BACK TO ALL RECIPES

Maple Sweet Potato Biscuits

Sorin Banica/Getty Images

BY Mark Bittman

PUBLISHED December 19, 2023

I’ve never been part of a family that reliably eats biscuits on Thanksgiving, but I’m slightly envious of the ones that do. This version (laced with sweet potato purée, cinnamon, and maple syrup) could technically be a side dish, and I’d respect that move (especially if you slathered them with a little whipped butter). But I think of sweet-leaning biscuits as dessert territory.

 

The following may contain affiliate links for which we earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting us in this way!

Serve these hot (or split and toasted) with some vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of maple syrup, and you won’t be sorry.

Print

Maple Sweet Potato Biscuits

Prevent your screen from going dark

Makes 8 to 10, depending on size 1x

Time about 30 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch slices, plus more for greasing
  • 2 cups all-purpose or cake flour, plus more for shaping
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup cooked, drained, and puréed sweet potato
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt, plus more if your potatoes are very dry
  • Ice cream for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 450°F and grease a baking sheet with some butter. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add the butter and work it into the flour mixture, breaking it into tiny pieces with your fingers until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Stir in the puréed sweet potato and maple syrup.

2. Add 1/2 cup of the buttermilk and stir just until the mixture comes together and forms a ball, adding more buttermilk as needed. Spread some flour (about 1/4 cup) on a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the flour. Knead the dough a few times, adding a little more flour to your hands only if the dough is very sticky.

3. Press the dough out 1/2 inch thick and cut out 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or sturdy drinking glass. Put the rounds on the prepared baking sheet. Press together the scraps, pat them out 1/2 inch thick, and cut out more biscuits. Repeat once more if possible.

4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size, until the biscuits are golden brown. Transfer the biscuits to a rack and serve within 15 minutes or wrap in foil and keep in a 200°F oven for up to an hour. You can also slice the biscuits in half and toast them in the oven until slightly crisp. Serve with ice cream and an extra drizzle of maple syrup.

— Recipe from How to Bake Everything

Log in, or become a member today.

Join in: enjoy 7 days free, plus 40% off your first year with access to 1,000+ highly vetted recipes from the How To Cook Everything series and beyond, essays from Mark, and original pieces from our contributors.

Join annually and save 40%
Log in to your account

GetBetterFasterHealthierSmarterTastier

in the Kitchen

Through our (more than a thousand, and growing) highly vetted recipes from the How to Cook Everything series, original food essays and reporting, thoughtful podcast conversations and introductions to new and responsible food products, we aim to showcase what’s possible, from farm to fork, and power a growing movement that encourages people to think about food not as a commodity, but as central to our health and happiness.

Start your free trial

We hope you join us on this journey. We’d love to have you as a part of the Bittman community. As a member, you'll have access to:

  • New recipes every week
  • 1000s of recipes from How to Cook Everything and beyond
  • First access to in-person events with Mark and Kate
  • Exclusive discounts from our favorite brands
  • Q&As with Mark and the team

 

Subscribe to our free newsletter

Join over 105,000 passionate individuals who receive our weekly emails. It’s 100% free and you can unsubscribe anytime. Plus, we’ll email you a sampling of what premium members receive on a weekly basis.