Strawberries are one of our favorite fruits, and we love reaching for the juicy gems when a dish could use extra sweet flavor. Recently, we’ve come across a fun way to use the fruit that’s inspired by a Popeyes menu item: strawberry biscuits. These biscuits are studded with the chunks of the fresh fruit, which gives them a burst of sweetness in every bite. The strawberries also balance the butteriness of the biscuits so they’re not overly rich. Sound like a treat you’d want to try? If so, ditch the drive-thru and read through to learn how to make your own strawberry biscuits at home!
How Popeyes makes their strawberry biscuits
In 2023, Popeyes launched their strawberry biscuit as a limited-edition menu item. This salted biscuit is filled with chopped strawberries and topped with icing to give it a sweet taste. Think of it as a twist on a classic strawberry shortcake where strawberries and whipped cream are stuffed in a biscuit.
The keys to getting a taste of strawberries in each bite
When making strawberry-filled biscuits, you’ll want the fruit to be evenly distributed throughout the flaky dough. This ensures that all of the strawberries bake and soften at the same time. Also, it allows you to get plenty of pieces of sweet fruit in each bite. To do this, follow these four steps from Jessica Randhawa, recipe creator behindThe Forked Spoon.
1. Make sure the strawberries are evenly diced.
Keeping the strawberries around the same size helps them become evenly distributed throughout the dough. That way one section isn’t full of strawberries while the others aren’t.
2. Ensure the fruit is super dry.
Any excess moisture on the strawberries will make the dough wet, resulting in less flaky layers. So, be sure to completely dry the whole fruit after washing it.
3. Delicately incorporate the strawberries into the dough.
Instead of mashing the strawberries into the mixture, gently fold them in. Otherwise, the strawberries will be crushed and make the dough look pink.
4. Go easy on mixing the dough.
Keeping the ingredients cold and the strawberries intact is key for fluffy biscuits. Therefore, steer clear of overmixing the dough as it can result in tough biscuits with smashed pieces of strawberries in them.
As you can see, adding fresh strawberries into homemade biscuits is a breeze. But this process is just easy with frozen strawberries: simply thaw them in the fridge overnight, drain excess liquid and dry them thoroughly. Then, chop the thawed strawberries and incorporate them into the biscuit dough as directed in the recipe.
Related: This Simple Hack Will Stop Berries From Sinking to the Bottom of Your Baked Goods
How to make a Popeyes-inspired strawberry biscuit
Now’s the fun part: recreating your own version of this fast food favorite. Here, Randhawa shares a simple recipe for Strawberry Biscuits that boasts a more intense fruit flavor thanks to the addition of strawberries in the glaze. This results in a batch of biscuits that are perfectly rich, buttery and sweet to enjoy as a morning or afternoon treat. (To warm them up, use tips from our story on how to reheat biscuits so they taste like they’re freshly baked again!)
Strawberry Biscuits
Ingredients:
Biscuits:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbs. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 6 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cubed
- ¾ cup fresh strawberries, diced into smallchunks
- 1 cup heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Strawberry glaze:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ cup fresh strawberries
- 1 to 2 Tbs. milk or heavy cream
- ¼ tsp. vanilla extract (optional)
- Few drops of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Directions:
- Active: 20 mins
- Total time: 35 mins
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
For biscuits:
- Preheat oven to 425°F and line baking sheet withparchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in largebowl.
- Cut in cold butter using pastry cutter or your fingers untilmixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gently fold in diced strawberries, ensuring they’re evenlydistributed throughout.Pour in heavy cream or milk and vanilla extract. Stir until justcombined; don’t overmix.
- On floured surface, knead dough gently 3 to 4 times. Pat or roll to about ¾-inch thickness.Cut out biscuits and place them on prepared baking sheet using round biscuit cutter.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown on top.Cool slightly on wire rack while making strawberry glaze.
For glaze:
- In blender or food processor, purée strawberries until smooth. Using fine-mesh sieve, strain puree into bowl to remove seeds.
- Whisk together powdered sugar and 1 Tbs. strawberry purée in medium-sized bowl. Check consistency and flavor, adding more puree if desired.
- Add milk or cream gradually until desired consistency is reached. Glaze should be pourable but not overly thin. Mix in vanilla extract if using.
Note: You can adjust glaze’s sweetness by adding more or less powdered sugar. Add to taste lemon juice for tangier glaze.
To serve:
- Generously drizzle glaze over top with spoon once strawberry biscuits are slightly cooled.
- Allow glaze to set about 3 to 4 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Keep reading for more stories on homemade biscuits!
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