Dried Fruit Shortbread Biscuits Recipes

SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir butter and 4 tablespoons of the sugar until well mixed. Stir in flour. (If dough is crumbly, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons more softened butter.)
• Roll dough on lightly floured surface until 1/2 inch thick; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut into small shapes with knife or use cookie cutters. On ungreased cookie sheets, place shapes 1/2 inch apart.
• Bake about 20 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks.

DRIED FRUIT SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Place the butter, salt and sugar into a large bowl and cream together until smooth. Add the plain flour, rice flour, currants and mixed peel and stir together then use your hands to gently knead together until you get a uniform dough.
• Preheat the oven to 300F and line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
• Roll the dough out to be just less than 1/2-inch thick. Use cutters to cut the dough out. Prick the top of the cookies with a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes, the cookies will not really brown, they'll just become firm and very slightly golden around the edges.
• Let cool on a wire rack then store in an airtight container.

FRUIT AND NUT SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar. Add yolk and flour. Cut in fruit and nuts. Shape dough into two rolls 2 inches in diameter and roll in waxed paper. Chill overnight.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• While still cold and wax paper still on, take a sharp knife and cut thin slices (1/8 inch). Set on greased cookie sheets, remove wax paper and bake for 10 minutes. (Slightly brown edges).

SHORTBREAD BISCUITS

Steps:

• Sift flour with salt, then cream the butter and caster sugar together until pale and creamy. With the motor running, gradually add the egg; if the mixture looks like it's curdling then add a tbsp of sifted flour.
• Put the mixer on it's lowest setting and add the flour gradually. Stop mixing as the mixture comes together.
• Roll out onto a floured surface; about 5mm thick. Cut out biscuits using the metal cutter ring. Now bake for about 20-30 minutes until lightly brown in colour.
• Let the biscuits cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

FRUITCAKE SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
• Add flour and mix until the flour is incorporated and the shortbread dough has a crumbly appearance.
• Mix in the mixed peel or fruitcake blend until evenly distributed in your shortbread dough.
• Transfer the fruitcake shortbread dough to a sheet of parchment paper or plastic cling film wrap and gather the loose dough into a rough log shape.
• Wrap the paper around the log shape tightly and use it to help roll the log out into your desired length and width. Unwrap and re-wrap tightly. Transfer to your refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.
• Once the dough is firm to the touch, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C ). Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice using a sharp knife ( to cut through the fruit easily ). Slices should be approximately 1/4 inch in thickness.
• Transfer slices to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C ) for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when the center is slightly puffy. You should also be able to note the difference when the center no longer looks raw.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet placed on a wire cooling rack. *Shortbread cookies are tender and prone to falling apart while still warm!

FRUITCAKE SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Sift together flour and salt into a medium bowl. Beat butter with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add sugar gradually, beating between additions; continue to beat until mixture is very pale, about 2 minutes total. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture; beat until just combined.
• Combine apricots, cranberries, candied citron, currants, and whiskey or brandy in a bowl. Let dried fruit macerate at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours; drain.
• Add lemon zest to the butter with the sugar. After beating in the flour, mix in drained fruit. Form dough into a 10 1/2-inch log, then a triangle with 2 1/2-inch sides. (Refrigerate dough briefly if too soft to form.) Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
• Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets until firm and just golden on edges, about 35 minutes.

FRUIT COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170C/ gas mark 4.
• Sprinkle a very light dusting of flour onto the baking tray
• Beat the margarine and sugar together until fluffy. Stir in the flour and chopped dried fruit to make a soft dough.
• Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divided the mixture in to 10-12 even sized balls
• Place them apart on the baking tray and flatten well with the back of the tablespoon.
• Cook for 12-15mins until evenly browned.
• Let cool a little before removing from the tray and placing to cool on the wire wrack.