Blackberry Shortbread Biscuits A Creative Twist on a Classic Treat
Updated: Sep 17
These beautifully hued Blackberry Shortbread Biscuits came to being following one evening when my kids returned from a dog walk with my husband, proudly holding a treasure trove of ripe blackberries aloft in front of me asking me what I would make with them. My head was full of other recipes at the time and I had been caught a little off guard with this unexpected ingredient, I told them to pop the blackberries in the fridge while I thought about my options. My eldest suggested shortbread, but I feared traditional recipes would turn the blackberries into a jam-like consistency that my youngest would definitely no that me for.
As our conversation evolved, we landed on biscuits as the general consensus of opinion. But how could I incorporate those fresh blackberries without transforming them into jam? That’s when inspiration struck! I remembered a shortbread biscuit recipe from Now From Scratch where fresh blackberries are frozen, crumbled, and mixed into the dough. As the dough is rolled out, the blackberry pieces begin to melt, releasing vibrant purple juices that create a lovely lilac hue, which remains after baking.
The Magic of Blackberries
Blackberries are not just scrumptious; they are also packed with nutrients. With a high vitamin C content—about 24% of your daily requirement in just one cup—along with beneficial fiber and antioxidants, these little gems offer a health boost. Their sweet-tart flavor pairs beautifully with the buttery richness of shortbread, creating a delightful contrast that appeals to both kids and adults alike.
Using fresh blackberries in your baking not only enhances flavour but adds visual appeal. Imagine serving these eye-catching biscuits at your next gathering or family event. Their stunning hue makes them a sweet addition to any spread.
Blackberry Shortbread Biscuits - The Recipe
Ingredients:
227 cold unsalted butter cubed
100g caster sugar,
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
250g plain flour,
1/4 cup frozen blackberries. plus 2 or 3 more berries for for an extra lilac colour boost. For best results pick fresh berries and freeze on the day.
Method
Start by washing the blackberries thoroughly. Once clean, spread them out on a baking tray and freeze them for about an hour. or overnight Freezing helps to make sure that they don't incorporate into the dough too quickly, making it to wet and it also produces a pretty marbling effect.
In a food processor add the butter and caster sugar and process until light and crumbly.
Add the flour and frozen blackberries and allow to from a soft lilac coloured dough.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it to about 1/4" thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your preferred shapes and place the biscuits on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. The original recipe suggests that as the berries are frozen that the dough will not need to be refrigerated before cooking to stop them from spreading. I'm a belt and braces girl when it comes to short bread biscuits, so I like to pop the trays of uncooked biscuits in the fridge for 30 minutes before I cook.
Preheat your oven to 160°C (320°F) and bake the biscuits for18-20 minutes. They need to be just set and not golden around the edges for that perfect lilac hue.
Once baked, allow the biscuits to cool on a wire rack. They can be enjoyed warm or stored in an airtight container for later. As they sit, the blackberry essence infuses the shortbread, enhancing the flavour over time.
A little bit of hedgerow magic
This is exactly the sort of recipe I love making ... Nothing fancy ... No complicated equipment ... Just a handful of blackberries that somebody brought home from a dog walk and a little bit of kitchen experimentation.
And that's what I love about blackberries. They are everywhere when you start looking for them, along hedgerows, down country lanes, hanging over garden fences. And then suddenly you've got a bowlful sitting on your kitchen worktop and you're wondering what on earth you're going to do with them all.
Well ... Now you know! Freeze them, put them in shortbread, and make something gloriously lilac.
Jo's Kitchen Notes
Freeze the berries properly.
This isn't one of those recipes where you can give the blackberries a quick blast in the freezer and hope for the best. Give them at least an hour, and overnight is even better.
Don't be tempted to add loads more blackberries.
I know. You've picked a mountain of them. I understand the urge. But too many berries will add too much moisture to the dough and you'll lose that lovely shortbread texture. A few extra berries are fine if you want to deepen the colour, but restraint is your friend here.
Keep the dough cold.
Cold butter + frozen blackberries + a quick hand = happy shortbread. If the dough starts feeling soft while you're cutting your biscuits, put it back in the fridge.
I really do refrigerate the biscuits before baking.
Could you probably get away without doing it? Possibly. Do I? Absolutely not. I'm a belt-and-braces woman. Thirty minutes in the fridge gives me much more confidence that those little biscuits are going to come out looking like biscuits rather than one enormous blackberry slab.
Watch the colour.
These aren't meant to be golden shortbread.
The magic is that soft lilac colour.
As soon as the edges start turning golden, you're heading in the wrong direction.
And here's my favourite bit...
If your blackberries are particularly juicy, you'll get different shades of purple running through the dough. Don't try to make them perfectly uniform, let them marble. That's the bit that makes every biscuit look slightly different. Which seems rather appropriate for something that started life as a surprise handful of blackberries from a dog walk.
Sometimes the best recipes aren't the ones you planned. They're the ones that arrive at your back door and make you figure them out.
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