Apple Butter Swim Biscuits

Oct 6

Written By Amelia

If you’re looking for the coziest fall breakfast/dessert recipe — I’m pretty sure this is it! These easy Apple Butter Swim Biscuits combine soft, buttery buttermilk biscuits with warm cinnamon-spiced apples and a crunchy turbinado sugar topping. Serve them warm with butter and maple syrup for the ultimate fall breakfast or dessert — it is INSANITY!

About This Apple Butter Swim Biscuit Recipe

Apple pie meets homemade butter swim biscuits in this easy fall recipe. Cinnamon-spiced apples are folded into a sweet buttermilk biscuit dough that bakes directly in melted butter, creating a tender center and crisp, buttery edges. Turbinado sugar adds a crunchy caramelized top, while optional butter and maple syrup make them taste almost like an apple pie and oven-baked pancake combined.

Why You’ll Love These Apple Butter Swim Biscuits

No biscuit cutting or rolling: The dough goes straight into the baking dish.
Loaded with apples: Two cups of fresh apples give you apple flavor throughout.
Crispy, buttery edges: Baking the dough directly in melted butter creates the signature butter swim biscuit crust.
Perfect for fall: Cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla, and apples make these a cozy fall breakfast or dessert.
Crunchy sugar topping: Turbinado sugar gives the biscuits a crisp, caramelized finish.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Apples
Salted butter
Brown sugar
Ground cinnamon
Ground nutmeg
Vanilla extract
All-purpose flour
Baking powder
Kosher salt
Granulated sugar
Buttermilk
Turbinado sugar

How to Make Apple Butter Swim Biscuits

Cook the diced apples with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until slightly softened and syrupy, then stir in vanilla. Melt a stick of butter in a 9x9-inch baking dish. Combine the dry ingredients, then stir in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla before gently folding in the apples. Spread the dough over the melted butter, score into nine biscuits, sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar, and bake at 450°F for 30–35 minutes, tenting with foil around 25-27 minutes if browning too quickly.

Tips for Success

Dice the apples small so you get apple in every bite and the pieces cook completely.
Cook off excess apple liquid. The apples should be coated in a thick, sticky mixture rather than sitting in lots of liquid.
Don’t overmix the dough. Stir only until everything comes together for tender biscuits.
Use a 9x9-inch pan so the biscuits have the right thickness.
Put the baking dish on a lined sheet pan. The butter can bubble over as the biscuits bake.
Watch the browning. The sugar causes the tops to brown beautifully, but you may need to loosely tent the pan with foil around the 25-27-minute mark while the centers finish baking.
Serve them warm. They're especially good with salted butter and maple syrup.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are butter swim biscuits?
Butter swim biscuits are an easy style of homemade biscuit in which soft biscuit dough is baked directly in melted butter. There's no rolling, folding, or cutting required, and the butter creates crisp, golden edges while the inside stays soft.

What are the best apples for apple biscuits?
Granny Smith and Honeycrisp are a great combination. Granny Smith apples add tartness and hold their shape well, while Honeycrisp apples add sweetness and fresh apple flavor.

Do I have to cook the apples first?
Yes, I recommend it. Briefly cooking the apples softens them, concentrates their flavor, and cooks off some of their moisture before they're added to the biscuit dough.

Why do I need to tent the biscuits with foil?
The sugar and turbinado topping can cause the biscuits to become deeply golden before the centers are finished. Loosely tenting the pan with foil allows the biscuits to continue baking without over-browning the tops.

Can I make Apple Pie Butter Swim Biscuits ahead of time?
Yes. Store cooled biscuits in an airtight container and reheat them before serving. They're best served warm.

Can I serve these with maple syrup?
Absolutely. Warm maple syrup and salted butter are especially good with the cinnamon apples and buttermilk biscuits.

What to Serve With Apple Pie Butter Swim Biscuits

Serve these warm with salted butter and maple syrup for breakfast or brunch. They would also be delicious alongside scrambled eggs, bacon, breakfast sausage, or a hot cup of coffee. For dessert, try serving a warm biscuit with vanilla ice cream.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Apple Butter Swim Biscuits

Yield: 9

Author: Amelia is NOT a Chef

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 55 Min

These Apple Pie Butter Swim Biscuits are soft, buttery, and loaded with cinnamon-spiced apples, then baked in a pool of butter until golden brown with crisp, caramelized edges. A generous sprinkle of turbinado sugar gives them a crunchy top. Serve them warm on their own or with salted butter and maple syrup for an apple-pie-meets-oven-baked-pancake situation.

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Ingredients

Apple Filling

3 tablespoons salted butter
2 cups peeled, small-diced apples
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Biscuits

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, sliced, for the pan
2½ cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
⅓ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Turbinado sugar, for topping
Salted butter -- optional, for serving
Maple syrup -- optional, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Make the apple filling. Melt 3 tablespoons salted butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the diced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cook for 4–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples begin to soften and the liquid has reduced to a thick, sticky coating.
Remove the apples from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Set aside to cool slightly.
Add the sliced stick of butter to a 9×9-inch baking dish. Place the dish in the oven just until the butter is melted, then remove from the oven.
Place the baking dish on a foil- or parchment-lined sheet pan to catch any butter that may bubble over during baking.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, kosher salt, granulated sugar, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, combine the buttermilk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined -- DO NOT OVER-MIX! Gently fold in the cooked apple mixture.
Spoon the biscuit dough into the baking dish directly over the melted butter. Gently spread the dough evenly to the edges.
Score the dough into 9 biscuits with a knife. Generously sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.
Bake at 450°F for 30–35 minutes, or until the biscuits are cooked through and deeply golden brown. Loosely tent the baking dish with foil around the 27-minute mark if the tops are sufficiently browned before the centers are finished baking.
Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve warm as-is or topped with salted butter and maple syrup.

Notes

Apples: I like using a combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. Granny Smith adds tartness and holds its shape well, while Honeycrisp adds sweetness and apple flavor.

Watch for bubbling butter: Butter swim biscuits can bubble quite a bit as they bake, especially with the apples and added sugar. Keep the baking dish on a lined sheet pan to catch any drips and make cleanup easier.

Browning: Because of the sugar and turbinado topping, these biscuits can become deeply golden before the centers are completely baked. If they're nicely browned around 27 minutes, loosely tent with foil and continue baking until done.

Serving: These are delicious on their own, but salted butter and maple syrup make them taste almost like an apple-cinnamon oven-baked pancake.