Skillet Snickerdoodle Biscuits

Skillet Snickerdoodle Biscuits are extra fluffy, tender, and finished with a cinnamon-sugar topping. Brushed with a bit of melted butter, they are irresistible straight from the oven. This recipe is simple: no rolling required — just scoop and drop the dough into a cast iron skillet (or a 9-inch cake pan) and bake for about 20–25 minutes. The result is six large, light biscuits perfect for breakfast, brunch, or a sweet snack.

Good biscuits start with the flour

For truly southern-style, light biscuits, a low-protein, soft-wheat flour produces the best texture. White Lily flour, for example, is milled from soft winter wheat and has a finer, silkier feel than many other all-purpose flours. That lower protein content helps keep biscuits tender and tall. If you can find a soft-wheat all-purpose or a regional self-rising flour, you’ll notice a difference in the finished biscuit.

Photo courtesy of White Lily

For this recipe I used all-purpose flour plus baking powder and baking soda rather than self-rising flour. I also use a combination of butter and shortening to get biscuits that are both buttery and tender. Because these biscuits are meant to be fluffy rather than flaky, there’s no need to keep the fats ice-cold; room-temperature shortening and slightly softened butter are easier to incorporate and still produce excellent rise.

Why this method works

The scoop-and-drop method saves time and keeps the dough loose so steam can form inside the biscuits, giving them height and a tender crumb. Using a cast iron skillet helps the bottoms brown evenly and holds heat well. A short bake at a relatively high temperature yields golden tops and soft interiors.

For even more snickerdoodle flavor, fold in cinnamon baking chips or a few pinches of ground cinnamon into the dough. Finish with melted butter and a cinnamon-sugar sprinkle for the classic snickerdoodle touch.

Happy National Biscuit Month!

Recipe Details

Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 25 mins • Total: 35 mins

Servings: 6 large biscuits

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (preferably a soft-wheat variety)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, cut into cubes and softened
4 tablespoons shortening, cut into cubes and at room temperature
1 1/3 cups buttermilk

Topping

1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter (for brushing)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet. If you don’t have cast iron, a 9-inch cake pan will work.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar.
Scatter the butter and shortening over the dry ingredients. Use your fingers to rub the fats into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-sized pieces.
Stir in the buttermilk just until combined; do not overmix. The dough should be slightly sticky but manageable.
Lightly spray or grease a 1/2-cup measuring cup. Use it to scoop and drop six heaping mounds of dough into the prepared pan: place one mound in the center and arrange the remaining five in a circle around it.
In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the tops of the biscuits.
Bake until the biscuits are golden brown on top, about 20–25 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush the tops with melted butter, then sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar.
Serve warm. These biscuits are best the day they are made but can be reheated briefly in a warm oven for serving.

Notes & Tips

If you want an extra snickerdoodle element, fold in a handful of cinnamon baking chips when you add the buttermilk.
Do not overwork the dough — mixing just until combined preserves tenderness and rise.
Room-temperature shortening and slightly softened butter are easier to incorporate for this style of biscuit; you don’t need rock-cold fats for a fluffy texture.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used only as an approximation.

Did you make these? Leave a comment below and tag @spicysouthernkitchen on social media to share your pictures and feedback!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I appreciate the opportunity to share products I love and use in my own kitchen.