When I was a child, a family friend – the sort of close friend that in the 1950s we children would call Auntie – always used to make Easter biscuits.

These crisp, spicy, curranty and sugary biscuits are the taste of Easter for me – like mince pies are the taste of Christmas. Unfortunately I don’t have Auntie’s recipe but I have managed to make some Easter biscuits that taste much the same as the ones she used to make. They were quite a large biscuit and had a wonderful crisp sugary topping which was probably what we liked most about them.

Many recipes for Easter themed biscuits include candied peel but the biscuits I remember only had currants – lots of currants! In the 1950s food rationing in the UK had only just ended and currants were perhaps easier to obtain and certainly cheaper than candied peel.

Take a trip down memory lane with me this Easter and make a batch of my 1950s Easter biscuits.

1950s Easter Biscuits

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Course: SnacksCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Ingredients

• 12 ounces / 350 grams plain flour

• 6 ounces / 175 grams caster sugar

• 6 ounces / 175 grams salted butter softened

• 2 teaspoons mixed spice

• 6 ounces / 175 grams currants

• 1 large egg

• To finish

• 1 extra egg white and caster sugar

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 200°C / 180° fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6
• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in the egg and mixed spice.
• Add the flour and currants to the mixture and mix with your hands to form a soft dough.
• Roll out thinly on a well floured working surface and cut into rounds using a 4 inch / 10 cm cutter.
• Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Meanwhile, lightly whisk the extra egg white.
• Remove the biscuits from the oven and brush with the lightly whisked egg white and sprinkle with caster sugar.
• Return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until a pale golden brown.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• When completely cold they can be stored in an airtight tin.

Recipe Video

Easter Baking Recipes

Please take a look at my other Easter baking recipes – Traditional Easter Simnel Cake, Hot Cross Buns and my new Chocolate Hot Cross Buns.

‘Happy Baking!

Tanya