Easy Easter Biscuits

Every year, I bake delightful egg-shaped buttery biscuits as one of my favorite Easter treats. They not only look stunning on the Easter table but are also incredibly popular and disappear quickly!

These traditional Easter biscuits are made from shortbread dough, from which egg shapes are cut out using a cookie cutter. They are filled with quality marmalade or jam, with icing sugar dusting on top.

In our family, we traditionally bake the biscuits on the Easter weekend so that we can have them ready for Monday morning when small carolers go trick-or-treating in the Czech Republic. The most famous Czech Easter carol begins with "hody hody doprovody", and these words also characterize Czech Easter.

MY TIP: Czechs bake similar biscuits at Christmas. They are called Linzer cookies, and everybody loves them!

➜ Ingredients

To make this traditional Easter biscuit recipe, you will need:

SHORTBREAD DOUGH:

• All-purpose flour; plain flour in the UK
• Unsalted butter; cold, out of the fridge
• Powdered sugar
• Egg (whole, not egg yolk and white separate)
• Vanilla paste; or vanilla extract

FOR FINISHING:

• Solid jam; e.g. strawberry or apricot, smooth, without pieces of fruit
• Icing sugar; for dusting

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

➜ Cookie cutters

Prepare an egg-shaped cookie cutter about 3 inches in size. You will also need to cut a circle out of half of the shapes with a 1-inch cookie cutter. 

➜ Instructions with photos

STEP 1: Mix the dry ingredients, meaning the flour and powdered sugar. Sift the mixture onto work surface, making a well in the middle.

STEP 2: Carefully crack a whole egg into the well. Add vanilla paste and cold butter cut into smaller pieces.

STEP 3: Using your fingertips, quickly work into a soft but stiff dough that holds together. If the dough is too sticky, add a little flour. Do not knead it too long! Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for at least two hours, better yet overnight.

STEP 4: Let the rested dough sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes to get it softer. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch (about 3 mm). Using a cookie cutter, cut out egg shapes about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in size. Divide them in half. From one half, cut out a circle about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in diameter.

STEP 5: Grease the surface of a flat-bottomed baking sheet with a little butter. Using a flat knife, transfer the biscuits to a baking sheet, leaving a little space between them. Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Place the baking sheet on a wire rack in the center of the oven. Bake for about 8 minutes, until the surface is light brown.

STEP 6: Once the biscuits have cooled, fill a full piece with jam or marmalade, stirred in a small bowl. Dust the part with the hole (tops of the biscuits) with icing sugar and carefully place it on the bottom piece with jam.

IMPORTANT TIP: Put the dough you are not working with in the fridge. If the dough sticks when rolled out, place it between two baking sheets.

➜ Serving

Serve the Easter biscuits immediately. They are fragile on the first day but soften the next days. Arrange the cookies on a festive tray and place them on the Easter table. 

➜ Storage

If you have any biscuits left over, place them in an airtight tin and store them in a cool, dry place. They will keep for up to a month when stored this way. Biscuits are made from shortbread dough with high sugar and fat content. These serve as a natural preservative.

➜ Decoration with lemon glaze

TIP: If you want to be more creative, decorate the top of the biscuits with a glaze of lemon juice and icing sugar. You can also place the lemon icing in a piping bag and spray the biscuits with decorative lines and dots.

The lemon glaze adds a contrasting zinginess to the biscuits.

➜ Useful tips

• There is no need to line the baking tray with parchment paper when baking. The biscuits contain enough fat and can be easily removed from the baking sheets once they have cooled.
• Add one teaspoon of freshly grated orange or lemon zest to the dough. The citrus rind adds a delicious spice to the biscuits.
• Children love Easter baking. Don't hesitate to get them involved! Plus, this recipe is simple and effortless.

Other traditional recipes made at Czech Easter include mazanec, sweet Easter bread, or lamb cake. Try them out too! Or browse the category with all Czech Easter food for more ideas.