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Kitchn has published a new recipe for Easy Sugar Biscuits by developer Melissa Gaman, yielding 8 to 10 biscuits in about 30 minutes. The recipe uses extra sugar and a simplified puff-pastry-style dough-stacking technique to create biscuits that are crisp outside and lightly cakey inside. Recipe tester Patty Catalano praised the results in September 2026 testing.
Kitchn has published a new recipe for Easy Sugar Biscuits, a hybrid bake that combines the gentle sweetness of scones with the crisp, flaky structure of buttermilk biscuits. Developed by recipe developer Melissa Gaman and tested by Kitchn food editor Patty Catalano, the recipe yields 8 to 10 biscuits with 15 minutes of prep and 15 to 20 minutes of baking, making it a practical option for home bakers wanting a fast, versatile treat.
The recipe, published on The Kitchn, starts from a standard buttermilk biscuit base and adds a generous amount of granulated sugar. According to Gaman, the sugar does more than sweeten: it contributes moisture, keeps the dough tender, and encourages browning in the oven, producing deeply browned, crunchy bottoms with a hint of caramelized sugar. A cinnamon-sugar mixture is sprinkled on top before baking.
The technique behind the biscuits’ rise borrows from puff pastry in a simplified form. Rather than simply kneading the dough, it is flattened into a square, halved, stacked, and flattened again — a process Gaman repeats three times before chilling the dough. The result, according to the published recipe, is a sturdy biscuit that is “audibly crisp and easy to split with your fingers, yet light and slightly cakey on the inside.”
The ingredient list is conventional: granulated sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, cold unsalted butter, and cold buttermilk. Gaman specifies using both leaveners — baking powder for lift and baking soda for browning — and cold ingredients to prevent the butter pieces from melting before baking. The biscuits are brushed with buttermilk, topped with cinnamon sugar, and baked until well-risen and browned.
Why Bakers May Want This Recipe
The recipe addresses a specific gap between two baked goods that many home cooks treat as interchangeable. After relocating to Texas from Canada, Gaman writes that she “quickly learned that scones and biscuits are distinctly different, despite sharing similar ingredients” — scones being cakey, crumbly, and gently sweet, while Southern biscuits are saltier, crisper, and more deeply browned. These sugar biscuits are positioned as a bridge between the two.
For readers, the practical appeal is versatility. According to the recipe, the biscuits are sweet enough to serve with butter, jam, and tea as an afternoon treat, or with macerated strawberries as a dessert, yet not so sugary that they are out of place alongside a savory dinner such as pork roast. The short total time — roughly 30 minutes from mixing to finished bake — and pantry-staple ingredients lower the barrier for weeknight or same-day baking.
The Recipe Developer’s Biscuit Credentials
Melissa Gaman is a recipe developer, editor, and food writer based in Jersey City, New Jersey, with more than 15 years of experience developing recipes for print and digital outlets. In the article, she states that she once worked on a project developing over 50 different biscuit variations, giving her firsthand knowledge of how adjusting sugar, baking powder, and buttermilk changes a biscuit’s taste, texture, and rise.
The recipe was tested by Patty Catalano, Kitchn’s food editor, who has more than 17 years of recipe development experience, including time in cookbook test kitchens and on Alton Brown’s culinary team. Kitchn notes, as part of its standard disclosure, that it independently selects any products linked in its recipes and may earn a commission from purchases, with prices accurate at the time of publishing.
“Holy moly, these are delicious. Just like a classic buttermilk biscuit, these sugar biscuits are light, tender, and buttery, but with a subtle sweetness and a hint of spice from the cinnamon. I can picture serving split sugar biscuits with macerated strawberries for dessert or slathered with fruity preserves.”
— Patty Catalano, Kitchn food editor and recipe tester
What the Published Recipe Leaves Open
Several details in the source material are incomplete. The article’s “Helpful Swaps” section is cut off mid-sentence (“Instead of topping…”), so the full list of substitution options is not available from the provided text. Exact ingredient quantities — including how much sugar constitutes the “generous amount” — are not specified in the excerpt, and readers would need to consult the full recipe on The Kitchn’s website for precise measurements and oven temperature.
Baking times are given as a range (15 to 20 minutes), and the recipe does not state an exact internal doneness temperature. As with any bake, results may vary depending on oven calibration, flour brand, and how cold the butter and buttermilk remain during mixing.
Baking and Serving Suggestions
Home bakers can access the complete recipe, including full measurements and the remaining swap suggestions, on The Kitchn’s website. The recipe suggests serving the biscuits warm with butter, jam, or preserves, split and topped with macerated strawberries, or alongside a savory roast. Gaman also recommends a buttermilk substitute for those without it on hand, and notes that a light dusting of flour manages the stickier, sugar-rich dough during shaping.
Key Questions
How many biscuits does the recipe make, and how long does it take?
The recipe yields 8 to 10 biscuits, with about 15 minutes of prep and 15 to 20 minutes of baking — roughly 30 to 35 minutes total.
How are these different from regular buttermilk biscuits?
According to the recipe, the main difference is a generous amount of sugar added to an otherwise standard buttermilk biscuit base, plus a cinnamon-sugar topping. The sugar adds moisture, tenderness, and caramelized browning on the bottoms.
Why does the recipe stack and flatten the dough?
The flatten-halve-stack-repeat technique, repeated three times, is a simplified puff pastry method that creates a tall, layered rise rather than the denser result of simple kneading.
Are these biscuits sweet like a dessert?
No. Per the developer and tester, they are “not too sweet” — sweet enough for butter, jam, and tea, but still suitable alongside savory dinners such as pork roast.
Can I substitute the buttermilk?
Yes. Gaman writes that if buttermilk is unavailable, a buttermilk substitute can be used. Whatever liquid is used should be cold so the butter pieces stay solid during mixing.
Source: rss
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