Strawberry Biscuits with Vanilla Glaze

These homemade Strawberry Biscuits blow the iconic Popeye's version out of the water. Combining the tangy richness of buttermilk with sweet, fresh strawberries creates biscuits that are irresistibly fluffy and flavorful. Adding the vanilla glaze turns these into the most amazing strawberry cream biscuits and makes them oh so cravable!

In 2023, I had Strawberry Biscuits on my to-do list for months, and I was just waiting for Spring to, well... spring, when I heard that Popeye's was releasing a limited edition version of their own. Not one to let a corporate overlord determine my future, I'm went full steam ahead.

These strawberry biscuits are kind of a cross between my Sweet Biscuits and my original Buttermilk Biscuits with the addition of ripe, red strawberries. Just a touch sweet, packed with ripe strawberries in every flaky layer, and drizzled with a delicious vanilla glaze - this is not a copycat recipe. My strawberry biscuits are a lifestyle!

Ingredients

I hate when a recipe says you probably have all the ingredients in your pantry and one of them is some rare Scandinavian ingredient only harvested in the Fall in a small village in Finland. That's not the case here.

See recipe card below for exact quantities.

Substitutions

I really want you to have these strawberry biscuits in your life. Here are a few substitutions you can make if you need to.

• Butter - I always prefer to use unsalted butter so that I'm in control of the saltiness of my food, but if you only have salted butter, just use half the kosher salt called for in the recipe.
• Buttermilk - I prefer full fat, whole milk buttermilk, but low fat is fine. If you don't have access to buttermilk you can use regular yogurt or regular milk in its place. I have not tried my strawberry biscuits with plant based milk, but if you do, let me know how it goes!
• Kosher salt - When I say Kosher salt I am not talking about the table salt in the blue container with the umbrella toting little girl. Due to their crystal size and other factors, table salts actually taste much saltier than kosher salt. If you only have table salt, use half of the amount called for.
• Strawberries - Sorry, but there is no substitute for fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries are too wet, so it's fresh or nothing. If you don't have them, try making my classic Buttermilk Biscuits and put strawberries on your grocery list for next time.

Biscuits vs Scones

Let's make something clear right away. These Strawberry biscuits are not scones. I say that because one of the most common (and angry!) comments I get on my biscuits, is that they aren't biscuits, they are scones. No. No they aren't.

How are they different? Well, that's tough to pin down and opinions vary. In general, biscuits are flakier, more often savory (not always), have more butter, and are made with buttermilk. Scones tend to be sweet (but not always), are more fluffy, use an egg in place of some of the butter, and are usually made with heavy cream. Is that more clear? 

In conclusion, if someone calls it a biscuit or a scone, just take them at their word. Is it delicious? That's the important thing, not the name. You can call them strawberry rocket ships for all I care, just pass the plate while you're doing it!

Instructions

The process is almost identical to my flaky biscuit recipe, with the edition of prepping and adding strawberries. Follow along - you're going to crush it!

• Start by lining a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Step 1. Dice your fresh berries and place on a piece of paper towel to remove excess surface moisture.

Step 2. Place all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt into your food processor and pulse to mix. Add cold butter cubes.

Step 3. Pulse everything 5 to 6 times, to incorporate the butter into the flour and break it up into small pieces the size of peas, along with some coarse crumbs. You can also do this by hand or with a pastry blender.

Step 4. Place the flour mixture into a large bowl and toss diced strawberries into the mixture. Mix until the strawberries are well dispersed.

Step 5. Add buttermilk and use a dough whisk or silicone spatula to mix into a shaggy dough. It won't look all mixed, and that's okay. It will all come together in the next steps.

Step 6. Dump the biscuit dough onto a lightly floured counter and use your hands to bring it together into a rough square.

Step 7. Cut the square into 4 pieces, stack them on top of each other, and press down again into a square. Repeat this process two more times.

Step 8. Dust the top of your dough, and a rolling pin, with flour and roll your dough out into a ½ inch thick rectangle.

Step 9. Use a 2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter, or cookie cutter, to cut biscuits out. You should get 8 to 12 biscuits, depending on the size of your cutter. Place on your prepared baking sheet.

Step 10. Place into the fridge or freezer while you preheat the oven to 425°F. Remove from freezer and brush with an egg wash. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, or until tall and golden brown.

Step 11. While the biscuits are baking, in a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract to make a glaze.

Step 12. Place warm biscuits on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then drizzle all over with the vanilla icing. Enjoy your Strawberry Biscuits, with all their flaky layers, for breakfast, brunch, or dessert! You'll never even think of popeyes strawberry biscuits again.

Equipment

In this recipe I use a food processor to mix the dry ingredients and the butter together, but that is not a requirement. I usually use my fingers, or a pastry cutter, to cut the butter into the flour, using what I call a finger snapping motion to combine them.

I toss the butter into the flour mixture to coat and then use a finger snapping motion to mix the butter and flour together.

You should end up with pea sized pieces, some larger, and some flatter, in a mixture of coarse crumbs.

However, sometimes your hands are tired, or you have a mobility issue that makes cutting in butter with your hands difficult. In those cases a food processor can ensure you still get delicious strawberry biscuits in your mouth.

You can also make strawberry drop biscuits by adding an additional ¼ cup of buttermilk and use a medium ice cream or cookie scoop to scoop the biscuit dough onto a prepared sheet pan and bake as directed.

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