My Gluten Free Cinnamon & Raisin Biscuits are inspired by those fast food cinnamon and raisin biscuits that are drizzled in icing. (Which is never enough icing, by the way!) I had not thought of these in years until I was out with my grandmother one morning and we stopped for coffee. I saw this biscuit on the menu, and my creative juices started flowing. How can I recreate this biscuit gluten free? So, I took my traditional Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuit recipe and added coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins. Then, with the help of my grandmother’s expertise, we figured out an easy an icing recipe.

The Biscuits

I have added the same instructions from my Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuit recipe below. If you would like to see pictures of my traditional biscuit process, then you can check that out here. This Cinnamon & Raisin Biscuit recipe is the same as the Buttermilk biscuits, except you will be adding more buttermilk plus: coconut sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins. You will also need the same biscuit supplies that I use in my Gluten Free Buttermilk Biscuits and a few extra.

What You Will Need:
  • Parchment Paper
  • Biscuit Cutter
  • Sifter
  • Mixing bowl
  • Small Cake Pan
  • Cup 4 Cup Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour
  • Gluten Free Baking Powder
  • Coconut Sugar
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Frontier Organic Vietnamese Cinnamon
  • Frontier Organic Vanilla Extract
    How to Make the Biscuits
    STEP ONE: Set out recipe and gather all ingredients.
    STEP TWO: Dry ingredients

    Traditionally, when making biscuits a self rising flour is used. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as self rising flour in the gluten free world, but it can be mixed and made. My grandmother achieved this by adding gluten free baking powder and salt to the multipurpose gluten free flour. (Side note: Not all baking powders are gluten free. This is the brand that I use, Hain Pure Foods Featherweight Baking Powder. It’s expensive but it lasts a long time.) When combining these ingredients together, it is best to use a sifter. The sifter will evenly combine the ingredients and make the flour lighter. When I make this recipe I sift all the dry ingredients together.

    STEP THREE: Butter & Raisins

    Now, it’s time to add the room temperature butter. You want to work the butter into the flour until small pea-sized pieces of butter form throughout the flour. Next, add the raisins and mix in.

    STEP FOUR: Buttermilk, Pressing & Cutting the Dough

    Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the flour mixture. When mixing the buttermilk into the flour mixture, mix until a ball of dough is formed. Do not kneed or over mix the dough because it will create a tough and hard biscuit. Once the dough has easily been formed into a ball, transfer it to the parchment paper that has been dusted with gluten free flour. Roll or press out the dough until it is 1 or 1-1/2 inches thick. If the biscuit dough is sticking to you too much when pressing it out, dip your fingers in the melted butter and continue pressing out the dough. Next, cut out as many biscuits as you can, and then repeat rolling/pressing out the dough until you have cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. The size of the biscuit cutter used will determine how many biscuits the recipe yields.

    STEP FIVE: Butter Dipping

    After cutting the biscuits out, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a shallow bowl and dip both sides of each biscuit into the butter. Transfer the dipped biscuit to a baking pan. Do not skip this step because the biscuits will not brown if they have not been dipped in butter.

    STEP SIX: Placement of Biscuit in Baking Pan

    Another tip that I want to share that my grandmother taught me is to place the biscuits tightly together in a baking pan, ensuring that they are side by side. This allows the biscuits to rise and prevents them from spreading out and flattening. If there is space left in your baking pan around the outer biscuits, then you can make a foil snake to press against the outer biscuits. (See example here.)

    STEP SEVEN: Browning the Biscuits

    When baking the biscuits, a well used, seasoned pan is best. If you are using a new baking pan then sometimes the bottom of a biscuits will get too brown before the top. I recommend that after baking the biscuits for 20 minutes, check the bottom of a biscuit to see if it’s brown. If the bottom of the biscuit is brown, then turn your oven to broil (high) and allow biscuits to broil for 1-2 minutes until the tops of biscuits have browned. Once the tops have browned then they are ready to be removed from the oven and served.

    STEP EIGHT: Icing

    While the biscuits are baking, I make the icing. This is my grandmother’s icing recipe and it works out perfectly every time. If you like a lot of icing then you can certainly double the recipe. The reason we use 3 tablespoons of hot water in the icing is because it will smooth out any sugar lumps in the icing. I typically use boiled water from my kettle because I’m boiling it anyway so we can have coffee with these biscuits when they come out of the oven. So, I just add a little extra water to my kettle to use for the icing.

    I hope that you enjoyed this post and it inspires you to take some time out of your weekend to enjoy the sweeter things in life. Thank you for following me this year! I can’t wait to share more with you in the New Year!

    Gluten Free Cinnamon & Raisin Biscuits

    Lindsey Cochran
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    Course Breakfast
    Servings 6

    Ingredients
      

    Cinnamon and Rasin Biscuits

    • 2 cups Cup 4 Cup Mulitpurpose Gluten Free Flour
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 tablespoon baking powder gluten free
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
    • 4 tablespoons butter room temperature
    • 1 cup raisins
    • 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

    Icing

    • 1 cup powered sugar
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
    • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 3 tablespoons water, hot

    Instructions
     

    Cinnamon and Raisin Biscuits

    • Preheat oven to 400°.
    • Place a sheet of parchment paper on your kitchen counter and dust a small amount of gluten free flour over the parchment paper.
    • Over a large mixing bowl, sift together gluten free flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and coconut sugar.
    • Add the room temperature butter to the dry ingredients and work the butter into the flour using a fork or hands until you see small pea-sized pieces of butter throughout the flour.
    • Next, add the raisins and mix into flour mixture.
    • Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix until all ingredients are combined and a ball of dough is easily formed. (Do not over mix the dough because this creates tough biscuits.)
    • Place the dough on the gluten free floured parchment paper and roll or press out the dough until it is 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick.
    • Using a biscuit cutter, cut out as many biscuits as you can and then re-work the dough and roll it out again until you have cut out 6 to 8 biscuits.
    • Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a shallow bowl and dip both sides of each biscuit into the butter.
    • Transfer the butter dipped biscuits to a small baking pan or small cake pan.
    • Place biscuits tightly together in the baking pan so they are side by side. You do not want space between each biscuit.This allows the biscuits to rise up when baking and not flatten.
    • Make a foil snake if needed to place around the outer biscuits. (Space between each biscuit causes the biscuit to spread out and flatten.)
    • Place the biscuits in the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

    Icing

    • To a small mixing bowl add the powdered sugar and cinnamon and mix together.
    • Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and hot water to the cinnamon and sugar and whisk together.
    • Drizzle icing over the cinnamon and raisins biscuits after the biscuits have cooled enough to eat.

    Notes

    If the biscuit dough is sticking to you too much when pressing it out, dip your fingers in the melted butter and continue pressing out the dough. If your baking pan is new and not well seasoned, the bottoms of the biscuits will get too brown before the tops. I recommend that after baking the biscuits for 20 minutes, check the bottom of a biscuit to see if it’s brown. If the bottom of the biscuit is brown, then turn your oven to broil (high) and allow biscuits to broil for 1-2 minutes until the top of biscuits have browned.