Ultimate Buttery Fruit Shortcake Biscuits Recipe

Buttery Fruit Shortcake Biscuits are so easy to make. Not only that, but they taste great too, as you might expect.

Fruit Shortcake biscuits are popular in the UK and are readily available in supermarkets. But this version is even better, since it uses butter instead of the more common palm oil and sunflower oil. The butter imparts a wonderful flavour to make the perfect shortcake biscuit.

My version has a softer texture, with a very tender crumb, but with a slight crunch around the edge. The biscuits are perfec to enjoy with a cup of tea. If you prefer a firmer crunch to the biscuits you can bake for a little longer than the recipe suggests.

The biscuits contain currants as the fruit in the store bought versions. That is what I use too. However you can substitute with other dried fruits if you prefer.

The list of ingredients isn’t to large, as you will see.

Ingredients for Buttery Fruit Shortcake Biscuits

Flour – Plain flour or all purpose flour is perfect for making the biscuits.

Butter – Unsalted butter is best, however you can use salted butter and just omit the salt specified in the recipe.

Sugar – Caster sugar is best. You can use granulated sugar to make the dough. However a finer version like caster sugar is better to sprinkle on the top partway through baking.

Baking Powder – This is a raising agent, which helps to give the biscuits a light texture.

Eggs – Medium Eggs in UK/Europe and large eggs in North America. The yolks are used for the dough and the whites are used to brush over the biscuits during baking.

Currants — these are the dried fruit used for Fruit Shortcake, though you can try substitutes too.

Lemon Zest – Finely grated zest gives a subtle lemon hint to the biscuits.

Salt – To draw out all the flavours.

Process for Buttery Fruit Shortcake Biscuits

Everything is all very simple.

Cream the butter with the sugar until it is all pale and fluffy. Add in the egg yolks and the lemon zest and mix to combine them.

Mix the baking powder and salt into the flour, then stir the currants through as well.

Put that dry mixture into the creamed butter and mix until fully combined and you can easily squeeze it all into a dough.

Cover the bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough, on a floured surface, to thickness of 5mm(1/4 inch). Then use a 6.5cm(2 1/2 inch) cookie cutter to round out rounds. I like to divide the dough in half, just for ease.

Put the biscuits onto lined baking trays and chill them in the fridge as you preheat the oven(180C/160C Fan/350F).

Then bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Take them out of the oven and brush beaten egg whites over the top, then sprinkle caster sugar on the top. Do about 4 at a time, so the egg white doesn’t dry out before the sugar goes on. Return the biscuits to the oven and bake for about 5 minutes more, until they are firm around the edge and take on some colour.

Rest the biscuits on the baking tray to firm up, then cool on a wire rack for Fruit Shortcake.

My Biscuits

My biscuits took on a light golden colour after the second bake. I waited a few minutes before putting them on a rack to cool.

Then I was ready to enjoy one. What a delicious treat it was too. A crisp edge and a tender, firm yet soft biscuit. The flavour of butter and a hint of lemon was just right. Then the firmness of the currants which had just the slightest of tartness too was just perfect.

I haven’t made these for about 12 years, but will be making them again very soon.

Another great recipe is Pistachio & Almond Biscuits – Cookies.

Buttery Fruit Shortcake Biscuits

Recipe by (Adapted from Rachel Allen)

Course: SnacksCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

36

servings

Prep time(excl waiting)

30

minutes

Cooking time

17

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 400 grams plain flour(2 2/3 cups, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup)

• 225 grams soft unsalted butter(1 cup)

• 175 grams caster sugar(3/4 cup + 2 tbsp)

• 4 grams baking powder(1 tsp)

• 2 medium egg yolks(large in USA)

• 2 medium egg whites(large in USA)

• 110 grams currant(3/4 cup)

• 1 grated zest of lemon

• 1.5 g salt(1/4 tsp

Directions

• Put the butter along with 150g(3/4 cup) of caster sugar into a large bowl and cream together until pale and fluffy. You can do this by hand or with a hand mixer, or stand mixer.
• Add the egg yolks, one at a time and mix to combine.
• Put the lemon zest in and mix that to combine too.
• Mix the baking powder and salt into the flour.
• Stir the currants into the flour too.
• Add the flour mixture to the large bowl and mix again until well combined.
• Use a hand to squeeze everthing into a soft dough.
• Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough, on a floured surface, to a thickness of 5mm(1/4 inch)
• Cut out rounds, with a cookie cutter, 6.5cm(2 1/2 inches) in diameter.
• Transfer them to a lined baking tray(you will need more than one tray).
• Put the trays into the fridge to chill the dough as you preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F.
• Bake the biscuits for 12 minutes then remove them from the oven.
• Immediately brush the tops with beaten egg and sprinkle the remaining sugar on the top(do 4 biscuits at a time, so the sugar is on before the egg whites can dry out).
• Place the trays back into oven and bake for a further 5 minutes, until the biscuits are firm around the end and are a pale golden colour on top.
• Leave them on the trays for a few minutes, to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.