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Hyderabadi fruit biscuits
Tutti-frutti butter biscuits
Crumbly eggless butter biscuits studded with tutti-frutti, Hyderabad's bakery souvenir
Boxes of these pink-and-green flecked biscuits leave Hyderabad in every suitcase: visitors queue at the old bakeries near Charminar and the airport shops stock tins of them. Each one is short and crumbly, buttery, with a faint pineapple scent and chewy bits of candied papaya (tutti-frutti) scattered through. They are eggless, rich with butter and a little custard powder, and go with a cup of Irani chai or a glass of cold milk. The usual slip is mixing the tutti-frutti in wet or sticky, so it bleeds colour and clumps; toss it in a spoon of flour first. Chef's tip: shape the dough into a square log and chill it until firm, then slice; a firm log gives neat, sharp-edged biscuits like the bakery ones.
- Total time
- 63 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the dough
- 5 ½ oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 3 ⅛ oz icing sugar
- ½ tsp pineapple essenceor vanilla extract
- 7 oz plain flour
- ⅞ oz custard powdervanilla flavour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tbsp milkas needed
For the fruit
- 2 ⅞ oz tutti-frutti (candied papaya)mixed colours, patted dry
- 1 tbsp plain flourto coat the fruit
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Beat 5 ½ oz unsalted butter and 3 ⅛ oz icing sugar together for 3–4 minutes until pale and creamy. Beat in ½ tsp pineapple essence.
4 minStep 2: Toss 2 ⅞ oz tutti-frutti (candied papaya) with 1 tbsp plain flour so every piece is coated and separate.
Step 3: Sift 7 oz plain flour, ⅞ oz custard powder, ½ tsp baking powder and 1 pinch salt over the butter and mix with a spatula until crumbly. Add the coated fruit and enough 2 tbsp milk to press it into a soft dough; do not knead.
Step 4: Shape into a square log about 4 cm across, wrap and chill for 30 minutes until firm.
30 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.
Step 6: Slice the log into 7 mm pieces with a sharp knife and lay them 3 cm apart on the trays.
Step 7: Bake for 16–18 minutes, until the edges and bases are light golden while the tops stay pale. They will feel soft in the middle but firm up as they cool.
17 minStep 8: Leave on the tray for 10 minutes, then move to a rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight tin for up to two weeks.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 105 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hyderabadi fruit biscuits take?
- About 63 minutes in total: 45 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Tea-time