Cranberry sage buttermilk biscuits

Soft, buttery, and perfectly flakey cranberry sage buttermilk biscuits are the perfect accompaniment to any meal! All you need is a few simple ingredients and less than an hour of your time!

What are biscuits?

In America, biscuits are a type of quick bread that is not typically made with yeast. In other countries such as England - thinner, crispier treats may be known as "biscuits" depending on how they're prepared. In this case, they're usually eaten as a dinner roll and served as a side vs. a dessert. 

Ingredients in Buttermilk Biscuits

You only need a few basic ingredients for this delicious homemade biscuits recipe: Quantities in recipe card below!

1. All-purpose Flour
2. Baking Powder
3. Salt
4. Cold Butter - Making perfect biscuits requires cold butter. As little pieces melt during baking, they release steam and create pockets where air can get trapped inside- this creates fluffy lightness with crispy exteriors!
5. Cold Buttermilk - Buttermilk creates the most tender biscuit and gives biscuits that classic tang that you love!
6. Honey - Honey balances out the salt and adds just a tiny hint of sweetness. 
7. Dried cranberries 
8. Dried sage

Tips for the best biscuits:

• While it's tempting to mix your dough until it becomes one solid mass, this will result in tough biscuits. To get a light and airy texture for not only tastier but also easier-to-eat baked goods, keep mixing just until ingredients are combined into small clumps - do NOT overdo the arm work! I love using my hands because you can feel how much moisture is left within each piece of flour or butter without having any worries
• Don't twist the cutter when cutting sheets of dough with a glass or biscuit-cutter. Press it down firmly until you hear it suction, and then remove to prevent seal edges from getting stuck together.
• Brush the tops with a little buttermilk before you bake to achieve a crispy, golden brown top. 
• Bake biscuits in a biscuit cast iron skillet, I love this one!

How to make cranberry sage buttermilk biscuits: step by step photos and instructions!

Step one: Add and combine all of your dry ingredients.

Step two: Add your cold butter and cut it into your flour mixture

Step three: Make a little well in the center and add your honey and buttermilk

Step four: Combine all ingredients into a dough

Step five: Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a thick rectangle

Step six: Cut biscuits out and place in baking dish of choice

Step seven: Place biscuits in baking dish of choice, brush with a little buttermilk, and garnish if desired.

Step eight: Bake and enjoy!

DON'T HAVE BUTTERMILK? NO PROBLEM! SUBSTITUTE WITH THIS:

In a pinch, you can make DIY buttermilk using regular milk and lemon juice. I always use and recommend real, full fat buttermilk for the best, tangy, pancakes.

1. Use milk: Pour 1 cup of whole or 2% milk into a liquid measuring cup. For vegan buttermilk, you can use a vegan milk of your choice with perfect results.

2. Add an acid: For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. You can scale the recipe up or down depending on how much you need. That's it!

Can I make this recipe vegan?

You use vegan butter and sub buttermilk for the DIY version above with a non dairy milk, however in testing they did not rise as much and they did not taste as rich. However, if necessary - yes, the recipe does work veganized!

The recipe

Cranberry sage buttermilk biscuits

5 from 9 votes

Soft, buttery, and perfectly flakey cranberry sage buttermilk biscuits buttermilk are the perfect accompaniment to any meal! All you need is a few simple ingredients and less than an hour of your time!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter chilled in freezer and cut into thin slices
• ¾ cup cold buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon of honey
• ½ cup dried cranberries
• ½ tablespoon dried sage
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk for brushing
• OPTIONAL: extra cranberries or fresh sage for a garnish like pictured.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C)
• 
  Prepare your baking sheet, cast iron skillet, or muffin tin by generously greasing it, or lying down parchment paper.
  
  Whisk flour, dried sage, cranberries, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.
  
  Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, 3- 5 minutes.
  
  Make a well in the center of butter and flour mixture. Pour in your tablespoon of honey, and ¾ cup buttermilk; stir until just combined.
  
  Turn dough onto a floured work surface, about 1 inch thick, pat together into a uniform rectangle.
  
  Cut out 6 biscuits using a 2 ½-inch round biscuit cutter.
  
  Transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet.
  
  Brush the tops of biscuits with 2 tablespoons buttermilk.
  
  Bake in the preheated oven until browned, about 15 minutes.

Notes

Best when enjoyed immediately!

Enjoy within 3 days of baking.

Baked biscuits freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator, then warm up to your liking before serving.

Biscuit dough can be frozen for up to one month.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 6g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g

Cuisine: American

Keyword: buttermilk biscuit, christmas biscuit, christmas morning breakfast, cranberry sage biscuit, sage biscuit

Servings: 6 biscuits

Calories: 136kcal

Author: sarah