Preheat your oven to 400°F. While it heats, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 9x13 inch baking pan (or similar size), tilting to coat the bottom and sides evenly. This prevents sticking and adds flavor to the biscuit edges. Set the prepared pan aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Working quickly to keep everything cold, add the chilled butter cubes and use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingertips to break the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. This creates pockets of steam that make biscuits fluffy and tender.

Gently stir the rinsed and dried blueberries and lemon zest into the dry mixture from Step 2, being careful not to crush the berries. Pour in the cold buttermilk and fold everything together with a spatula until just combined—the dough should be slightly shaggy and wet. I like to fold gently and quickly rather than mixing, which keeps the biscuits tender and prevents tough, dense crumbs.

Transfer the dough from Step 3 into the prepared pan from Step 1, spreading it gently and evenly into the bottom. Using a sharp knife, score the dough into 9 equal squares (3 rows by 3 columns), cutting about halfway through the thickness. This helps the biscuits bake evenly and makes them easy to separate after baking.

Place the pan in the preheated 400°F oven and bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into a biscuit comes out clean. The biscuits should spring back when lightly touched. While baking, prepare the honey butter glaze in the next step.

While the biscuits bake, combine melted butter, honey, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract in a small bowl or measuring cup, stirring until well combined. The glaze will be thin and pourable. I find that mixing these together while still warm helps the honey incorporate smoothly without clumping.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Carefully turn the pan upside down onto a wire rack or cutting board to release the biscuits in one piece, then separate them along the scored lines. Brush the warm biscuits generously with the honey butter glaze from Step 6, coating all sides. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving—this allows the glaze to set slightly while keeping the biscuits warm.