These tender and sweet cinnamon raisin biscuits full of plump raisins and topped with a creamy vanilla glaze taste just like those famous fast food biscuits you remember.
You know what I used to love when I was a kid? Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits from Hardee’s. My grandma would buy them for us. I had the California Raisins toys and even bed sheets. Yes, my 80’s childhood is definitely showing. And looking back, how weird is it that they made cartoon raisin bed sheets?
Now that I’m grown, I don’t live in a town with a Hardee’s but I still crave those soft and tender cinnamon raisin biscuits, warm from the oven and covered in vanilla glaze. So I worked up my own copycat recipe and I have to tell you, they are pretty dang good. That’s not just my opinion, I took these bad boys around town to get unbiased opinions on how close these taste to Hardee’s Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits and everyone who has tried them agrees.
There are 2 secrets behind these tender cinnamon sweet biscuits.
Secret #1
The secret to plump and juicy raisins in any baked good is this…A good soak in hot water to plump them back up!
Secret #2
Heavy cream. Heavy cream acts as the fat in these biscuits. It takes out the step of cutting the fat into the flour mixture, making these quicker and easier. But it also makes the glaze on the tops just a little richer.
How do you make Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits?
- First you’ll soak ½ cup of raisins in hot water for 20 minutes while you let the oven preheat to 400 degrees. Drain off the water and squeeze out any excess.
- Then in a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon.
- Next, add the raisins and the cream, stirring until it’s just combined.
- Lightly flour the counter and turn the biscuit dough out. Pat the dough down to a 1 inch thickness.
- You’ll need a floured biscuit cutter or the top of a glass to cut the biscuits. I find that a metal biscuit cutter like this set on Amazon works best for cutting through the raisins. Place the biscuits side by side in a 9×13 inch pan. Or see the directions below for freezing cinnamon raisin biscuits.
- Bake the biscuits at 400 degrees for 14-16 minutes. While they are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and cream for the glaze. Spoon the glaze over the tops of the warm biscuits and serve.
How to freeze Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits:
Evenly space the unbaked biscuits on a baking sheet without the sides touching. Cover with cling film and freeze until just frozen. Transfer to a Ziploc bag and remove all the extra air. To bake, place the frozen biscuits in a 9 x 13 baking pan and bake as directed but allow a few extra minutes bake time. Then glaze as directed.
More Freezer Friendly Breakfast Recipes:
Cinnamon Raisin Biscuits
Tender and sweet cinnamon raisin biscuits full of plump raisins and topped with a creamy vanilla glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 cup hot water
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the Glaze
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
- Soak ½ cup of raisins in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes while you let the oven preheat to 400 degrees. Drain off the water and squeeze out any excess. Discard water.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. Add the raisins and the cream, stirring the biscuit dough until it’s just combined
- Lightly flour the counter and turn the biscuit dough out. Pat the dough down to a 1 inch thickness. Using a floured biscuit cutter, cut into biscuits and place side by side in a 9x13 inch baking pan. Take any remaining scraps and gently press them together. Pat down again and cut remaining biscuits taking care not to overwork the dough.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes at 400 degrees or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- While the biscuits are cooling, whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla and cream until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the tops of the biscuits and serve.
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April
Sunday 13th of August 2023
Oh me oh my! These turned out so incredibly yummy! I used bread flour and reduce the amount of salt to 3/4 teaspoon. They came out fluffy, moist, and downright perfect. I have to confess I am not a very good biscuit maker, so it is all attributed to the recipe.
Amy D
Wednesday 16th of August 2023
So glad you enjoyed them April! Thanks for the review!
Jan
Wednesday 2nd of March 2022
Thank you for a great recipe. Easy to fix, doesn’t take much time, and has a great taste- Nice and tender. As usual I always have to fix double the amount of icing. Yes I did cut back on the salt a little bit. Very nice and definitely a keeper
Lisa
Sunday 31st of October 2021
Hi! Can you cut the salt back a little bit, would that make a difference?They were really good but a bit salty.
Amy D
Friday 5th of November 2021
Lisa,
Yes, you can. Hope that you get them just how you like them!
Amy
Sharon
Sunday 1st of August 2021
These taste really good, but I think I over baked, trying to get them to brown. They got a little dry. Next time I will take them out sooner, brown or not. They are close to the real deal though.
Tammy C.
Monday 26th of July 2021
I made these for the first time today and they were delicious. I used self rising flour only because that is what I had on hand. I didn’t have to use the baking powder and or salt since self rising flour has all of that in it. My son and I love cinnamon raisin biscuits so these were delightful. I will be making these a favorite for a long time to come. Thanks for sharing the recipe.