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Glazed blueberry butter swim biscuit served on a gray plate with fresh blueberries, lemon wedges, and a gold fork.
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Blueberry Butter Swim Biscuits

Blueberry butter swim biscuits with sticky buttermilk dough baked directly in melted butter for crispy golden edges and a soft fluffy inside, filled with fresh blueberries and lemon zest, and drizzled with a lemon glaze while still warm. Ready in just 45 minutes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blueberry butter swim biscuits, easy blueberry biscuits
Servings: 9
Calories: 319kcal
Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

For the biscuits

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 2½ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1¾ cups buttermilk
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

For the glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 450°F (230°C). Place the ½ cup butter in a 9 by 9 inch baking dish and set it in the oven while it heats, just until the butter melts. Watch it so it does not brown, then take it out.
    A stick of butter sits in a square baking pan before being melted completely across the bottom.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the 2½ cups flour, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, and 1 teaspoon salt.
    Flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, and salt are combined in a glass bowl and whisked until evenly blended.
  • Pour in the 1¾ cups buttermilk and stir just until a sticky dough forms. Do not overmix, since a few lumps are fine and overmixing makes the biscuits tough.
    Buttermilk mixture is poured into the dry ingredients, then stirred gently until a thick biscuit batter forms.
  • Gently fold in the 1 cup blueberries and 1 teaspoon lemon zest, being careful not to crush the berries or the dough will turn purple.
    Fresh blueberries are added to thick biscuit batter, then gently folded throughout using a large metal spoon.
  • Spread the dough evenly over the melted butter in the dish. It will feel strange spreading dough into a pool of butter, but that is exactly right, the butter is what fries the edges crisp and golden. Using a knife, cut the dough into 9 squares before baking. This lets the butter seep into the cuts, so every biscuit gets those crisp buttery edges.
    Blueberry biscuit batter fills a buttered square pan, then is scored into portions and topped with additional blueberries.
  • Bake for 28 to 30 minutes, until deep golden brown on top and set through the middle.
  • Let the biscuits cool for 10 minutes. While they cool, whisk together the 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon vanilla until smooth.
    Powdered sugar in a glass bowl transforms into smooth lemon glaze after mixing, shown in two overhead steps.
  • Drizzle the lemon glaze generously over the warm biscuits and serve.
    Before-and-after overhead views show baked blueberry biscuits plain, then finished with a generous drizzle of creamy lemon glaze.

Notes

  1. Watch the butter: Melt it in the oven while it preheats but watch it. You want melted not browned. Pull it out the moment it's liquid.
  2. Don't overmix: Stir until the dough just comes together and stop. Lumps are fine. Overmixing makes the biscuits tough.
  3. The purple dough warning: Fold the blueberries in gently with a few slow folds. If you're aggressive about it they'll burst and turn everything purple. The biscuits will still taste good but you'll know what you did.
  4. Fresh blueberries only: Frozen release too much moisture and make the dough wet. Fresh is the only way here.
  5. Score before baking: Cut the 9 squares before the pan goes in the oven so the butter seeps into every cut and every biscuit gets crispy edges on all sides.
  6. Buttermilk substitute: 1½ tablespoons of lemon juice or white vinegar in 1¾ cups of regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes. Works perfectly.
  7. Salted butter: Reduce the salt in the dough to ½ teaspoon if using salted butter.
  8. Glaze while warm not hot: A warm biscuit sets the glaze beautifully. A hot biscuit makes it run straight off.
  9. Make ahead: Bake without the glaze, store covered at room temperature for up to a day, warm at 300°F for 10 minutes, then glaze before serving.
  10. Different fruit: Raspberries, blackberries, or diced strawberries all work. Fold them in with the same gentle care as the blueberries.
  11. Baking powder: Make sure it's fresh. Old baking powder gives you flat dense biscuits.

Nutrition

Serving: 1biscuit | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 451mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 401IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 2mg
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