Name: Orange Sage Scented Biscuits
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 24
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp./ 4-ounces) (1 stick) unsalted butter - softened; 1/3 cup of granulated sugar; pinch of salt; 1 Tbsp. orange zest; 6 to 8 small fresh sage leaves - minced; 1 cup all-purpose flour; optional: 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

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Buttery Orange Sage Scented Biscuits are delightful shortbreads cookies infused with orange zest and fresh sage. A Tuscan recipe, these savory orange scented biscuits are traditionally served with an afternoon espresso or sometimes with a glass of wine.

A white platter filled with baked shortbread cookies and 2 orange slices on the side.

A Lovely Holiday Gift & These Orange Sage Biscuits

This past Christmas, my kids gave me a beautiful coffee table book titled ‘Italy on a Plate’ by Susan Gravely. It is a book about the founder of Vietri and her travels in Italy. It includes some recipes along with photos of the famous Vietri artisan Italian dinnerware, including ceramic pots, plates, cups, and bowls.

Within its pages, I found this recipe for the Orange Sage Scented Biscuits, and decided to modify the recipe. And let me tell you, the results were amazing!

These Italian biscuits are very similar to the French recipe for Buttery Olive Rosemary Biscuits (aka Scoutins), which I made a few months ago. If I had to guess, I would say that these sweet and savory biscuits likely originated in European countries centuries ago.

A white long platter filled with orange shortbreads with slices of oragne on the side.

Tell Me About These Orange Sage-Scented Biscuits

EASY RECIPE: Orange Sage Scented Biscuits are very versatile and quick to make. We love that we can make them in 15 minutes, chill, then bake in 12 minutes.
TEXTURE: These are deliciously buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. They are popular in Italy and make a delightful pairing with an afternoon espresso. They can also be served alongside creamy desserts, such as orange posset or classic panna cotta, for an extra treat.
FLAVOR: The delicious flavors of orange and sage are immediately noticeable in the first bite. They are wonderful and ideal cookies to make and serve all year long.

BEST PART? These delightful cookies (aka biscuits) are ideal for sharing with family and friends during festive occasions, tea parties, and all holidays, including Mother’s Day brunch.

How to Make Orange Sage Shortbread Cookies?

For this recipe, you will need six ingredients: one stick of butter, sugar, salt, flour, orange zest, and sage leaves.

All the ingredients are laid on the counter for these cookies, navel orange, sage leaves, flour, sugar, salt and butter.

Easy Directions to Make Them:

Our full ingredients are located on the printable recipe card at the bottom. Plus, all our recipes include US customary measurements for convenience, and we recommend Using this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients! But first, let’s run through the steps before you begin:

First: In one mixing bowl, combine the ingredients into a crumbly mixture.
Second: Then, form the mixture into a soft dough, and shape it into a log/cylinder.
Third: Chill the log for at least 2 hours, or freeze for about 45 minutes.
Finally: Slice into disks, transfer to a baking sheet, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden around the edges.

A cookie log sliced on a cutting board, and placed onto a baking sheet, ready to bake them.

Recipe Tips

Use fresh sage leaves. For the best savory flavor, it’s best to use fresh sage leaves instead of the dried ones.
For more orange flavor, you can use pure orange oil extract for baking.
Chill the dough. Chill the cookie dough in the fridge or freezer. If the cookie dough is frozen, allow the dough to thaw at room temperature for at least 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Sometimes, if you slice the dough into disks when it’s too frozen, the disks will break and fall apart.
Allow the cookies to rest. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes before handling them.
This recipe will yield about 2 dozen. Depending on how thin you slice the chilled log, you could yield anywhere from 24 to 26 shortbread cookies.
Best for storing these cookies. Store these biscuits in an air-tight container and store them on our counter, in the fridge, or freezer. They will stay fresh longer.
Cookies after baking can freeze. Place the cookies in an airtight container. They freeze beautifully.

A white platter filled with baked orange and sage shortbread cookies.

Bake and Serve

These shortbread biscuits are lightly sweet and savory, with orange and sage flavors throughout. A lovely little treat to serve with coffee and tea.

And, these delicious shortbreads are ideal to add to your Easter and Mother’s Day Brunch. Everyone will surely enjoy them!

Best Part? This is another easy recipe and a keeper.

Enjoy!

Your comments help us! Have you tried these delicious Italian orange-sage scented biscuits? Let us know and leave a comment below! We’d love to hear from you, and it benefits everyone who reads them. Follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.

More Biscuits & Shortbread Cookies

Orange Sage Scented Biscuits

Yield: 24 to 26 cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

Buttery Orange Sage Biscuits are delightful shortbreads cookies infused with orange zest and fresh sage. A Tuscan biscuit, these orange scented cookies are traditionally served with an afternoon espresso or a glass of wine.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (8 Tbsp./ 4-ounces) (1 stick) unsalted butter - softened
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp. orange zest
6 to 8 small fresh sage leaves - minced
1 cup all-purpose flour
optional: 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the zest, sage, salt, and (optional: add in the vanilla extract) beat to combine.
Next, add the flour and mix to combine. The mixture will become very crumbly. Remove the mixer and mix the dough with your hands until it all incorporates into one dough.
Place it onto a floured surface, and knead it until you can shape it and roll it ( about 2 + 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter) into a log (a cylinder). Wrap the log with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and chill the dough for at least two hours in the refrigerator. NOTE: You can place the dough in the freezer to chill it quicker, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F ( 180C). Then line your baking sheets with a sheet of parchment paper.
With a sharp knife, slice the chilled dough into disks (about 1/4 or 1/2- inch rounds) and place them about 1 inch apart on your baking sheets.
BAKE ( on the center rack of the oven) until golden around the edges, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for a few minutes before handling them.
Store them at room temperature. When completely cooled, transfer them to an air-tight container until you are ready to serve them. They freeze well, too.

Notes

Before you bake, if the cookie dough is frozen, allow the dough to thaw at room temperature for at least 10 to 15 minutes before slicing. Sometimes, if you slice the dough into disks when it's too frozen, the disks will break and fall apart.

Depending on how thin you slice the chilled log, you could yield anywhere from 24 to 26 shortbread cookies.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 13 servings Serving Size: 2 orange-sage biscuits
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 104Total Fat: 4.2gSaturated Fat: 2.5gCarbohydrates: 16.5gFiber: 4.2gSugar: 2.7gProtein: 2g

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