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    🏠Home » Recipes » Breakfast Recipes

    Cinnamon Biscuits with Vanilla Frosting

    Jan 28, 2023 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · 7 Comments

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.14 from 22 votes

    This cinnamon biscuits recipe is full of great cinnamon roll flavor in every bite. An easy recipe that only takes 30 minutes to make. Have great hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon pastries for breakfast or brunch.

    frosted cinnamon biscuit on a blue plate
    Jump To:
    • 😊Why you will make this recipe over and over.
    • Ingredients
    • 👨‍🍳How to Make Cinnamon Biscuits
    • Variations
    • ✔️Tips
    • Make ahead and leftovers.
    • 📖Breakfast Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    😊Why you will make this recipe over and over.

    • Great cinnamon roll flavor in a biscuit with vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar.
    • Super easy to make with only 10 minutes of prep time and 20 minutes in the oven. Think of them as the lazy man's cinnamon rolls.
    • Even an inexperienced cook can make these biscuits with simple step-by-step photo instructions.
    • It does not crumble like some biscuits due to strengthening with an egg.
    • They are topped with delicious vanilla frosting.
    • Easy to make it into copycats of Hardee's Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits or Bojangles Cinnamon Biscuits,
    • Great homemade taste, unlike Pillsbury biscuits.

    My "inspiration" recipes are my own biscuit recipe and Cinnamon Biscuits at food.com, which helped with some refinements.

    Ingredients

    • Flour
    • Baking powder—aluminum-free baking powder
    • Milk—or buttermilk
    • Egg
    • Butter
    • Pantry ingredients—salt, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla extract, powdered sugar
    • Nuts (optional)—chopped pecans or walnuts

    👨‍🍳How to Make Cinnamon Biscuits

    1. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar.
    2. Cut in ¼ cup butter.
    3. Add milk, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until completely combined.
    4. Roll into a log and cut into eight equal slices.
    5. Place on a baking sheet coated with PAM cooking spray and brush with melted butter.
    6. Bake in a preheated oven until golden brown—about 18-20 minutes.
    7. Mix the frosting of powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
    8. Allow the biscuits to cool for 5 minutes before frosting.

    Variations

    Copycat of Hardee's®️ Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

    • Add ½ cup of raisins.
    • You can make these as a drop or cut biscuits.

    Copycat of Bojangles®️ Cinnamon Biscuits

    • Skip the cinnamon and vanilla in the biscuit dough (I suggest keeping them).
    • Mix a cinnamon filling of 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and ¼ cup dark brown sugar.
    • Press a well into the center top of each biscuit and add 1 teaspoon of the mixture.

    ✔️Tips

    • Cutting in the butter puts most people off from a recipe like this. It is easier to cut in cold butter, chop the butter into small cubes or shred it with a box shredder.
    • Using buttermilk will make the biscuits slightly lighter.
    • The biscuit dough can be adjusted with a bit more flour or milk.
    • You can make this a "drop biscuit." That will cut out a few steps but not much.
    • The frosting is optional, but you want it. Adjust the thickness of the frosting by adding a few drops more milk or extra powdered sugar.
    • Make the frosting slightly thin so it will easily spread over the warm biscuits.
    • These are a nice size, but you can make them bigger by dividing the dough into 6 equal parts.
    • You can use self-rising flour to replace the flour, salt, and baking powder. Use Bisquick®️ , similar to the self-rising flour but also has fats, so it also replaces the butter. I don't recommend either for this recipe. They will work, but the results will be better with the recipe as written.

    Make ahead and leftovers.

    Can uncooked biscuits be stored and baked later?

    You you can make your biscuits a day or two ahead. Make out the biscuits, cover them tightly on a pan with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them for 1-2 days. Let set at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before baking.

    You can also freeze uncooked biscuits. Make individual biscuits and freeze them on parchment paper. When frozen, move to an airtight container. They can be stored for 2-3 months. Spread on a tray and cover refrigerated overnight—then bake.

    How to store leftovers.

    Fresh is best but will be good for up to about 2 days at room temperature if sealed airtight.

    You can freeze cooked leftovers, but I'm not a fan of freezing the frosting. So freeze for up to 3 months without any frosting. And then make a bit of frosting when needed.

    📖Breakfast Recipes

    Cinnamon Roll Cake

    Cinnamon Swirl Bread

    Old Fashion Banana Nut Bread

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Bread Recipes, Breakfast Recipes
    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    ingredients for cinnamon biscuits

    Preheat oven to 425°.

    cutting butter into flour

    Mix dry ingredients of 2 ¼ cups flour, one tablespoon baking powder, one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ cup sugar. Mix well. Cut ¼ cup butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork.

    pouring milk into bowl with flour and an egg

    Add ¾ cup milk, one egg, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add optional nuts if using.

    cut dough into 8 pieces on black board

    Mix until completely combined. Then roll the dough into a log on a lightly floured surface and cut it into eight equal slices.

    brushing butter on biscuits

    Spray a baking sheet with PAM. Place biscuits on a baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush tops.

    baked cinnamon biscuits on small tray

    Bake until golden brown—about 18-20 minutes.

    mixing frosting in metal bowl

    While baking the biscuits, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons to make the glaze the thickness you want.

    pouring frosting on to biscuits

    Remove from the oven and allow to cook for about 5 minutes before frosting.

    tray of frosted cinnamon biscuits
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    📝Recipe

    frosted cinnamon biscuit on a blue plate

    Cinnamon Biscuits with Vanilla Frosting

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    This cinnamon biscuits recipe is full of great cinnamon roll flavor in every bite. An easy recipe that only takes 30 minutes to make. Have great hot-out-of-the-oven cinnamon pastries for breakfast or brunch.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.14 from 22 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 8 biscuits

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Convert to Metric
    • 2 ¼ cup flour
    • 1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ cup sugar
    • ¾ cup milk
    • 1 egg
    • ¼ cup butter - cut in
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 tablespoon butter - melted for top
    • ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts - Optional

    Glaze

    • 1 cup powder sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1-2 tablespoons milk
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425°.
      ingredients for cinnamon biscuits
    • Mix dry ingredients of 2 ¼ cups flour, one tablespoon baking powder, one teaspoon salt, one teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ cup sugar. Mix well. Cut ¼ cup butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or fork.
      cutting butter into flour
    • Add ¾ cup milk, one egg, and one teaspoon of vanilla extract. Add optional nuts of using.
      pouring milk into bowl with flour and egg
    • Mix until completely combined. Then roll the dough into a log on a lightly floured surface and cut it into eight equal slices.
      cut dough into 8 pieces on black board
    • Spray a baking sheet with PAM. Place biscuits on a baking sheet. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush tops.
      brushing butter on biscuits
    • Bake until golden brown—about 18-20 minutes.
      baked cinnamon biscuits on small tray
    • While baking the biscuits, combine 1 cup of powdered sugar, ¼ teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons to make the glaze the thickness you want.
      mixing frosting in metal bowl
    • Remove from the oven and allow to cook for about 5 minutes before frosting.
      tray of frosted cinnamon biscuits
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

    Your Own Private Notes

    Click here to save your own private notes only you will see. These will print and be saved for your next visit.
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    Recipe Notes

    Pro Tips

    1. The "cutting in" of the butter is what puts most people off from a recipe like this. Use cold butter and cut into small cubes or shred the better before cutting in with a pastry cutter or fork.
    2. Always use aluminum-free baking powder due to after-taste issues.
    3. Do not knead or refrigerate the dough. Just cook biscuit style.
    4. You can make this a "drop biscuit". That will cut out a few steps but not much.
    5. The frosting is optional, but you really want it.
    6. You can make them bigger by dividing the dough into 6 equal parts.
    7. Fresh is best but will be good for up to about 2 days at room temperature if sealed airtight.
    8. Freezing instructions are in the post.

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Cinnamon Biscuits with Vanilla Frosting
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 318 Calories from Fat 72
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 8g12%
    Saturated Fat 5g25%
    Cholesterol 40mg13%
    Sodium 346mg14%
    Potassium 81mg2%
    Carbohydrates 56g19%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 29g32%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 298IU6%
    Calcium 153mg15%
    Iron 2mg11%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Breakfast|Sweets
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Originally Published May 8, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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    1. Dawn

      August 22, 2022 at 12:51 pm

      4 stars
      It was very sticky and impossible to roll into a log. I ended up using a lot more flour on the board and used a biscuit cutter. Next time I will adjust amount of flour and milk.

      Reply
    2. Matt

      May 13, 2020 at 9:08 am

      No mention of butter in the ingredients... Then boom instructions mention butter...

      Reply
      • Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

        May 13, 2020 at 9:19 am

        Hi Matt,

        Welcome to the blog.... puff.. butter suddenly appears on the ingredient list- twice.

        Thanks for the proofread. It has been like that for only 4 years. Nutrition adjusted also.

        Dan

      • WT

        May 14, 2020 at 12:31 pm

        5 stars
        You can freeze the butter and grate it on a cheese grater. Really fast and easy

    3. nina

      March 13, 2019 at 1:50 pm

      4 stars
      we would make these cinnamon biscuits again needed more flour because unable to form log but modification is the key

      Reply
      • DrDan

        March 13, 2019 at 7:58 pm

        Hi Nina,
        Welcome to the blog.
        The flour to fluid ratio can vary some when the flour is measured by volume (like we do in America) vs weight like Europe. If your flour is "fluffy" the you have less wt in a cup. This recipe is based on my drop biscuit recipe. Mostly, right on but sometimes it needs a bit more milk or flour.
        Thank for the note and rating.
        Dan

      • Jill G

        May 12, 2020 at 3:42 pm

        5 stars
        Great recipe, will definitely make these again. I also had issues trying to roll the dough into a log, but the drop biscuit method worked fine - thanks for that tip !

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