Name: Cinnamon Swirl Cream Biscuits
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Makes 8 Medium Biscuits
Ingredients: 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons granulated sugar; 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon table salt; 1 1/2 cups heavy cream; 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted; 1 tablespoon egg white; 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar; dash vanilla extract

Why This Recipe Works

When we wanted a great biscuit recipe that could be made quickly and easily and that wouldn’t require cutting fat into flour or rolling out dough, we used heavy cream in place of butter, which resulted in a lighter, more tender biscuit. For our easy biscuit recipe, we simply kneaded the dough for 30 seconds until it was smooth and uniform, shaped the biscuits, and then popped them into the oven immediately to keep them from spreading.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees.

Stir together brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; set aside.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Transfer dough from bowl to countertop, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in bowl. In 1 tablespoon increments, add up to 1/4 cup cream to dry bits in bowl, mixing with wooden spoon after each addition, until moistened. Add these moistened bits to rest of dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds. Roll dough into 9- by 12-inch rectangle, about 3/8 inch thick.

Brush surface of dough rectangle with melted butter and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar mixture. Following illustrations below, roll, cut into 8 rounds, flatten, and arrange biscuits in ungreased 10-inch pie plate; bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.

While biscuits are baking, whisk together egg white, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla in small bowl until smooth and glossy, about 1 minute. Spread icing over hot biscuits.