Sedgemoor Easter Biscuits Recipe (2024)

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Cooking Notes

D.B

I have made these a few times now and they are a favorite. I use parchment paper to roll a log with the dough then chill it so I can slice and bake. I use a spoon to swirl the glaze on top. Is it Easter yet? ;-)

Rosie

I made these 2 days ago and they are great. I followed the recipe exactly (except I streaked the icing across the cookies instead of covering the whole thing) and they're yummy. They are even grandson approved!

Variations

Sub orange or apple juice for the brandy and rough-chopped raisins (any color) or fried cranberries for the currants.

Variations

DRIED cranberries, not fried. Note to self: always proofread before hitting the "send" key.

David Look

From Florence: You can use a food processor in Step 2 but when you add the butter it's best to pulse the mixture to get the crumbly consistency, not just let it rip.

Virginia

These biscuits are absolutely delicious and delightful, something you'd expect to show up in a Jane Austen novel. The dough was sticky but chilling first and rolling on floured board helped. Don't roll too thinly or the biscuit gets dry. The biggest issue was the bottoms burned so I cooked second batch for 20 min. only.

Baba

I usually use dried unsweetened cranberries in place of red and black currants as they are not readily available in the States. Most likely this recipe calls for red/black currants since it's based on a British recipe and not the Zante currants which are raisins (and more readily available here).

http://www.currantc.com/ (To buy dried currants.)

http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-raisins-sultanas-a...

Rita

Can regular whole wheat / white flour be used instead of the pastry type ?

Harold

dough definitely needs to be chilled before cutting, shaping. great recipe.

Metrically Speaking

Barb, the currants used are Zante style. In Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand they are just called currants or dried currants. They have a distinct taste compared to other dried grapes (raisins and sultanas).Black, red and white currants are always written about with the colour reference. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them sold dried, just fresh or in jams and cordials. Bet they’re good dried too!

MLF

This recipe is a keeper! I too, rolled the dough into a log, chilled and sliced and baked. I used a pastry brush for the glaze. These are fantastic and were a big hit with friends and family.

Pat Johnson

So good! Doubled recipe, chilled for an hour, rolled 1/2 out at a time on well floured parchment (2 half sheets put together). I wanted smaller cookies-used a Matfer 50 fluted cutter-2". Taking my time, flouring the cutter every 2 or 3 firm cuts. Made all my rounds, then lifted with a floured spatula. Baked 10 mins. They don't spread, 2 dozen/sheet on nonstick baking sheets. Left on tray for a minute or so (less breakage) and then held individually to paint one heavy coat of glaze. Yum

Harold

Dough is definitely easier to handle and cut if chilled. Rolling in a log would be a plus. fluted is attractive but not necessary.

Heidi

Bob's Red Mill makes whole wheat pastry flour. I got some at our local supermarket.

Su

Dried currants always refer to Zante currants (unless otherwise specified, which I've never seen)

ann o

I made these for Easter as written and they were great! Loved the chewy texture.

E.F.

Can you freeze these?

Heidi

I made a GF version of these on Easter morning, using 2/3 c. Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour, 1/2 c. sweet rice flour, 1/4 c. almond flour. We couldn't find currants, so subbed finely chopped dried apricots. They came together beautifully. Next time I may use a bit less sugar and a bit more salt. May skip the glaze altogether. It is a lovely finish, but perhaps a bit too sweet. Lastly, 3/8" seems a bit thick compared to other recipes for trad'l Easter biscuits. I will make these again. Satisfying!

AR

I substituted - 50/50 mix of whole wheat flour & all purpose flour for the whole wheat pastry flour- chopped dried cranberries for currants- dark rum for brandy They came out delicious and I will be doubling my recipe next Easter to share with friends!

Charlotte

I was out of whole wheat pastry flour but subbed 1/2c white pastry flour with 1/4c whole wheat flour and it worked well. I put 3/8” bands on my rolling pin so I know the thickness was right but for some happy reason, I got 28 cookies even with a 2-1/2” fluted cutter. I just made 1-1/2 times the icing to coat them all twice. They are great cookies and my husband is happy!

John Andrew

I made these biscuits for an early Easter celebration this year; and to quote my sister and brother-in-law, “They are the best biscuits I will ever eat!”. Great recipe. Followed it to the letter. Thank-you to NYTCooking and the inventors of this Easter treat.

Kathy B.

I made these with dried cherries and cranberries, rough chopped and soaked in cognac; rolled the dough in parchment and chilled then cut discs approx 1/2 thick before baking. These were delicious! Might try them next time adding mini dark chocolate chips.

dee from New Orleans

Dry when cut too thinly . Make them about 1/2” thick. Love the taste because they are not sticking sweet. Would be good with coffee or tea. A simple recipe and be sure to chill the dough before cutting out . Very interesting recipe.

Hannah

I used white whole wheat flour and raisins. Instead of brandy, I used lemon juice, which I wouldn't recommend. It wasn't bad, but the lemon flavor was more pronounced than I expected.

Widge

Made as directed, except I didn’t have brandy so used apple whiskey. For the pastry flour I used teff, turned out great. This only made 17 cookies for me. Also, not sure why my icing looks so different from pictured- mine is very thin unlike the opaque shown in the image. Perhaps I was meant to do more than 2 coats and that would explain why I only used up about half. All that said, these are delicious and I want to make them year round!

Barbara

Steam currents if very dry

Heidi

I made these in advance for Easter and froze them. Still very delicious. Also did not frost them but they were sweet enough. Probably would have looked nicer with the glaze. Also, I used dried cherries instead of currents. This is a great recipe!

Annette

Made these to take to an Easter gathering and they were definitely a hit.Used raisins as I did not have currents and they worked well. Liked the idea of rolling the dough into a log and then slicing it - less time consuming and my cookies cutter didn’t do well going through the raisins at times. Definitely a “keeper”!

Alison

Have made these many times since the recipe first appeared, Absolutely delicious cookies, frosted or not, and taste not only like Easter but a bit like Christmas too. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour use a little less whole wheat flour -- gives the cookies a little heft. Yum yum!

Dorothy

I made these today for an Easter Celebration with family tomorrow. My husband & I agree with other comments. These are a keeper! Will be making them a tradition now. How long should I wait for the second glaze to set before tying them in bundles of three please?

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Sedgemoor Easter Biscuits Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to biscuits? ›

Use Cold Butter for Biscuits

For flaky layers, use cold butter. When you cut in the butter, you have coarse crumbs of butter coated with flour. When the biscuit bakes, the butter will melt, releasing steam and creating pockets of air. This makes the biscuits airy and flaky on the inside.

Why are they called Easter biscuits? ›

These classic old fashioned biscuits are called Easter biscuits because they were traditionally baked and given as gifts at Easter time. Lightly spiced and speckled with currants they are delicious and make a change from the usual chocolate confections.

Why put an egg in biscuits? ›

Biscuit recipes tend to be egg-free, this makes them drier and the lack of protein to bind the mix helps achieve that crumbly texture. For super light, crumbly biscuits try grating or pushing the yolks of hard-boiled eggs through a sieve into the biscuit dough.

How do you make health4all Easter biscuits? ›

Plain flour 450g, mix with Butter 350g , Castor sugar 225g, Cassia flavouring oil x 10 drops and Egg yolks x 6. Divide into balls and allow to stand for 2 hours. Roll out sprinkling in currants, cut to shape. Bake in a moderate oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

What type of flour makes the best biscuits? ›

Strains of soft winter wheat have less protein than the hard spring wheat and therefore southern all-purpose flours are better-suited for quick breads such as biscuits, cakes and muffins.

What not to do when making biscuits? ›

5 Mistakes You're Making With Your Biscuits
  1. Mistake #1: Your butter is too warm.
  2. Mistake #2: You're using an inferior flour.
  3. Mistake #3: You use an appliance to mix your batter.
  4. Mistake #4: You don't fold the dough enough.
  5. Mistake #5: You twist your biscuit cutter.
Feb 1, 2019

Why cassia oil in Easter biscuits? ›

It's widely cultivated in China and elsewhere in southern and eastern Asia. It's one of several species of Cinnamomum from which their aromatic bark is used as a spice. Traditional Somerset Easter biscuit recipes contain Cassia Oil - it was believed that oil of Cassia had been used in embalming Christ's body.

What are the holes in biscuits called? ›

These tiny vents in these crackers are also known as "dockers" that allow steam to escape during the baking process, which prevents the crackers from rising like other biscuits or breads and minimise air bubbles. Those holes serve a very real purpose. Read below to know more about them.

Why are Southern biscuits called biscuits? ›

The word "biscuit" itself originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-cooked". The modern Italian baked goods known as biscotti (also meaning "twice-cooked" in Italian) most closely resemble the Medieval Latin item and cooking technique.

Why do you brush milk on biscuits? ›

"Using cream or milk is a very old-school egg wash method, but popular," says Haysmith. By brushing an egg beaten with milk or cream, you will get a baked good with a light golden brown color and a nice amount of shine.

Why do you fold the dough when making biscuits? ›

When you fold the dough, these pieces of butter stack on top of each other, creating rough layers of butter and dough that translate to flakiness once baked. Buttermilk Biscuits get maximum flakiness from a folding step built into the recipe.

Why are biscuits pricked before they are baked? ›

Pricking the dough with a fork before baking allows steam to be released during cooking and helps the biscuits rise more evenly. It's also traditional, and tradition counts with me.

Why do we eat Easter biscuits? ›

Special Easter biscuits are another Easter food tradition, particularly in the South-West of England. Slightly-spiced, sultana currant biscuits are made in the West Country to celebrate the festivities. Original recipes included Cassia oil in the belief that it was used to clean Jesus's body after his crucifixion.

What are the two most important steps in biscuit making? ›

The two keys to success in making the best biscuits are handling the dough as little as possible as well as using very cold solid fat (butter, shortening, or lard) and cold liquid. When the biscuits hit the oven, the cold liquid will start to evaporate creating steam which will help our biscuits get very tall.

What makes homemade biscuits taste better? ›

Buttermilk adds a tangy flavor to the biscuits and makes them slightly more tender. Butter: We use salted European butter in this recipe. It will work with unsalted or salted butter. I like the extra saltiness of salted butter, but you can reduce the salt to 3/4 teaspoon if you prefer.

Should you chill biscuit dough before baking? ›

But if you chill your pan of biscuits in the fridge before baking, not only will the gluten relax (yielding more tender biscuits), the butter will harden up. And the longer it takes the butter to melt as the biscuits bake, the more chance they have to rise high and maintain their shape. So, chill... and chill.

Are biscuits better with butter or shortening? ›

Crisco may be beneficial for other baking applications, but for biscuit making, butter is the ultimate champion!

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