There’s something comforting about sweet potato biscuits. Maybe it’s the warm orange color, the sweetness and tenderness, the warm spices, or the soft texture that the sweet potato adds. Maybe it’s all of those things.
Sweet potato biscuits are traditionally special because yes, it is an extra step to roast a sweet potato if you don’t already have some on hand. But they are so, so worth it. My great-grandmother, Mama Lib, made sweet potato biscuits so good that family still talks about them. Just the thought of those biscuits takes family members back to Mama Lib’s kitchen, suppers, and holidays.
Ingredients for the best ever Sweet Potato Biscuits—
The only ingredients needed for the biscuits are all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, baking powder, spices and salt, mashed sweet potato, dark brown sugar, and whole milk. For the glaze, you need is confectioner’s sugar, melted butter, cardamom, dark rum, and a tiny bit of water.
— Dark brown sugar has a higher percentage of molasses, so it gives the biscuits a more robust, rich caramel flavor. It also helps to keep the biscuits moist.
— Whole milk, not buttermilk, is used in these biscuits, so there’s no need to make a special trip to the store to buy buttermilk! Whole milk will leave you with a tender biscuit just like with buttermilk.
— Mashed sweet potato is added to the biscuits. You’ll need one medium baked sweet potato to get 3/4 cup of mashed sweet potato. Make sure you completely chill the mash before using it in the recipe. To roast the sweet potato, poke a few holes in the skin, wrap it in aluminum foil and bake on a baking sheet at 425 until the skin gives way and you can feel that the flesh is soft. This will take at least 45 minutes.
— Dark rum is my preferred rum in desserts because of the deep, intricate flavor. It enhances just about anything. My go-to dark rum is Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, made in Bermuda.
Tips for making biscuits—
— Use cold butter, and cut it into small cubes. I prefer to cube the butter into small pieces so that it’s easier to incorporate into the flour without overworking it. We’re talking 1/8” to 1/4” cubes. When making biscuits, my first step is always cubing the butter and keeping it in the freezer while preparing everything else.
— Use a fork to combine the liquid and dry ingredients. A fork is much better than using a spatula to toss and combine the liquid with the flour. You’ll get a more even distribution, and it will take less time and effort, meaning your dough will stay colder and underworked.
— Press the pastry cutter down. When using a pastry cutter, firmly press it down then directly back up. There’s no need to twist or turn the cutter into the flour. By using a down and up motion, the butter will flatten correctly, leading to a flakier result.
— Don’t twist the biscuit cutters. When cutting out your biscuits, press the biscuit cutter down and pull up without twisting. Twisting the biscuit cutter causes the biscuit edges to become sealed, which means the biscuit won’t rise as well.
— Freeze the cut biscuits. Once you’ve cut all the biscuits from the dough, put them in the freezer and then preheat the oven. Leave them in the freezer until the oven is hot and ready to go. Freezing the biscuits helps to relax the dough and get that butter cold again.
Notes on the dark rum & butter glaze—
The dark rum and butter glaze makes these sweet potato biscuits even more flavorful and sweet. The glaze is added to the biscuits while they are still warm, which keeps the biscuits extremely soft as the glaze melds into the biscuit.
- If you prefer the biscuits to be unglazed, brush the biscuits with two tablespoons of melted butter once they’re done baking.
- If you prefer not to add liquor to the glaze, simply replace it with water. Freshly squeezed orange juice would also taste amazing.
- Want a thicker glaze? Use less water. Add a little bit of water to the confectioner’s sugar and butter at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Want an icing drizzle instead of a full-on glaze? Use half of each ingredient and drizzle over each biscuit.
Craving more biscuits? Check out these other delicious biscuit recipes!
SWEET POTATO BISCUITS WITH RUM & BUTTER GLAZE
Makes fourteen 2 1/2” biscuits
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BISCUITS
- 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, cubed and kept cold
- 3/4 cup (180 g) whole milk
- 3/4 cup (160 g) baked sweet potato, mashed
- 1/4 cup (50 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
FOR THE RUM BUTTER GLAZE
- 1 cup (120 g) confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 teaspoon water
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the butter into small cubes and keep in the freezer. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sea salt, spices, and brown sugar. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, combine the whole milk and mashed sweet potato with a fork—keep this mixture in the fridge until it’s ready to be used.
Using a pastry cutter, cut the cold butter into the flour until the butter is incorporated but small, sandy pea-sized pieces are visible. Pour in the milk and sweet potato mixture. Using a fork, toss the ingredients until the dough comes together. Knead gently, then turn out onto a floured work surface. Gently pat the dough 3/4” thick and cut out the biscuits using a 2 1/2” cutter, placing on a baking sheet with a silicone mat or lined with parchment. The biscuits should be close together but not touching. Place the baking sheet and biscuits in the freezer, and preheat the oven to 425 F. Once the oven is preheated, bake the biscuits for 18-19 minutes.
Let the biscuits cool on the baking sheet while making the glaze. Whisk together the confectioner’s sugar, cardamom, melted butter, dark rum, and water until smooth. Pour the glaze over the biscuits while they’re still warm.
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