Easter Biscuits
Buttery, spiced biscuits studded with candied orange and topped with pecan halves — crisp, lightly caramelised and perfect for Easter tea.
These Easter biscuits are a proper British teatime treat — crisp at the edges, gently spiced and flecked with candied orange. They’re quick to make and look delightful topped with a pecan half.
Make them for an Easter tea, a bake sale or to hide in a biscuit tin; they keep well and travel nicely for picnics.
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour
- 5 ml baking powder
- 5 ml mixed spice
- 5 ml ground ginger
- 5 ml salt
- 100 g unsalted butter — softened
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 30 g golden syrup
- 1 egg — large; beat and reserve 1 tsp for glazing
- 60 g candied orange peel — roughly chopped
- 18 pecan halves — one per biscuit
- 15 g demerara sugar — for sprinkling
Equipment
- baking tray
- baking paper
- cooling rack
- electric hand whisk (optional)
- kitchen scales
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Sift together plain flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Stir in mixed spice, ground ginger and salt so the spices are evenly distributed.
In another large bowl, cream the softened unsalted butter and light brown sugar together until pale and slightly fluffy — about 2–3 minutes with an electric hand whisk or 4–5 minutes by hand.
Beat the egg, then add the beaten egg and golden syrup to the butter mixture. Remove 1 tsp of the beaten egg now and keep to one side for glazing later.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined — do not overwork. Stir in the chopped candied orange peel so it is evenly distributed.
Using a teaspoon or small ice-cream scoop, shape walnut-sized balls of dough (about 24–26 g each) and place on the prepared tray about 4 cm apart. Press each ball down slightly to flatten. Brush the reserved 1 tsp of beaten egg over each biscuit, sprinkle a little demerara sugar and press a pecan half on top.
Chill the shaped biscuits in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm the butter and stop them spreading too much during baking.
Bake the biscuits on the middle shelf for 11 minutes until golden around the edges and just set in the centres.
Remove from the oven and transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack. Leave to cool for 10 minutes — they will crisp up as they cool.
Once cool, store in an airtight tin for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat for a few minutes in a warm oven to refresh.
Tips
- Weigh or scoop the dough balls rather than eyeballing to ensure even baking and consistent results.
- If your kitchen is warm, chill the shaped biscuits on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to the fridge — they’ll keep their shape better.
- If you don’t have candied orange peel, finely grated orange zest plus an extra 10 g of caster sugar can be used (flavour is similar but less chewy).
- To refresh biscuits that have softened in storage, heat them at 150°C fan/170°C conventional for 5–6 minutes to crisp them up.
- Use a light hand with the egg glaze — too much will darken the tops in the oven.
Substitutions
pecan halves → whole almonds or walnut halves, same quantity
Stays closelight brown sugar → caster sugar, same weight
Noticeably differentgolden syrup → runny honey, same weight
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 170
- Calories
- 3 g
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 2 g
- Fibre
- 12 g
- Sugar
- 120 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes — shape the dough balls and keep them on the tray covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then chill 30 minutes before baking as instructed.
Why did my biscuits spread too much?
Most likely the dough was too warm or not chilled sufficiently. Also check your oven temperature with a thermometer; a cooler oven can cause excess spreading.
Can I use ground cinnamon instead of mixed spice?
Yes — use 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon plus 1/2 tsp ground ginger to keep the flavour balanced; the result will be slightly less complex than mixed spice.
How do I stop the pecans from burning?
Press them gently into the dough rather than sit on top, and keep an eye on the biscuits in the last few minutes of baking — nuts brown quickly.
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