English Easter Biscuits

This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.

A cherished English Easter tradition for centuries, these crunchy currant-studded, lemony and lightly spiced biscuits are positively irresistible. Traditionally given as gifts on Easter Sunday, they are just as delicious any other time of year. This traditional Easter Biscuits recipe is sure to become a favorite in your home!

Don’t let the simple appearance of these biscuits fool you – they are heavenly! Just the smell of them baking will make you feel like you’re wrapped in a warm, cozy blanket surrounded by happy memories. And when you take that first bite and savor the flavors, you’ll be hooked. Enjoy them on their own or dunk them in tea or your favorite hot beverage. I LOVE these Easter biscuits and and confident you will too!

What are Easter Biscuits?

What are called cookies in the United States are known as biscuits in the UK. Unlike American cookies that are generally soft and bread-like, British biscuits are crumbly and often crunchy – traditionally enjoyed with a cup of tea. Easter biscuits are a centuries-old English bake, specifically from the rural West Country (including Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall), and are currant-studded and spiced round biscuits sprinkled with sugar. They’re similar to another traditional biscuit known as Shrewsbury biscuits, or Shrewsbury cakes. Easter biscuits have been a cherished part of Easter celebrations for centuries, given as gifts on Easter Sunday. As with other traditional bakes made for religious holidays (e.g., Hot Cross Buns and Stollen), they contain symbols of Christ. It’s said that historically bakers would add the bitter herb tansy to the biscuits asa symbol of Christ’s suffering on the cross. Today lemon is used in its place. Easter biscuits from the Somerset area of the West Country traditionally include cassia oil (more potent than ground cinnamon), representative of the embalming method used in cleaning Christ’s body after his crucifixion. The round shape of the biscuits represents the eternal circle of life, death, and resurrection.  

Ingredients and Substitutions

Easter biscuits are simple and easy to make but include a couple of ingredients that, while staple ingredients in British baking, are not readily available elsewhere (dried currants and mixed spice). But no worries, I will guide you to where you can find these ingredients and how to make a couple of the ingredients yourself (which I very strongly recommend anyway). Here’s what you’ll need to make this Easter biscuits recipe:

• Flour: You’ll need all-purpose flour, known as plain flour in the UK.
• Caster Sugar: This is very finely ground granulated sugar. You can find caster sugar (also known as ultra fine baker’s sugar) in speciality stores and can buy it online, but it’s silly to pay a premium for it because you can very easily make your own: just place regular granulated sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times until you get a very fine consistency. Note: caster sugar is NOT the same thing as powdered sugar so do not substitute it.
• Butter: I always recommend using unsalted butter for baking and then add the salt separately so that you can have full control over the salt content.
• Egg: You’ll need one large egg and this will be separated. The yolk goes into the biscuit dough and white is used to brush the tops of the biscuits before sprinkling the sugar over.
• Brandy: Consulting my collection of antique British cookery books from the 18th through the early 20th centuries, I found an old recipe for Sedgemoor Easter biscuits (from the Somerset area of the West Country) that includes brandy. I think the brandy makes a really nice addition so I’ve included it here. If you prefer to omit it, you can substitute milk.
• Milk: Just a tablespoon or so if you find you need it if your dough is too dry to hold shape.
• Lemon Zest: Use the zest of a whole small lemon, roughly two teaspoons. A little more is fine.
• Dried Currants: A staple in traditional British baking. I bring back a few bags with me a couple of times a year when I go to England. Unlike the name suggests, they’re not actually currants, they’re a tiny variety of raisin also called zante raisins or zante currants. Outside of the UK they’re very challenging to find in stores, but they are readily available to buy online. Do not substitute raisins; they are too large and mushy for these thin biscuits. Dried currants are much smaller, firmer, have a bit of tang and less cloyingly sweet.
• Candied Lemon Peel: I have a disclaimer here – while candied peel is a staple is so many traditional British bakes, it is not traditionally included in Easter biscuits. However, their addition does magical wonders for these biscuits. They contribute an incredible flavor and also add a bit of chewiness along with the currants to the otherwise crunchy biscuits. That said, I absolutely detest the flavor of store-bought candied citrus peel and I very, very strongly recommend making your own. It’s easy and I promise you will thank me later! Get my recipe for Candied Orange Peel (it’s the identical process for lemon peel). If you prefer to omit them, substitute more currants.
• Mixed Spice: Another staple in British baking. It is a spice blend consisting of such things as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, coriander and ginger, it is a highly fragrant and flavorful mix. You can buy it online but as with all seasoning blends, for optimal flavor I highly recommend making your own homemade Mixed Spice.
• Cinnamon: To add a little more cinnamon flavor emphasis.
• Salt: Salt enhances the sweetness of sugar in baking and ties everything together.
• Granulated Sugar: For sprinkling on top for a bit of crunch.

Easter Biscuits Recipe

Let’s get started!

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk and lemon zest and beat until combined.

Add the brandy and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, mixed spice, cinnamon and sugar.

Add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and beat until combined.

Beat until it turns into a breadcrumb consistency. Now use your hands to knead it into a dough. If it’s too dry to hold shape, add a little milk.

Add the dried currants and candied lemon peel.

Use your hands to incorporate them into the dough.

Place the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper and roll it out to an even thickness of 1/4 inch.

Use a 2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit/cookie cutter to cut out individual biscuits. Gather up the leftover dough, roll it back out to 1/4 inch thickness, and repeat until all of the dough is used. I’m using these cookie cutters because they don’t rust, they bend, and they don’t have seams.

Transfer the biscuits to a lined baking sheet.

Bake in the oven preheated to 350 F / 180 C for 10-12 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and very lightly brush with the egg white.

Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top. Brush one biscuit at a time, then sprinkle with sugar, then repeat for the other biscuits. This way the egg white won’t begin to cook or dry out before you add the sugar (the egg white enables the sugar to adhere to the biscuit).

Put the biscuits back in the oven and bake for another 6-8 minutes or until they’re light golden.

Let the biscuits sit for 3-5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Storage

Store your Easter biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 2 weeks. They can also be frozen for at least 3 months.

Enjoy!

For more traditional British dessert recipes be sure to try my:

• Hot Cross Buns
• Treacle Tart
• Sticky Toffee Pudding
• Spotted Dick
• Cornish Fairings
• Victoria Sponge Cake
• Welsh Cakes
• Lardy Cake
• Mince Pies
• Scottish Shortbread
• Flapjacks
• Bara Brith
• Parkin
• Eccles Cakes
• Crumpets