Who's heard of Easter Biscuits? We hadn't until we found this gem in the pages of Good Housekeeping's Cookery Compendium (1959). Easter biscuits may have fallen out of fashion but they were once a staple of Eastertime baking, and having sampled them, we can't really see why.
They're lovely and buttery with a warming hint of spice and chewy dried fruit (traditionally currants) and they're small enough so that you'll still have room for that Easter roast that you're looking forward to! Another forgotten recipe that needs a comeback.
Original Recipe: 'Easter Biscuits' (Book 7, 1959)
Speed: 30 minutes | Makes: 36
INGREDIENTS
85g butter
85g sugar
1 egg yolk
14g chopped citrus peel
28g currants, or other dried fruit (we used raisins as we couldn't get hold of currants)
½ tsp. mixed spice, or ground cinnamon/cloves
170g plain flour
A pinch of salt
METHOD
1. Pre-heat oven to 200°C fan (400°F/Gas Mark 6).
2. Cream the butter and sugar together and then beat in the egg yolk.
3. To this, mix in the peel and fruit, and then the dry ingredients. Mix to a stiff dough, adding a little milk if necessary (we didn't need any).
4. Roll out onto a floured board, prick all over and cut into rounds.
Note: Using a round biscuit cutter with a diameter of 2 inches, we obtained a yield of 36 biscuits.
5. Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until they are lightly coloured.
6. Cool on a wire rack before digging in.
Original Recipe for 'Easter Biscuits'
'BOOK 7': Good Housekeeping’s Cookery Compendium (1959)
Authors: The Good Housekeeping Institute
Publisher: The National Magazine Co. Ltd. And printed by Letterpress by Sun Printers Ltd. (Watford, England, U.K.)