Almond Biscuit
These Almond Buttermilk Biscuits are soft, tender, and just a little sweet, like a cross between a classic Southern biscuit and an almond pastry. Grated frozen butter gives you the flaky layers you want, while almond paste adds richness and a subtle bakery-style flavor that makes these feel extra special.
They bake up golden, perfectly layered, and brushed with a warm almond-butter glaze that melts into every little crack. Whether you’re serving them with brunch, pairing them with coffee, or sneaking one warm from the skillet, these biscuits feel like something comforting and fancy at the same time.
Before You Start
A few tips to make sure you get tall, flaky biscuits with the best almond flavor:
- Keep ingredients cold, especially the butter and buttermilk.
- Don’t skip chilling the flour-butter mixture; it helps create layers.
- Fold the dough a few times to build height and flake, but don’t overwork it.
- Almond extract is strong, a small amount goes a long way.
- The glaze is optional but really brings everything together.
What You’ll Need
- Self-rising flour (or all-purpose + leavening)
- Frozen butter, grated
- Almond paste
- Buttermilk
- Almond extract
- Sugar (optional, for a lightly sweet biscuit)
For the Almond Butter Glaze:
- Melted butter
- Almond extract
- Sliced almonds
How to Make Almond Buttermilk Biscuits
1. Prepare the Dry Base
Toss the flour, grated frozen butter, and almond paste together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This ensures the almond paste spreads throughout the dough without sinking or clumping.
2. Chill the Bowl
Pop the mixture into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Keeping everything cold prevents the butter from melting before the biscuits hit the oven.
3. Add the Buttermilk
Make a well in the center, pour in the chilled buttermilk and almond extract, and mix gently. You want a sticky dough—stop mixing as soon as everything comes together.
4. Shape the Dough
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, pat it out, and fold it over itself a few times to create layers. This is the secret to tall, flaky biscuits.
5. Cut into Biscuits
Use a biscuit cutter (don’t twist!) and place the biscuits onto a parchment-lined sheet pan or into a cast iron skillet.
6. Bake Until Golden
Bake until the bottoms are golden, flip, and bake again briefly to brown the tops.
7. Add the Glaze
While the biscuits are warm, brush with almond-butter glaze and sprinkle sliced almonds for extra crunch.
What’s the difference between almond paste and marzipan?
Don’t grab the wrong one at the store! Almond paste has more nuts and less sugar, so it’s coarser and not too sweet for these almond biscuits. Marzipan is packed with sugar, giving it that smooth, moldable, Play Doh like texture, which is great for decorating cakes but way too sweet for these biscuits.
Almond Buttermilk Biscuits
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the grated almond paste, grated frozen butter, and flour. Toss to mix until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Chill the bowl with the mixture for 10 minutes.
- Make a well in the center and pour in the chilled buttermilk and almond extract (if using). Add sugar if desired.
- Stir gently until a sticky dough forms—do not overmix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a ¾-inch thick disc.
- Fold and gently roll the dough 4–5 times to create layers and flakes.
- Using a biscuit cutter, cut out biscuits and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a cast iron skillet.
- Bake for 12 minutes then flip them then leave for an additional 3 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- While warm, brush the biscuits with melted butter mixed with almond extract.
- Sprinkle sliced almonds on top for extra crunch and almond flavor.
