Currants used in this recipe are a type of raisin.  Raisins are simply dried grapes and there are different types. Currants are seedless, dark and small, a lot smaller than what is usually referred to as the raisin.  In this easy biscuit recipe, currant biscuits, it is important not to use raisins because they are too big and they puff up and sometimes burst when baking. In this video I will show you how to bake currant biscuits.

I have tried baking with both currants and raisins and the currants always turn out better.  Sultanas will not work for this recipe either.

The grapes which make currants were originally cultivated in the south of Greece and most often from the island of Zante, hence the name Zante Currant in the US.

The name currant comes from the ancient city of ‘Corinth’  Other names for currants are Zante currants, Corinth raisins, or Corinthian raisins, but in the UK and Ireland, simply called  currants.

(This currant biscuit recipe makes about 24 biscuits but you can make more or less depending on the size of the biscuit cutter you use.)

Ingredients

• 175 grams soft butter
• 175 grams golden caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 55 grams chopped mixed peel
• 115 grams currants
• 350 grams plain flour
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice

Glaze Ingredients

• 1 lightly beaten egg white
• 2 tablespoons golden caster sugar

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius
• Grease two baking trays, if you do not have two you can bake in batches
• Put the butter and sugar in a bowl and mix until light.
• Beat in the egg and milk
• Stir in the mixed peel and currants the add the flour and mixed spice.
• Mix together to make a dough.
• Roll out the dough to a 5 mm thickness and cut out using a 5cm round biscuit cutter.
• Re-roll the dough until it is all used up
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes
• Remove from the oven to glaze.
• Brush with the egg white and sprinkle with the caster sugar and then return to the oven for 5 more minutes or until lightly brown.
• Remove from the oven and let them cool on the baking tray for 2 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve!