Thanksgiving is around the corner. Instead of the traditional sweet potato casserole, how about trying something new? Swap out your usual Thanksgiving sweet potato dish for this fluffy sweet potato biscuits! This recipe takes your standard buttermilk biscuits to another level. The addition of mashed sweet potato adds moisture and richness. A touch of warmth and spice is provided by cinnamon, nutmeg, and maple syrup. These sweet potato biscuits would be lovely with spiced honey butter. Make a double batch and use them to make leftover turkey sliders the following day!
What’s the easiest way to cook sweet potatoes?
The easiest way to cook sweet potatoes is in the microwave! I first mentioned the microwave method in the recipe for these Sweet Potato Pancakes. The cooking process takes about 6 to 8 minutes in the microwave instead of an hour in the oven. After cooking, the sweet potatoes need to cool down before being mixed into the biscuit dough. The sweet potatoes can be cooked ahead time of time and kept chilled in the fridge until you’re ready for biscuits! Alternatively, you can also used canned sweet potato puree.
How to mix and knead sweet potato biscuit dough:
Just like with scones and pie dough, it is important to work with cold ingredients! Whisk together the dry ingredient and toss in the cold butter chunks. Cover the bowl and let it chill in the freezer for a few minutes until cold. The dry ingredients in this recipe are bound together by a wet mixture of buttermilk, maple syrup, and cold mashed sweet potatoes. It is best to combine the wet mixture using an immersion blender or food processor. It will be a thick paste. The secret to great biscuits is in the mixing. Over-mixing the dough will create a tough and dense biscuit because of the development of too much gluten. In the same respect, under-mixing will not create enough layers and your biscuits won’t be fluffy. For this reason, I don’t recommend using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer with making biscuits. Simply use a sturdy spatula to combine the ingredients and finish mixing everything by hand.
Tips for punching out biscuit rounds:
Flour the biscuit cutter (or round cookie cutter) well. Press straight down into the dough and lift the cutter straight up. Do not twist the cutter! Twisting seals the edges of the dough, preventing the biscuit from rising to it’s max height during baking.
If you’re looking for more unique biscuit recipes, you might like to try these Pumpkin Biscuits or Cheesy Cheddar Biscuits. For a sweet biscuit, these Whole Grain Berry Biscuits are tasty and these Funfetti Biscuits are so cute! Pumpkin Biscuits are delicious to try too.
