Blueberry Biscuits Recipe With Lemon Glaze

Blueberry biscuits with a lemon glaze are the perfect combination of a buttery breakfast pastry and a refreshing summer dessert. These biscuits are flaky, tender, and bursting with fruit, while the citrus topping adds a bright finish to every bite.

You can make these in less than an hour, making them a great choice for a special weekend brunch or a surprise afternoon treat.

Ingredients

Yields: 10 to 12 biscuits

The Biscuit Dough

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup cold buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Lemon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Chill the Butter

The most important part of making a flaky biscuit is keeping the fat cold. Before you start mixing your dough, cut the butter into small cubes and put them in the freezer for about ten minutes. You want the butter to be so cold that it doesn’t melt until it is inside the hot oven.

This creates little pockets of steam that lift the dough and create those beautiful layers. If the butter gets too warm while you are working, the biscuits will turn out flat and heavy.

Mix the Dry

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make sure there are no large clumps of flour and that the leavening agents are spread out evenly. This dry mix acts as the foundation for the whole recipe, so don’t rush the stirring.

Using a wide bowl gives you more room to work the butter in later without squashing the dough too much.

Cut the Fat

Add the frozen butter cubes to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to chop the butter into the flour until the pieces are about the size of peas. You aren’t looking for a smooth paste; you want to see visible chunks of butter covered in flour.

These small bits of fat are what make the biscuits tender. If you use your hands, try to work quickly so the heat from your fingers doesn’t soften the butter.

Toss the Berries

Add the fresh blueberries to the flour and butter mixture. Gently toss them around with a spoon so each berry is coated in a thin layer of flour. This coating helps the blueberries stay suspended in the dough instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan.

If you are using frozen berries, do not thaw them first. Thawing will release too much juice and turn your entire dough a dark purple color.

Pour the Milk

Make a small well in the center of the flour and pour in the cold buttermilk and vanilla extract. Use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir the mixture just until a shaggy dough starts to form. You want to stop as soon as the flour is mostly moistened.

Over-mixing at this stage will develop too much gluten, which results in a tough, bread-like biscuit rather than a light, flaky one. The dough should look a bit messy and sticky.

Fold the Layers

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently pat it into a rectangle and fold it in half. Turn it ninety degrees, pat it down again, and fold it in half once more. Repeat this folding process about four or five times.

This technique creates “lamination,” which is just a fancy way of saying you are stacking layers of butter and flour. Be careful not to crush the blueberries while you are folding the dough.

Cut the Rounds

Pat the dough down until it is about an inch thick. Use a circular biscuit cutter to press straight down into the dough. Do not twist the cutter, as twisting seals the edges of the dough and prevents the biscuits from rising properly.

If you don’t have a cutter, you can use the rim of a glass or even just cut the dough into squares with a sharp knife. Place the biscuits on a parchment-lined baking sheet so they are just barely touching each other.

Bake to Gold

Slide the tray into an oven preheated to 425°F. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the tops are a beautiful golden brown and the blueberries have started to burst. Placing the biscuits close together on the tray helps them “climb” each other as they rise, resulting in taller pastries.

Once they are done, move them to a wire rack to cool slightly. They should smell buttery and sweet.

Whisk the Glaze

While the biscuits are cooling, prepare the lemon glaze in a small bowl. Stir the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and zest together until the mixture is smooth and pourable. If it feels too thick, add a few more drops of lemon juice.

If it is too runny, add a spoonful of powdered sugar. Drizzle the glaze over the warm biscuits so some of it soaks into the crust while the rest sets on top.

Tips to Make it Perfect

• Use Real Buttermilk: The acid in real buttermilk reacts with the baking powder to create a much better rise than regular milk.
• Keep it Cold: If your kitchen is hot, put the whole bowl of flour and butter in the fridge for a few minutes before adding the liquid.
• Don’t Overwork: Handle the dough as little as possible to keep the biscuits light and airy.
• Zest First: Always zest your lemon before you juice it; it is much easier to get the peel off when the fruit is still firm.

Can I use frozen blueberries for this recipe?

Yes, you can use frozen blueberries if fresh ones aren’t in season. However, you should not thaw them before adding them to the dough. Frozen berries tend to bleed their color more easily, so your biscuits might have some purple streaks, but they will still taste delicious.

You may also need to add an extra minute or two to the baking time since the frozen fruit will lower the temperature of the dough.

How do I store these biscuits?

These biscuits are best on the day they are made, especially while the glaze is fresh. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. Because of the fruit and the glaze, they can become a bit soft if stored too long.

If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze the unglazed biscuits for up to a month and just add the fresh glaze after you reheat them in the oven.