The One Ingredient That Can Make Store-Bought Biscuits Taste Homemade

There's something about a homemade biscuit that overtakes the senses. The texture is both crispy and pillowy. The taste is buttery, salty and vaguely sweet. We would say canned varieties (which we have ranked from worst to best) pale in comparison, but who's ever really been mad at a biscuit? Plus, you can do some pretty amazing things with canned biscuits as long as you've got a good old stick of butter.

The key to really solid biscuits is that golden brown exterior. To achieve homemade-quality with pre-made dough, you'll want to melt a few pats of butter. Place the uncooked biscuits in a baking pan and brush or pour butter on top of them. Then, cover the pan with foil before popping it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes. With another couple of minutes under the broiler, things will be looking crispy. Alternatively, you could use the stove top and a cast iron skillet for these results.

If you're looking for ways to incorporate even more butter into your canned biscuits, you might try actually baking it right in. To do this requires just a bit of knife work. Start by cutting the biscuits in slices the long way — just as you would if you were preparing to slather them with jam. Place a pat of cold butter between each slice and reassemble them. Of all the ways to upgrade canned biscuits (which include adding herbs or cheese), this has to be the best option for achieving those flaky layers that give homemade biscuits the wow factor.

Because that still isn't quite enough butter (it'll never be enough!), brush a little more across the tops after they're finished baking. Carry out this step as soon as they're removed from the oven, as it locks in moisture, helps the biscuits last longer, and gives them an appetizing sheen.

If you're looking to use the binding power of butter, use it to upgrade canned biscuits with a coat of cinnamon sugar. For yummy bite-size morsels, slice uncooked biscuits into quarters, and coat them in melted butter before tossing them in cinnamon sugar. If you prefer to go the savory route, melt down your favorite garlic butter recipe and coat the bits in it before baking and sprinkling with Parmesan cheese.