Hot Cross Biscuits

Name: Hot Cross Biscuits
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon baking powder; 2 tablespoons sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves; 1/2 cup golden raisins; 1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, possibly more for brushing; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 1 teaspoon orange zest (or use more lemon zest); 1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice; 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

12 ingredients

4 steps

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, possibly more for brushing
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon orange zest (or use more lemon zest)
1 to 2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1

Heat your oven to 425° F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and raisins. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup of cream plus the lemon and orange zest.
2

Stir the dough together, adding more cream as necessary, just until it all holds together but isn't sticky. Gather the dough into a ball with your hands and press it out into a 1/2 inch-thick round. Cut the dough into 2-inch circles with a biscuit or cookie cutter, gathering the scraps and patting them back out to cut a second round of biscuits.
3

Put the biscuits on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brush the tops lightly with a little extra cream (if desired), and bake until they are lightly browned on the tops and edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack, and allow to cool completely.
4

To make the icing, mix a little lemon juice into the confectioners' sugar bit by bit, just until you've made an icing that is thick enough that it will make a nice, slow drizzle from a spoon (I go by feel and never actually measure how much I exactly use, so I'm just guessing on the quantity listed in the ingredients). Drizzle the icing over the biscuits in a cross shape. Serve fresh!