These Johnny Allsorts biscuits, passed down from my father’s sister through my mother’s recipe book, are a nostalgic treat with a unique name and a versatile recipe. Made with a buttery dough and your choice of dried fruits, they bake into crisp, golden biscuits perfect for sharing.
Whether made with raisins, mixed dried fruits, or customised for the season, these biscuits are easy to prepare and deliciously satisfying. Serve them plain or with a festive dusting of icing sugar for special occasions!
Ingredients
- 3 oz butter (85 g)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- ¾-1 cup dried fruit, any sort
Method
- Cream butter and sugar together
- Beat in egg and essence.
- Mix in sifted flour and baking powder.
- Mix in dried fruit.
- Drop teaspoonful lots on a baking tray. Allow room for these to spread to about 5 cm in diameter.
- Bake in a hot oven (about 210° C) for 12-15 minutes.
- Allow to cool slightly before removing from the baking tray. These will harden up as they cool.
As you can see, the original recipe had no quantity of fruit listed. The ones in the above photo were made with ¾ cup raisins as it’s what I had on hand.
I’ve tried these using glacé cherries and candied peel as the fruit. They were less successful. They spread thinner and burned easily. I’ll serve these at Christmas with a dusting of icing sugar and see how well they go.
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