When we were discussing Easter food last week, my husband asked me if I planned to make Easter Biscuits. After receiving a blank stare from me, he elaborated. Apparently Easter Biscuits are somewhat akin to spicy shortbread, with the addition of currants and are traditional West Country Easter fare. Some recipes contain candied peel, to represent the suffering of Christ on the cross--apparently in ye olden days, bakers would have used tansy in these biscuits to impart a bitter taste. Candied peel is a much safer modern substitution.
After much questioning I've managed to cobble together a half-decent recipe based upon Dave's description. He didn't remember any candied peel in his childhood biscuits, but thought that there might have been some lemon zest....
Surprisingly, they're really nice biscuits! Subtly citrus, lightly spiced and the currants have somehow managd to avoid turning into hard bullets during the baking process. I've been thoroughly enjoying snacking on them, and there's still some more dough in the fridge. According to Dave, "They're Easter Biscuits!"
Easter Biscuits
Makes approximately 24.
110g unsalted butter, softened
110g caster sugar
zest of one lemon
1 large egg, separated
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
225g plain flour
55g currants
3 tbsp milk, approximately
extra caster sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to Gas Mark 3. Grease a large baking sheet.
Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest together until pale, light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk.
Mix the cinnamon and flour together; sieve directly onto the creamed mixture. Fold the flour into the mixture, adding the currants half-way through. Add as much milk as is necessary to make a stiff dough. Knead lightly in the bowl until it all comes together nicely and is smooth.
Wrap in clingfilm/plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thickness. Cut out rounds with a 7.5m diameter fluted cutter. Transfer to baking sheet. Leave a few centimeters between the rounds; they won't spread much. Bake for 10 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the egg white until frothy. Remove sheet from the oven and brush the top of each biscuit with the egg white and sprinkle each with some caster sugar. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an airtight tin.
LiveJournal feed
Comments
I am an organic baker and make cakes, biscuits etc for a local farm shop here in Cornwall by The Helford River. I have tried this recipe, multiplied by 4 and made a good batch of Easter biscuits to sell. Thank you for the inspiration! I was put oto this site by the Archers messageboard where another contributor had looked up "Easter Biscuits" as they were referred to in the programme. I found on making them that a). you don't need much milk if you really do beat up the creamed mix say in a Kenwood. and b). you don't need to remove the trays halfway through baking to brush on the frothy egg white and sprinkle with sugar, you can do that at the beginning before putting them in a Gas Mark 5 oven. That way you can avoid the possibility of burning yourself!
1. Posted by Kate kirby on March 29, 2007
What makes Easter Biscuits real Easter Biscuits, and gives them their distinctive taste is Cassia Oil. It's a pig to get hold of (try an independant chemist, for some reason!) but a very tiny amount is what makes all the difference.
2. Posted by Lorraine on March 31, 2007
Going to have a go at making these myself after listening to the Archers and finding the receipe.
3. Posted by Marian Gardner on April 6, 2007
This long-lost comment has been restored from backup.
Heya. I found this by searching for easter biscuits on google. They look exactly like easter biscuits are supposed to look like and the recipe sounds like I remember making them. :) I shall now be able to make some for tomorrow. Yay! In reply to the first poster, yes they are vaguely simelar to welsh cakes but are a tad harder and have cinnomon or mixed spice in.
x.kitty.x
4. Posted by Kitty on November 19, 2007
I just made these Easter biscuits they are really nice but terribly moreish!!
5. Posted by sarah wood on March 20, 2008