These 4-ingredient butter biscuits are easy to make and only take around 25 minutes. Fast Ed’s recipe and tips will help you make the best butter biscuits for any occasion. You can also use this recipe as a base for other sweet treats, including melting moments, lemon curd tart or a simple almond shortbread. Get the kids involved and make this one of their favourites too.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced (200°C conventional). Line an oven tray with baking paper.
Combine butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and whip until very light and creamy. Add flour and mix
in gently until a dough forms. Roll into 16 balls and arrange on prepared tray.
Dip a fork in flour, then press on the surface of each ball to flatten. Press a blanched almond or glacé cherry into top of each biscuit. Leave an even number plain to make melting moments. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden, then cool on a wire rack.
Sandwich 2 biscuits with vanilla buttercream icing to make melting moments.
Cook’s tips for butter biscuits
- Whipping the butter and sugar mixture together on a low to moderate setting will make it easier to tell when it’s reached the right consistency. It should also be a lighter colour, similar to cream.
- To stop the dough sticking to your hands, lightly wet them with water before forming each biscuit.
- Let the biscuits cool before adding any filling.
- To make a cheat’s pie, follow Steps 1 and 2 but press dough into base of a 16cm pie dish, then bake for 18-20 minutes. Fill with lemon curd and serve with whipped cream.
Are butter biscuits the same as shortbread?
While they are similar, butter biscuits or cookies are typically sweeter and less crumbly than shortbread. That’s what makes this recipe ideal for melting moments and tarts. In comparison, a true shortbread is more crumbly and has a different ratio of butter, flour and sugar.
