Apple, Cheddar and Sage Biscuits are a magical combination of fall-forward flavors ~ these cheesy biscuits are equally at home on a breakfast plate, next to a warm bowl of chowder, or in a Thanksgiving bread basket.
get cozy this fall with apple, cheddar and sage biscuitsย
I just love this classic combination of flavors, it’s really got everything going for it. The biscuit dough is nice and buttery, the apples are lightly sweet and tart, the cheddar is, well, cheesey, and the sage is nice and earthy. I didn’t skimp on any of the ingredients, and the end result is cozy, rich, and bursting with fall flavors.
This is a fun project for when you’ve had enough sugar but still want to do a little fall baking.
let’s talk ingredients
- Choose apples that are firm and tart, which tend to be better for baking. They’ll hold up well and lend a nice flavor to these biscuits. Granny Smith are always a good fallback choice for baking, if you aren’t sure.
- I prefer sharp cheddar here, but use anything you like. Orange or white cheddar is fine.
- I definitely recommend fresh sage if you can find it, it has much better flavor, and you can laminate the leaves on top for a pretty presentation…but you can try dried sage if it’s all you’ve got.
my favorite way to make biscuit dough is in the food processor
I’ve talked about it before, but by far my favorite way to make biscuit (and scone) dough is in my food processor. Same goes for pie crusts! It’s no muss, no fuss, and your dough comes out better because the butter stays cold (rather than being heated up by the warmth of your hands) and that makes for a flakier end result.
- I like to pulse together my dry ingredients first (flour, salt, leaveners like baking powder, and any sugar or spices being used) to get everything well dispersed and combined.
- Then add your cold butter, cut into pieces, and continue to pulse just until things are well combined, but there are still small visible chunks of butter remaining (about pea-sized is usually good)
- Finally, pour in your liquid (usually milk, or buttermilk) while continuing to pulse until the dough forms a single clump.
how to decorate your biscuits with whole herbs
This trick is easy, and looks so special. You can see it used in my savory herbed shortbread, too.
- After the scones are cut and on the baking sheet, brush the tops lightly with milk.
- Choose small, flat sage leaves. Carefully place a sage leave or two on the top of each, pressing them in gently.
- Brush again with a little more milk to adhere the sage to the biscuit and bake.
how to serve savory biscuits
I love a biscuit for breakfast, either on its own, or with a plate of creamy scrambled eggs. These cheesy biscuits would also be great alongside a cozy fall soup or stew, and of course they make a fantastic snack just about any time of day.
- Easy Lentil Chili
- Corn and Cheddar Cheese Chowder
- Smokey Pumpkin Chipotle Bisque
- Italian White Bean Soup
- Slow Cooked Apple Bourbon Pork Chops
- Sheet Pan Frittata
more savory apple recipes ~
- Roasted Apple and Radicchio Salad
- Apple, Cheddar and Fig Focaccia
- Apple Butter Brandy Meatballs
- Roast Chicken with Potatoes, Apples and Brown Cabbage
Apple, Cheddar and Sage Scones
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp light brown sugar, optional, *See Notes
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup milk, or buttermilk, or half and half
- 1 cup finely chopped apple, peeled
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh sage leaves, plus a few small leaves for laminating the tops of the biscuits, if desired.
- 2 Tbsp milk, or cream (for brushing), optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ยฐF and line or butter a baking sheet.
- Place the flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the butter to the food processor, and continue to pulse until no large chunks of the butter remain and the mixture is coarse and crumbly.
- Slowly add in the milk and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and place it into a mixing bowl with the chopped apple, shredded cheese, and sage. By hand, mix it all together until everything is well dispersed, but try not to over-mix it.
- Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat or gently roll it into a rectangle about 1 inch thick. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut about 8-9 biscuits and place them on your prepared baking sheet.
- Brush the tops of the biscuits with milk or cream, and place a small sage leaf or two on top of each scone, brushing it with more milk so that they stay put.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
I converted this recipe to metric and once measuring in weight by grams, I made no adjustments to quantities of liquid, as opposed to the other reviewers. The dough ball came together easily and the flavours worked very well together. Receiving high praise. Thank you.
You can’t go wrong with this flavor combination – fantastic. A perfect match with New England fall weather, local apples, sage, and Cabot cheddar. One thing I noticed is that to get a cohesive dough, I needed to add more buttermilk once the dough was transferred to the mixing bowl. I think the liquid percentage is a bit low to get the dough to come together into a ball in the food processor. Minor adjustment.
I also found I had to add A LOT more liquid. I was using half and half. I was blaming this on the flour, but maybe not, after reading your comment! I know that I added half again as much. I still had a very tough time stirring in the solid ingredients! That said- I just took them out of the oven, and they could NOT be more delicious or unique! I think I might try adding finely diced ham next time!