I’m going to give you a few reasons as to why you should make cookies – they are versatile, customizable, a perfect snack and a quick brekkie. In short, a cookie can make anyone happy! That’s why you should even bake your own batch of cookies at home. If you haven’t started yet, begin with these cute, Fruit Biscuits also known as Tutti Frutti Cookies. Crispy, yummy, eggless and made with whole wheat flour.
Can’t Do Without Cookies
Cookies, or biscuits as popularly called in India, are one of the most common tea time snack. Not just me and my family, we all love to dip these in our tea or coffee and have.
Also, get upset, if while dipping, a mushy portion just falls into the cup or mug and settles at the bottom!
Like most biscuits or cookies, these Tutti Frutti Cookies are also an awesome evening snack.
Since the time I had tried these for the first time during one of the Christmas/New Years, I was hooked to the taste. This recipe of mine has been adapted from a book on industrial baking.
Table of Contents
Wondering what is tutti frutti? Tutti frutti are candied papaya, made with raw unripe green papaya. These small colorful bits add a lovely sweet chewy bite to any dessert or snack they are added in.
The same goes for these cookies too. You can get yourself a pack of tutti frutti easily from a grocery store near you or by ordering online.
Some more lovely recipes made with tutti frutti that you must try are Tutti Frutti Ice Cream and Tutti Frutti Cake.
About Fruit Biscuits Recipe
My Fruit Biscuits recipe is a bit healthier as it is made with whole wheat flour. The other ingredients that I use are sugar, butter, vanilla, milk and candied papaya a.k.a. tutti frutti.
These Fruit Biscuits get done easily with the butter-sugar creaming technique. You just have to pay attention to the recipe and follow it to the T.
Either use a handheld electric mixer, a food processor or even a stand mixer for the same. While these cookies are made with tutti frutti, you can also add chopped nuts and dry fruits in it.
Texture of the Fruit Biscuits is flaky and crispy, and a bit crumbly too. Just in line with the famous phrase “that’s the way the cookie crumbles,” but in a positive sense.
This recipe yields about 475 grams (60 to 62) of small-sized Fruit Biscuits. Quite a large batch! Make a small batch by proportionately halving the recipe.
Pack the Fruit Biscuits in airtight jars and keep at room temperature. This way, the cookies stay good for a few weeks. Make these cookies sans egg, and gift to your near and dear ones too.
How to make bakery style Karachi Biscuits
If you have heard of Karachi Fruit Biscuits, then you know they are cookies made with tutti frutti. You can also use my recipe and make bakery style biscuits like the Karachi Biscuits.
To make bakery style Karachi Cookies, replace the whole wheat flour with all-purpose flour. Using all-purpose flour (maida) will make your cookies softer and crumbly.
You could also add custard powder to the cookie dough. Use a combination of 1 and ¾ cup all-purpose flour and ¼ cup custard powder.
Make sure to add less liquids in your cookie dough when you make these fruit biscuits with all-purpose flour.
Do remember to add ¼ teaspoon of mixed fruit essence or as needed, so that you get the distinctive fruity fragrance reminiscent of the Karachi Bakery Biscuits.
How to make Fruit Biscuits
Make Cookie Dough
1. Firstly, take ½ cup raw sugar or white sugar in a dry grinder, mixer-grinder or spice-grinder.
2. Grind to a fine powder. You can also use ½ cup powdered sugar or confectioner’s sugar instead. Keep aside.
3. Grease a baking tray with some butter.
4. In a mixing bowl, take ¾ cup softened butter (140 grams butter). You could use either unsalted butter or salted butter.
5. Add the powdered sugar.
6. With a beater, cream the butter and sugar till the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
7. On a medium speed, it took me about 4 to 5 minutes to cream the butter and sugar till smooth and light.
8. Here’s a picture of the creamed butter and sugar. Also, preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/356 degrees F. The oven should be preheated 15 minutes before baking.
9. Now, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla essence. You can also use ½ teaspoon cardamom powder or ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, if you do not have vanilla extract.
Also, rose essence or extract can be added. In fact, you can add any fruit extract or essence.
10. Fold the vanilla extract with the creamed mixture.
11. Next, directly sift 2 cups (240 grams) whole wheat flour (or atta) directly in the bowl containing the creamed butter.
You can also sift the flour in a plate and then add. Instead of whole wheat flour, you can also use all-purpose flour or maida or half-half of both the flours.
12. Now, add 3 to 4 tablespoons milk. I added 4 tablespoons. Depending on the quality of flour, you may need to add more or less milk.
The milk helps in binding and to get the mixture together in a dough.
13. Begin to gently mix with your hands.
14. Mixing gently, gather the whole mixture in a dough. Do not knead. The mixture should be able to come together and hold easily.
Tip 1: Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more milk if the dough is not able to come together in a dough.
Tip 2: In case, the dough becomes sticky, sprinkle some flour evenly all over and gently mix again.
Assemble and Shape
15. Before you roll and cut the cookies, preheat your oven for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees C/356 degrees.
Roll the cookie dough gently with a rolling pin to an even thickness of about 0.5 cm.
Tip: If the dough feels too soft, then wrap it up with a cling film or cover in a bowl and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
16. Sprinkle 4 to 5 tablespoons tutti frutti evenly on the rolled cookie dough.
17. Gently roll and press the tutti frutti with the rollin pin, so that they get stuck and embedded in the dough.
18. With a biscuit cutter, cut the cookie slices.
Bake Fruit Biscuits
19. Gently remove them and place on the greased baking tray. These cookies are light and soft, so do remove gently and carefully without breaking them.
20. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes or till the top becomes light golden. Since oven temperatures vary, it may take less or more time. So, keep a check.
For convection ovens, use the preheating and baking temperature of 165 to 170 degrees C/329 to 338 degrees F. In an OTG, keep the tray on the center rack with both the top and bottom heating elements on.
21. Bake till the cookies are light or pale golden. Do not over bake them as then they will become very hard. Here’s a closer look of the cookies.
22. The base should also be light golden to golden as you see in the picture below. I baked in two batches as I have a small oven. If you have a big oven, you can bake the cookies in one go.
23. After a minute, place them on a wired rack. Let them cool to room temperature. Once cooled, store them in an air-tight box or jar.
24. Serve Fruit Biscuits as a sweet snack or tea time snack.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t want to make these cookies with whole wheat flour, then use all-purpose flour (maida) or half-half of both.
- Sugar alternative? Jaggery powder. But make sure to filter out the hard particles from the jaggery powder. You can even grind it to fine in a mixer. Ensure that the cookie dough does not have any jaggery granules.
- Substitutes for butter in this Tutti Frutti Cookies recipe is Ghee. If you use oil, you will have to add some baking powder to the dough.
- Other flavoring alternatives for vanilla are green cardamom powder, nutmeg powder, rose essence/extract or any other fruit essence/extract like orange extract, pineapple extract or strawberry extract. If using any fruit or spice essence, just add 1 to 2 drops of it.
- Less or more milk in flour? Depends on the quality of the flour. So, adjust the quantity of milk accordingly.
- You have to gather the entire mixture, without kneading, to form a dough. Not being able to bring the mixture together? Solve this problem with 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk added. A sticky dough? Sprinkle some flour evenly all over and mix again gently.
- The baking time will vary, as temperatures are different in each oven model. Cookies can take less or more time to bake. So, adjust your baking timings accordingly.
FAQs
Yes. With whole wheat flour, the cookies are a little healthier and have a unique earthy flavor. However, you can swap it with maida or all-purpose flour. Doing so will make them taste like bakery style Karachi Fruit Biscuits.
You can just use your hands or mix with a spatula or spoon till the mixture comes together in one ball of cookie dough.
Avoid pressing or giving any kneading strokes. If you feel the mixture is dry, add some milk. This helps in binding the mixture.
Certainly, you can by replacing the sugar with it. However, keep in mind the following: Use a sieve to filter out hard particles in the jaggery powder or run it in a mixer to make it finer.
The cookie dough should not have any small hard granules of jaggery. You can even mix grated/chopped jaggery with the milk used in the recipe.
Yes, it is possible, but cookies made with oil are softer and not crisp and firm. So, if you are ok with this, you can use ⅓ cup oil in this recipe in place of the butter and also remember to add about 1 teaspoon baking powder to the flour.
Try baking for some more time as temperatures vary from oven to oven. It can take more or less time. Preheating the oven 15 minutes before beginning to bake is also important.
Yes, you can. In this case, just increase the quantity of milk as with the said amount the mixture will be dry.
No, you should not leave the cookie dough at room temperature. You should cover them and refrigerate till further use.
It is advisable that you sprinkle it on top as if you add in the cookie dough, then rolling it becomes a bit difficult.
More Cookie Recipes To Try!
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Fruit Biscuits Recipe (Tutti Frutti Cookies)
Ingredients
- 240 grams whole wheat flour or 2 cups – swap with all-purpose flour or maida for making bakery style Karachi Biscuits. Read point no 1 in notes
- 140 grams Butter or ¾ cup softened butter, unsalted or salted
- 100 grams raw sugar (or white sugar) or ½ cup sugar or ½ cup powdered sugar or confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or ½ teaspoon vanilla essence
- 35 to 40 grams tutti frutti or 4 to 5 tablespoons tutti frutti (candied papaya)
- 3 to 4 tablespoon milk or add as required
- 2 to 3 teaspoons butter – for greasing the baking tray
- ¼ teaspoon mixed fruit essence – optional and if making Karachi Bakery style fruit biscuits
Instructions
Making Dough
- Firstly take the sugar in a dry grinder or mixer-grinder or spice-grinder.
- Grind to a fine powder and set aside. You can also use ½ cup confectioner' sugar or powdered sugar instead.
- Grease a baking tray with some butter.
- In a mixing bowl take the softened butter and powdered sugar.
- With an electric beater, cream the butter and sugar till the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- On a medium speed, it took me about 4 to 5 minutes to cream the butter and sugar till smooth, fluffy and light.
- Add vanilla extract or vanilla essence. You can also use ½ teaspoon green cardamom powder or ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder, if you do not have vanilla extract. Also rose essence or extract can be added. In fact you can add any fruit extract or essence. If using any fruit or spice essence, add ¼ teaspoon of it.
- Fold the vanilla extract with the creamed mixture.
- Next directly sift the whole wheat flour directly in the bowl containing the creamed butter and sugar. You can also sift the flour in a plate and then add. Instead of whole wheat flour, you can also use all purpose flour or maida or half-half of both the flours.
- Now add 3 to 4 tablespoons of milk. Depending on quality of flour you may need to add more or less milk. The milk helps in binding and to get the mixture together in a dough.
- Begin to gently mix with your hands and gather the whole mixture in a dough. Do not knead.
- The mixture should be able to come together and hold easily. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons more of the milk if the cookie mixture is not able to come together in a dough.
Assembling and Shaping
- Preheat oven for 15 to 20 minutes 180 degrees C/356 degrees F.
- If the dough has become to soft too handle, keep it covered in a bowl or wrap in cling-film and place in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough gently having a thickness of 0.5 cm.
- Sprinkle the tutti frutti evenly on the rolled cookie dough.
- With the rolling pin, gently press the tutti frutti so that they get embedded in the dough.
- With a biscuit cutter, cut the cookie slices.
- Gently remove them and place on the greased baking tray.
Baking Fruit Biscuits
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven at 180 degrees C/356 degrees F for 15-20 mins till the tops become light golden.
- Keep the baking tray with the cookies on the center rack with both the top and bottom heating elements on.For convection ovens, use the preheating and baking temperature of 165 to 170 degrees C/329 to 338 degrees F.
- Since oven temperatures vary, it may takes less or more time. So do keep a check.
- Bake till the cookies are a light or pale golden. Do not over bake them as then they will become chewy or hard.
- The base should also be light golden to golden.
- After a minute, place them on a wired rack. Let them cool at room temperature. Once cooled, store them in an air-tight box or jars.
- Serve these cookies as a sweet snack or tea time snack.
Notes
- If using all-purpose flour, add less milk to bind the flour. First add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk and later add as needed for the cooking mixture to come together. You could also add custard powder to the cookie dough. Use a combination of 1 and ¾ cup of all-purpose flour and ¼ cup custard powder. Also add ¼ teaspoon of mixed fruit essence together with the vanilla extract or essence.
- Other flavoring alternatives for these fruit biscuits are green cardamom powder, ground nutmeg powder, rose essence or extract or any other fruit essence/extract like orange extract, pineapple extract or strawberry extract.
- If using any fruit or spice essence, simply add ¼ teaspoon of it or as needed.
- Add less or more milk in flour depending on the flour’s texture and quality. So, adjust the quantity of milk accordingly.
- You have to gather the entire mixture, without kneading, to form a dough. Not being able to bring the mixture together? Solve this problem with 1 to 2 tablespoons more milk added. For a sticky dough, sprinkle some flour evenly all over and mix again gently.
- The baking time will vary, as temperatures are different in each oven model. Cookies can take less or more time to bake. So, adjust your baking timings accordingly.
- I baked in two batches as I have a small oven. If you have a big oven, you can bake these fruit biscuits in one go.
- The approximate nutrition info is for 1 small cookie made from the recipe.
Nutrition Info (Approximate Values)
This Fruit Biscuits recipe from the blog archives first published in December 2015 has been updated and republished on September 2023.
Too good
Hi dassana,
How to bring together cookie mixture but avoiding any kneading.. Could you please suggest some video showing the same?
hi ruchi, just mix with a spoon or spatula or with the finger, till the mixture adheres together and comes in one ball of cookie dough. do not press or give any kneading strokes to the mixture. i usually just mix everything with a spoon or with my hands till the entire mixture comes together. sometimes i use a stand mixer too. if the mixture looks dry, then sprinkle some milk and this will help in binding the mixture.
Hi Dasanna
Is it possible to make these cookies or normal butter cookies with jaggery powder or coconut sugar? If so, what’s the procedure?
Thanks
hi ramya, you can make any cookies with jaggery or coconut sugar. just replace the sugar in the recipe with jaggery powder or coconut sugar. for jaggery powder, you can use a sieve to filter out hard particles which won’t dissolve. or you can run the jaggery powder in a mixer to make it finer. there should be no granules in the cookie dough. or else you can mix the grated jaggery or chopped jaggery with the liquids used in the recipe (milk, buttermilk or cream). hope this helps.
Is it possible to make cookies with oil instead of butter?
yes you can make cookies with oil. when cookies are made with oil, they tend to be more on the softer side. it also depends on the quantity of oil added. if using oil add about ⅓ cup of any neutral flavored oil like sunflower oil and also use ½ to 1 teaspoon baking powder in the recipe.
Hi,
How do we check the doneness of cookies? Coz when I touch them after baking for about 20 to 25 minutes, it looks done but is soft. On cooling for about 10 to 15 minutes, the outer s hard but the inside s chewy. Does it become crispy on further cooling?
i usually check by placing a fork or my fingers on the cookies. take care when placing fingers as the cookies will be still hot. if there is no impressions of the fork or fingers, then the cookies are done. on further cooling the butter will solidify, so there will be some crispness and crunchiness.
Hi dassana today I tried these fruit biscuits second time but again they were hard.. I exactly follow the recipes instructions. your cookies are looking light and fluffy, don’t know what happened with my cookies. Please tell me some tips for baking perfect cookies in OTG.
pooja, firstly do not over bake them. if cookies are baked too much they turn hard. to check if they are done, press a small spoon or a fork on them. the impression of the fork or spoon should not come on the surface. also do not knead. if a cookie dough is kneaded, its ruins the entire recipe and the hard work. just mix and bring together all the ingredients. if dry you can add some more milk. so try with these two suggestions and see if the cookies improve.
Thanks for the reply. I made these fruit biscuits but they were little raw from inside. I am using OTG.
try baking for some more time. since the temperatures vary from oven to oven, it can take less or more time. you can even bake them now. just preheat the oven for 15 minutes and then keep them in the oven.
I have also small oven should I need to place the remaining dough inside fridge for the next batch of cookies.
pooja, yes you can do this way.
Hi, Dassana I want to know how to measure soft butter in cup size. Whenever I make biscuits they became hard and dense. Don’t know why. Please give some tips for perfect cookies.
pooja, for soft butter, i just add the butter in cups to measure it. try adding butter when it still has some solidity and is not very soft. cookies can be made in two ways. one is crumbling frozen butter in flour (cutting method) or whipping butter till smooth. both work. so for any method the moisture content in the cookie dough should be correct. if less moisture is there then the cookies can become crumbly and dense. depending on the quality of flour used, less or more liquids (water, milk) will be required. so add accordingly. also avoid over baking cookies. as on cooling they tend to become more hard. hope these tips help.
Excellent recipe..followed to the T and had amazing cookies..replaced butter with ½ cup ghee… thanks for the lovely recipe.
Welcome Pavitra. Nice to know this.