Fruit shortbread biscuits are a variation on traditional shortbread with the addition of dried fruit and mixed spices.
They are perfect served with a cup of tea or coffee and also for packed lunches and picnics.
These shortbread cookies are easy to make and are suitable for making in bulk and freezing so that you have a good supply for the weeks ahead.
The quantities in this shortbread recipe are sufficient to make around 20 to 22 biscuits if using a 5cm diameter biscuit cutter.
Ingredients
- 175g butter - at room temperature
- 90g caster sugar
- 150g plain flour - plus extra for rolling out the dough
- 50g cornflour - this helps to give the shortbread biscuits a light, crunchy texture.
- 70g raisins - or other dried fruits such as sultanas, currants, dried cranberries, etc.
- 2 rounded teaspoons ground mixed spice - you can use bought mixed spice or can prepare your own blend of mixed spices.
How to prepare
Weigh the butter and sugar into a large baking bowl and cream together using a wooden spoon.
Add the flour, cornflour, raisins and mixed spice to the butter and sugar and mix together until all ingredients are combined.
Form into a ball with your hands and place the bowl of biscuit dough in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes to one hour.
When the shortbread dough has chilled, transfer to a lightly floured pastry board and roll out to a thickness of around half a centimetre.
Form biscuit shapes using a biscuit cutter and place on a non-stick baking sheet on a metal baking tray leaving a space between each biscuit to allow room for expansion. Return to the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes to an hour. It will be necessary to bake in several batches, depending on the size of baking tray.
To bake
Bake the chilled shortbread biscuits at 150oC, 300oF, gas mark 2 until they are starting to turn golden at the edges. This is likely to take around 20 to 25 minutes or so, but will vary a little depending on the oven temperature. Turn the baking tray around part way through the baking time so that they cook evenly.
Leave the cooked shortbread biscuits on the baking try for around 5 minutes and then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack.
To store
- You can store your fruit shortbread biscuits in an airtight tin for up to a couple of days.
- If you wish to keep them any longer it is better to freeze them.
Tips
- Remove the butter from the fridge before starting to make the shortbread biscuits so that the butter softens, otherwise it will be very difficult to cream together with the sugar. Alternatively, you could soften (but not melt) the butter using the appropriate setting on a microwave.
- Leave space between the biscuits when baking to allow room for expansion.
Other biscuit recipes
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- Crunchy oat biscuits (homemade hobnobs)1 Hours
- Brandy snaps50 Minutes
- Lavender shortbread (lavender cookies)1 Hours 35 Minutes
Fruit shortbread cookies with mixed spice
Ingredients
- 175 g butter at room temperature
- 90 g caster sugar
- 150 g plain flour
- 50 g cornflour
- 70 g raisins
- 2 teaspoon mixed spice
Instructions
To prepare
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl using a wooden spoon.
- Add the flour, cornflour, raisins and mixed spice and mix well.
- Form the dough into a ball with your hands, place in a bowl, cover and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour a pastry board, place the dough on the board and roll out to a thickness of about half a centimetre.
- Use a cutter to form biscuit shapes and place on a non stick sheet on a baking tray leaving a space between each biscuit.
To bake
- Bake in batches in the centre of a preheated oven at 150°C, 300°F, gas mark 2 until the edges start to turn golden.
- Leave the cooked shortbread on the tray for about 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- The baking time noted is for baking in a single batch.
- You can store your fruit shortbread biscuits in an airtight tin for up to a couple of days.
- If you wish to keep them any longer it is better to freeze them.
- Remove the butter from the fridge before starting to make the shortbread biscuits so that the butter softens, otherwise it will be very difficult to cream together with the sugar. Alternatively, you could soften (but not melt) the butter using the appropriate setting on a microwave.
- Leave space between the biscuits when baking to allow room for expansion.
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