

Wow! Finally made these tonight (at midnight, restless, worried that my fancy local cream would turn soon) and they're amazing. I used probably 1 1/4 cups cream, and they're so light and soft and perfect with honey. Sprinkled some extra flaky salt on top for good measure. Thanks, Merrill!

Merrill S. December 16, 2014

Good call on the flaky salt!

Allison T. August 9, 2014

Looks wonderful! I do love a good cream biscuit. Thanks for sharing!
www.lashesanddashes.com

Blanca June 20, 2014

Can I make ahead this recipe and freeze it?

MegB January 24, 2014

Can't believe how easy and good these were!

Rose W. November 15, 2013

I made these for breakfast yesterday--so easy without having to cut in butter. Took 30 minutes including baking. I ate 4. I try not to eat so much white flour, but I will keep this as a go-to biscuit recipe.

threeks March 20, 2013

Sounds delish. How can I sub the baking powder due to a corn allergy?

Peony February 9, 2013

Quick and simple to make. We ate ours with cream cheese and three fruit jam. We will be enjoying these again - very good.

Cream Biscuits Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the cream in cream biscuits made of? ›

These biscuits are made with heavy whipping cream as the main liquid, replacing buttermilk or milk.

What is the difference between buttermilk biscuits and cream biscuits? ›

Buttermilk Biscuits vs. Cream Biscuits

Buttermilk also adds a subtle tang. Cream biscuits are made with heavy cream. Cream biscuits are beloved because they're incredibly easy-to-make. But, since cream is much milder than buttermilk, they won't be quite as flavorful (unless you incorporate more spices and seasonings).

What is a cream filled biscuit called? ›

Monte Carlo

Experience the delicious pleasure of Arnott's most iconic cream biscuit. Arnott's Monte Carlo biscuits are two coconut and honey biscuits filled with smooth vanilla cream wrapped in a chewy jam.

Are biscuits better made with butter or Crisco? ›

Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!

Which is the best cream biscuit in the world? ›

Brands
  • MUNCHYS.
  • OREO.
  • ORION.
  • PARLE.
  • parle platina.
  • SUNFEAST.
  • TIFFANY.
  • UNIBIC.

Is buttermilk or heavy cream better for biscuits? ›

Buttermilk can produce better results when baking biscuits than using regular milk or cream. Buttermilk is acidic and when it is combined with baking soda, it creates a chemical reaction that produces carbon dioxide gas, which causes the dough to rise and gives the biscuits a light and flaky texture.

What happens if you use milk instead of buttermilk in biscuits? ›

While the quantity of acid could be fine-tuned, the consistency of milk-based substitutions will be unavoidably thin. Compared to cultured buttermilk, plain milk is watery, making the dough so heavy and wet that it oozes into a puddle, turning the biscuits flat and dense.

What kind of liquid is best for making biscuits? ›

Milk or Buttermilk: I love how this recipe works with milk or buttermilk. If you love the tangy flavor of buttermilk, use it.

Are biscuits better with buttermilk or milk? ›

Buttermilk adds a nice tang to the biscuit flavor and helps them rise better.

What is the oldest biscuit? ›

DISCOVER Aberffraw biscuits & Cornish pasties

THE ABERFFRAW BISCUIT (or cake) goes by a number of names, but whatever you call it, with a tradition dating back to the 13th century, it's often held up as the oldest recognised biscuit in Britain.

Are cream biscuits healthy? ›

Cream biscuits are high in calories, not a good source of fibre and not a healthy snack replacement. So, should they be avoided altogether? Nutritionists feel that the answer to this question lies in what they replace. If biscuits replace fruits, vegetables and nuts, it is bad.

What is a buttery biscuit called? ›

Butter cookies

They are especially popular around Christmastime and come in a variety of festive shapes, such as stars, trees, and reindeer. These cookies, often called Danish biscuits, originated in Denmark.

What makes biscuits taste better? ›

After testing hundreds of biscuits, the Southern Living Test Kitchen cooks found that grating a frozen stick of butter with the large holes of a box grater made the best dough and was much faster too. The ice-cold shreds of butter incorporate into the flour more evenly, improving the dough's flavor and texture.

What does too much butter do to biscuits? ›

Increasing the amount of butter definitely makes the biscuit "taste" softer, more crumbly, and more flaky. I usually associate flakiness and softness with size; you expect a big biscuit to be fluffy and soft, and a biscuit that doesn't rise to be dense.

Why are my homemade biscuits so dense? ›

The reason: The butter has not been incorporated evenly, leaving pockets of your cooked biscuits that are dry, dense, and filled with flour. But even if you properly mix your biscuits, if your butter pieces are too large or inconsistently sized they may not get distributed evenly throughout the dough.

What is the cream in cream crackers? ›

Why are cream crackers called cream crackers despite them not having any cream in them whatsoever? Answer: Its the method of how they add the oil to the mixture, by creaming it with the flour and water mixture. 'Cream' refers to the process rather than an ingredient.

What is Bakers cream made from? ›

At its most basic, pastry cream is a combination of milk, eggs, and starch that are cooked together to create a rich and thick custard that's a workhorse in the baker's kitchen.

What are the ingredients in cream cracker biscuits? ›

Ingredients: Wheat flour (gluten), vegetable fat (palm fat), yeast, salt, black pepper (approx. 0,7%), raising agent (sodium hydrogen carbonate). May contain traces of eggs, peanuts, sesame seeds, milk or its derivates, soya, nuts and sulphites..

What is cream in in baking? ›

Cream is a rich, thick emulsion of dairy fat available commercially as a white or light yellow colored fluid or it can be whipped into a stable foam for various applications. It is popular in baked goods such as: Cakes. Pastries.

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