Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits

As a self-proclaimed ‘biscuit queen’ who’s been perfecting my recipe and technique for decades, I drew upon my experience as a Hardee’s baker to create this copy cat recipe Hardee’s cinnamon raisin biscuit. It’s a bit lower in fat and sugar than the original but every bit as deliciously nostalgic and still studded with plump raisins and generously drizzled with sweet icing. I think they’re the perfect accompaniment to a strong cup of coffee and easy enough for bakers of all skill levels to make at home.

Easy Hardee’s Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits At Home

My first job was baking biscuits at the Hardee’s restaurant in my hometown. I was only 14 years old but already knew how to make flaky buttermilk biscuits and I didn’t mind waking before dawn, so it was the perfect job for me.

The cinnamon raisin biscuits were officially retired from the Hardee’s menu in 2002, but in recent years, they’ve made a limited time return for the holidays. I was missing them (and so was my Dad!) so I recreated a real food version based on my early memories of these comforting biscuits. Using simple, wholesome ingredients, these homemade sweet biscuits can be enjoyed any time of year.

Close up view of a Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit topped with icing and sprinkled with cinnamon.

Recipe Highlights

Made from real food ingredients: The original recipe (which I’ve recreated from memory) used hydrogenated oils in the form of vegetable shortening and cinnamon chips that were made with palm oil and flavorings. My version uses real butter and relies on a pantry staple for their warm cinnamon flavor.

Lower in fat and sugar: ’ve spent years perfecting my technique for flaky, tender biscuits made with less butter and sugar. They’re still not a low calorie food, but these modifications — along with a higher proportion of naturally sweet raisins — has earned them my family’s stamp of approval.

Created with love: Creating this recipe has been a labor of love for me and the sequel to The Best Biscuits story about my very first job making biscuits similar to these as a baker at my hometown Hardee’s.

A stick of butter and multiple bowls filled with ingredients to make cinnamon raisin biscuits.

Ingredients To Gather

Here are some of the key pantry and refrigerator ingredients needed to make a batch of these biscuits.

Flour: Any brand will work but my go-to for consistently excellent results is King Arthur All-Purpose Flour in the red bag. See below for my notes about using gluten-free flour in this recipe.
Cold butter: Unsalted butter is the best bet for baking because it lets me adjust the saltiness by adding more salt if needed. Since this is a sweet biscuit I always reach for unsalted butter straight from the fridge so that it’s cold. If I’m baking on a hot day or the kitchen is unusually warm because my oven has been on for a while, I’ll pop my stick of butter in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before grating it. Melted butter has no place in a biscuit recipe, so be sure to keep that butter cold.
Whole milk: I typically use whole milk when making biscuits because the extra fat increases their tenderness. However, 2% milk also works well and so does cold buttermilk if you’ve got it on hand. If using buttermilk, omit the vinegar.
Granulated sugar: While it may be tempting to reduce the sugar even more, I’ve found that this is the minimum amount of sugar needed to give these biscuits a tender bite and just the right amount of sweetness.
White vinegar: Mixing white vinegar with milk is an easy, cost-saving alternative to buttermilk. The acidity of the vinegar reacts with the leaving agents to give the biscuits a lift in the oven.
Raisins: Since I’m all about saving time and skipping the step of soaking, draining, and wringing out the raisins, I recommend using fresh raisins that are soft and plump. Save any dry and shriveled ones for this delicious morning oatmeal.

A white-handled box grater on a wooden cutting board with shreds of bold butter that have been grated to make biscuits.

A pastry cutter lying along the side of a bowl filled with a coarse mixture of butter and flour.

Suggested Tools & Equipment

These are a few of my favorite tools that I reach for every time I bake a batch of biscuits. This recipe doesn’t require any appliances like a food processor or mixer. Instead, these are hand-powered, old fashioned biscuits just like Grandma used to make, which makes them even more satisfying.

Bench scraper: I use my bench scraper so often that it has earned a spot in my uppermost utensil drawer. It’s great for cleaning flour and bits of dough off the countertop and shaping and cutting the dough since these biscuits are cut into squares not rounds using a biscuit cutter. Mine has a measuring tool marked that makes it easy to get biscuit dough just the right thickness.
Kitchen scale: I’ve found that my $10 digital kitchen scale is one of the most valuable tools in my kitchen when it comes to baking. Weighing flour and other dry ingredients (instead of the scoop-and-measure method) ensures accuracy and eliminates the need to dirty extra measuring cups and measuring spoons.
Pastry blender: Also called a pastry cutter, this tool makes quick work of cutting cold butter into flour which is essential for flaky biscuits and pie crusts when making blueberry cobbler, chicken pot pie, homemade apple pie, or this berry galette.
Baking sheet: Any size baking pan will work but I almost always grab a quarter sheet pan for this recipe and line it with parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat.
Box grater: This stand-up grater typically used to grate cheese or zucchini makes quick work of grating a stick of butter to create a mound of thin buttery curls that are easy to cut into the flour so that it’s evenly distributed ensuring tender cinnamon biscuits.

A woman with short dark hair and glasses wearing a grey smock-style apron in a kitchen.

Making Aprons Cool Again

I always put on an apron when I’m in the kitchen to protect my clothing from splashes and splatters. There’s nothing worse than getting grease spots or tomato sauce stains on my clothing. Plus, the pockets come in handy for my phone, lip balm, an instant read digital thermometer or my heatproof resistant oven gloves.

The Smock Apron I Love

My time-tested method for perfect no-fuss biscuits

Over the years I’ve perfected my method for making homemade biscuits to make them as simple and unintimidating as possible, even for beginner bakers. I’ve included a step-by-step photo tutorial to make it easy.

A large white mixing bowl filled with flour next to a wire whisk with a wooden handle — Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

A hand pours raisins from a small white bowl into a bowl of dry ingredients for making biscuits. — Use a pastry cutter to work the butter into the dry ingredients

Bowl of soft craggy biscuit dough studded with raisins. — Stir until a soft shaggy dough forms

A flour dusted rectangle of cinnamon raisin biscuit dough and a bench scraper. — Stir until a soft shaggy dough forms

Light brown cinnamon raisin biscuit dough that has been patted into a large rectangle. — Repeat the press and fold process 3 more times

A bench scraper with measurements marked on its edge placed next to biscuit dough to show that it has been patted out to ¾ inch thickness. — Repeat the press and fold process 3 more times

Eight unbaked cinnamon raisin biscuits on a parchment paper line baking sheets. — Place the biscuits on a baking sheet leave 1 inch between them

Overhead view of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper filled with golden brown cinnamon raisin biscuits. — Place the biscuits on a baking sheet leave 1 inch between them

Tip!

Fold, Don’t Knead

Avoid the urge to knead the dough. Excessing handling of the dough such as kneading or overstirring in the mixing bowl will result in tough biscuits. So take it easy and do just enough to incorporate the flour into the dough with four rounds of patting and folding.

For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.

Close up view of Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits being topped with a white drizzly glaze.

Make It Gluten-Free

I’ve tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Baking Flour with excellent results. To make these cinnamon raisin biscuits gluten-free, simply replace the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour in a 1:1 ratio. Stirring the flour before lightly spooning it into the measuring cup and scraping off any excess flour with a knife will help ensure there’s not too much flour, which could result in dry, crumbly biscuits. The best method, however, is the weigh the flour and use the exact measurement provided in the recipe card.

Close up view of a stack of freshly glazed Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why didn’t my biscuits rise?

Be sure to preheat oven fully before baking and use an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of the oven temp. The temperature in many ovens can differ from what’s displayed on the control panel by as much as 10-25 degrees, which can have a big impact on recipe results. A cooler than expected oven can cause baked goods not to rise as well.
Flat biscuits can also be due to overworking the dough so that the gluten strands are overdeveloped (which will also make them tough). Or it could cause the dough to be too warm, which makes the butter to weep out of the dough as it bakes rather than create little pockets of steam to help them rise.
Lastly, poor rise can indicate that the leavening agents (in this case it’s the 3 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon baking soda) are old. For best results, I recommend using baking powder within 6 months of opening.

What is the best way to measure flour?

The gold standard for measuring flour is to weigh it using a kitchen scale. I’ve provided weights for both all-purpose and gluten-free flour for this recipe to help ensure success. If you don’t have a scale, the next best option is to stir the flour in the container then use a large spoon to scoop the flour into a dry measuring cup (not the one used to measure liquids). Then use a table knife to gently scrape the excess off so that you have a level measure. Of course, for smaller measurements (like the ½ teaspoon salt and 3 teaspoons cinnamon) using measuring spoons is just fine.

Why do I have to grate the butter?

You don’t have to, but if you’ve got a box grater, it’s both easy and highly effective. If skipping the grating, I suggest cutting the butter into small pieces (roughly the size of the tip of a pinky finger) then placing the small butter pieces into the fridge to chill for 10 minutes before adding them to the dry ingredients.

Can I use buttermilk if I have it on hand?

Yes. Buttermilk makes these cinnamon raisin biscuits so delicious so if you’ve got it, I suggest using it. Simply replace the milk with buttermilk and omit the vinegar.

What can I top them with instead of icing?

I include a simple powdered sugar glaze recipe, that’s perfect for topping these biscuits and makes them similar to the Hardee’s biscuits I remember. But in lieu of a glaze, they’d also be delicious topped with a brush of melted butter and a sprinkle of a simple cinnamon sugar mixture or a slather of nut butter.

My Top Tips For Baking Biscuits At Home

Grate (Don’t Cut) The Butter: Grating your butter make the pieces small so you can quickly and easily incorporate them into the flour mixture.
Spoon (Don’t Scoop) The Flour Into Measuring Cups: Scooping the flour with a measuring cup over packs the cup resulting in too much flour which will make the dough dry and crumbly. Even better than spooning and leveling off the top is to weigh the flour with a kitchen scale.
Use Cold Ingredients Only: Make sure your butter is straight from the fridge when you grate it. If it’s a hot day or your kitchen is warm, place the butter in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before grating.
Work Quickly And Use A Light Hand: Use a pastry cutter or pastry blender to cut the butter into the flour. Avoid mix directly with hands, as this will cause the butter to soften and lead to flat, tough biscuits.
Mind The Baking Time: Start with the minimum baking time and check for doneness when the time is up. The biscuits should be lightly browned on the bottom and not feel wet or sticky. Add more baking time in 1 minute increments. When the biscuits are done, transfer to a wire baking sheet to cool before spooning the glaze over top.
Don’t Overthink It: Baking should be enjoyable and not stressful. The folds don’t have to be perfect, the edges don’t need to be exactly straight, and it’s okay if the biscuits aren’t exactly square. They’ll still taste delicious!

The Best Way to Store and Reheat Leftover Biscuits

Leftover biscuits can be stored in an airtight container with lid or under a pastry dome for up to 3 days. Reheat for 10-20 seconds in the microwave before enjoying.

Close up view of a Cinnamon Raisin Biscuit topped with glaze and sprinkled with cinnamon.

More Breakfast Treat Recipes to Try

Gluten Free Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake (Easy and Make Ahead)

Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Cinnamon Streusel-Topped Baked Oatmeal

Gluten-Free Donuts with Cinnamon and Sugar

The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.

For ultimate success, we highly recommend reading the tips in the full blog post above. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words. Link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!