Cinnamon Roll Biscuits - Butter Swim Style

Recipe: Cinnamon Biscuit Recipe »

These cinnamon roll butter swim biscuits are the easiest way to satisfy a cinnamon roll craving - no yeast or dough needed! Soft, fluffy biscuits bake in a pool of melted cinnamon butter, creating a gooey, caramelised bottom. All with just 10 minutes prep. If you love cinnamon rolls but want something quicker and simpler then these cinnamon biscuits are it!

About These Cinnamon Biscuits Butter Swim Style

These biscuits are a delicious cinnamon version of a Southern American biscuit that are super easy. They taste like a cinnamon roll but without making the bread dough. It's one of the easiest things to make if you have a cinnamon roll craving but want something simple and fast!

These cinnamon butter swim biscuits are a variation on my regular butter swim biscuits. These are sweet and ideal for dessert or morning or afternoon tea.

Butter Swim Biscuits were popularised by Erika Council in her book "Still We Rise: A Love Letter to the Southern Biscuit". Southern Biscuits are like scones and these ones bake or swim in a pool of melted butter hence the name. The butter then absorbs into the biscuit when it cools to create a delicious biscuit.

Why You'll Love These Cinnamon Roll Butter Swim Biscuits

They take less than 10 minutes prep but taste like cinnamon rolls. What's not to love about that? ;)

They're easy to transport so great for parties or if you want to bring something delicious to a friend's house.

The cinnamon butter caramelises on the bottom so that they're super gooey and delicious and kind of magical!

Video How To Make Cinnamon Biscuits

Video: How to Make Butter Swim Biscuits

Ingredients For Cinnamon Biscuits

Butter - I always use salted butter in baking.

Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar works.

Ground cinnamon - Found in the spice aisle.

Flour - Cake flour or all purpose plain flour (not bread flour).

Caster or superfine sugar - To melt into the dough.

Baking powder - To give the biscuits rise. Check that the baking powder is still in date.

Buttermilk - You can also make buttermilk by adding a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk.

Cinnamon sugar - To make your own cinnamon sugar, mix 4 tablespoons white sugar with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Store with spices. Great to use for apple desserts.

Tips For Making Butter Swim Style Cinnamon Biscuits

1 - This is such a simple recipe that I don't have a lot of tips because if you follow the instructions, nothing will go wrong!

2 - As long as the butter is soft enough, it will be easy to mix with the cinnamon, brown sugar and salt.

3 - It's important to rest the biscuits before cutting. Cutting into hot biscuits (or bread) will produce a gummy texture as the dough needs time to set its structure properly.

Cinnamon Biscuit Recipe

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Recipe Overview

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Serves: 9

Ingredients Needed

For Cinnamon Butter - 120g/4oz butter, softened - 120g/4oz brown sugar - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - Pinch salt

For Biscuits - 2 cups/300g/10.6oz cake flour - 75g/2.6oz caster or superfine sugar - 3 teaspoons/15g/0.5oz baking powder - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 2 cups/500ml/16.9fl oz buttermilk - Flakey salt - 2 tablespoons butter to melt on top - 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1 PREPARE - Preheat oven to 230C/446F conventional or 210C/410F fan forced. Mix the softened butter, brown sugar and cinnamon together. Place 3/4 of this butter mixture in a square 20x20cm/8x8inch baking dish and place in the oven while it is coming to temperature for 5-7 minutes or until it has melted.

Step 2 BATTER - Meanwhile whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk in 2-3 lots and stir until just combined. The batter will be slightly thick and slightly lumpy.

Step 3 CUT - Once the butter has melted, remove dish from the oven and carefully pour the batter over the melted cinnamon butter. Do not stir. Cut the batter into 9 squares with a butter knife in the actual baking dish. Melt the reserved 1/4 cinnamon butter in the microwave and then drizzle this over the biscuit dough.

Step 4 BAKE - Bake for 25-35 minutes and turn around halfway. Check after 25 minutes and if the top is browning too much, add foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and melted butter. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

Personal Note

I know the name butter swim biscuits is a funny one but I promise that while these "Swim" in the butter, after 15 minutes the butter absorbs into the biscuits and they're just damn delicious!

I learnt something new about swimming last week. I'm not a big fan of swimming. I had a near drowning during primary school where an instructor thought I was faking it so almost let me drown and ever since then I hadn't really learned how to swim. Also swimming during the day means inevitable tanning which isn't good for skin so I tend to avoid it.

But we were recently in Bali for my birthday and staying in a hotel where we had pool access from our balcony. During the day we were really busy and there were a lot of kids and families outside. But I saw that the hotel had these bean bag pool floats that I really wanted to try. I'd pull back the curtain and steal a glance of these families having fun on these floaties (probably looking like a total weirdo).

But one night, dinner was finished by 8pm. "Let's go night swimming!" I said to Mr NQN excitedly. We changed into our swimming costumes and went looking for a bean bag float. It was quiet and we had the whole pool to ourselves. I dragged a float back to our area and climbed on top. I rested my head back and watched the stars above and floated gently. There were no noises, no sun and nobody else to bother us.

And that's when I became a night pool swimmer. Every night we'd come home from dinner and then go night swimming. I think after a few days other adults started to do the same as we'd see one couple do the same and then another!

So tell me Dear Reader, are you a night swimmer? Have you ever tried butter swim biscuits?