A quick note. » »
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.
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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!
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.
I totally agree cassia oil makes an easter biscuit
Going to have a go at making these myself after listening to the Archers and finding the receipe.
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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
I just made these Easter biscuits they are really nice but terribly moreish!!
I’m 83 and was born in Bishopsworth nr. Bristol where my grandmother, my mother and all my aumts made Easter Biscuits always using Oil of Cassia.
Please tell me where I can buy some.
Hi Audrey. The only place I have seen cassia oil for sale is in local independent pharmacies during the run up to Easter. It may be beside the till (as it is in mine) or you might have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. Good luck!
Tesco pharmacies sell casia oil beside the till and they also often have a free photocopy of the easter biscuit recipe in the run up to easter ,
Hi They had Cassia oil in Clevedon Tesco at pharmacy counter.
I have found oil of cassia at culpeppers in the past
These biscuits were lovely, I am a frequent baker and added a couple of things to the mixture – 1/4 tsp mixed spice, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract & 1/4 tsp lemon juice. This obviously meant putting a little less milk in but overall it was a wonderful combination!
I love to make Easter biscuits and it really gets me in the spirit! I make them with Cassia oil and we have had ours for years! But i was wondering, does it make a difference using raisins instead of currants??
The only difference I can think of is that they might not roll out as thinly but this depends on how plump your raisins are.
Easter biscuits are very symbolic, the crinkles around the edge representing the crown of thorns, the round shape = the stone, the oil is supposed to be something to do with the oils used to annoint Christs head, etc. etc, The currants are supposed to represent the nails used to nail Him to the cross, sultanas or rasin would presumably be to big.
Hi Molly
Did you use your cassia oil when the best by date had gone? I have just noticed the date on my bottle of cassia oil is 18 months ago which means I must have used it out of date last Easter. Oops! Many thanks
You can buy Oil of Cassia from the pharmacy counter in Boots the Chemist and you will receive a recipe to make Easter Biscuits. It is the Oil of Cassia which give the biscuits their distinctive taste and a small bottle is more than enouh as you only need to use one or two drops
Happy Easter.
I made these biscuits with my cookery club children in primary school and they loved them. So I made them again this Easter morning with my son who shared them with my neighbour, who has asked for 24 more…. totally delicious thank you xxx
Hi everybody,
You can buy CASSIA OIL from http://www.homeherbs.co.uk ideal for your Easter biscuits!
I hope this helps!
My mum always used oil of cassia for hers, and a drop or two of yellow food colouring. And she always, every year, made a batch specially for me. I love ‘em!
I, of course, stick to mum’s recipe.
After all, Mum’s know best!