Karachi Bakery Inspired Fruit Biscuits

Have you ever tried Hyderabad's famous Karachi Bakery Fruit Biscuits?

No? I suggest you go get yourself one packet right now, girl.

Yes? Aren't they super delicious? I absolutely love them... So I made them at home... Really!! Read on!

I had no idea I liked Rose flavored cookies until I tried the Karachi Bakery Fruit Biscuits. A colleague once got them from Hyderabad and I missed the first batch. Just to make up to all those late comers like me, he got more the next day. And I was converted!! Until then I thought I was a lover of all things chocolate, but rose suddenly rose to the top (hee hee... see my little pun there? okay, ignore it).

I absolutely love roses, not generally as a flower, I find them "meh" and over rated. But I love rose flavor! I'm all for Rose Faluda, Rose Lassi, Rose Ice cream and of course anything with Gulkand in it (Indian Rose Jam). And now Rose Cookies are added to the list.

I'm sorry that although the title says Fruit Biscuit, all I'm talking about is roses. While the biscuits or cookies have little bits of fruit in them, rose is the predominant fragrance and flavor in them. The fruit component of the biscuit is Tutti Fruiti. Tutti Fruiti are colored sweetened bits of dried papaya. Very popular in Indian desserts. If you cannot find it anywhere, you can add any dried berry like cranberries. Actually, this recipe is very similar to the Cranberry Cookie recipe with the addition of few very Indian ingredients.

One of those ingredients is the Vanilla Custard Powder. Traditionally custard is made with egg yolks, but ask any Indian how to make custard (well, almost any) and he/she will show you a little carton of Custard Powder that is completely eggless and allows any vegetarian to enjoy the flavors of a custard. There are several brands and flavors available, and while you can use any brand, I strongly recommend sticking to the vanilla flavor. If you cannot find custard powder, replace it with either milk powder or corn starch /flour. If using sweetened milk powder, remember to reduce the amount of powdered sugar used, else you may end up with a super sweet biscuit.

My recipe of fruit biscuit is a very simple recipe that any baking newbie can make. You start by creaming together butter and powdered sugar. I cannot emphasize the importance of room temperature butter enough. To get the right consistency of the dough and eventually the biscuit, you have to have butter at room temperature. Salted vs unsalted is a whole other argument. I've always used unsalted butter in baking so I cannot comment on how salted will work in this case. I assume they have the same texture, but using salted will just add a little saltiness to your biscuits. Whisk the butter and sugar until the butter is white, soft and fluffy. Then just add all the flours, tutti fruiti, cashew nuts, milk and rose essence and knead until combined. Shape into logs or into a large rectangular block like I did. Wrap it in cling wrap and store in fridge to harden a little. This just makes it easier to cut and get even shaped biscuits.

Bake at 180 degree C until the sides are slightly brown. Cool completely before storing in an air tight box. They will last you easily for 1-2 weeks. I really did not get any time to test the shelf life as these were over by day 4.

I can assure you the flavor of these biscuits is spot on with the Karachi Bakery Fruit Biscuits. The texture is slightly different. Mine were not as flaky and crumbly as the bakery ones, mine were more dense and crunchy. This could be because I have not used any leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. My family loves crunchy biscuits that stay intact when dipped in tea over the crumbly ones, so we loved the texture. If you want softer ones, I suggest adding a little baking powder to a small batch of dough and seeing how it goes.

If you like this, you may also like:

• Almond Cookies - Easy to make eggless almond cookies / biscuits.
• Butter Cookies - Beautiful swirly eggless butter cookies.

Karachi Bakery Inspired Fruit Biscuit

Karachi Bakery inspired Fruit Biscuits are rose flavored biscuits or cookies made with dried papaya pieces called tutti fruiti.


Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     2.5 Hours
Cook time:     20-25 minutes
Yield:                30 biscuits

Ingredients:

100gms unsalted Butter
1 cup All Purpose Flour / Maida
1 cup + 1 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
1/2 cup Vanilla Custard Powder
3 Tbsp Tutti Fruiti
8-10 Cashew nuts
2 Tbsp Milk
1 tsp Rose Essence

Method:

Cream together butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl until soft and fluffy. Around 5-10 minutes with a electric hand mixer.
Sift in the all purpose flour and custard powder.
Add tutti fruiti, chopped cashew nuts, rose essence and milk.
Knead until combined.
Gently roll into logs using your hands and wrap in plastic cling wrap. Refridgerate for 2-3 hours until stiff.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
Slice the dough into biscuits, about 5-6mm thickness.
Line the baking sheet with butter paper or parchment paper.
Place the biscuits on the sheet leaving enough space between the biscuits.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the sides are slightly browned.
Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an air tight box.