Australian/ Baking/ Recipes/ Snack

Coffee Scroll Biscuits

27/07/2020 (Last Updated: 30/10/2020)

Infused with spices, these Coffee Scroll Biscuits are a remake of the classic cinnamon biscuits from our childhood. The iconic swirls and pink icing circles are back, along with the spicy cinnamon taste right down to the very last currant. Be prepared to make a batch or two, these coffee scrolls aren’t going to last. Pair your freshly baked cinnamon scrolls with coffee or tea for a delicious afternoon snack!

A pile of coffee scroll biscuits on a white plate, with more biscuits and a dish of pink icing in the background.

Why We Love This

Coffee Scroll Biscuits are a treat to make, bake and eat – all on a lazy Sunday afternoon. They’re also a great snack or perfect edible gift to share with friends and family and bring back those nostalgic memories of childhood. They freeze well, so you can make them ahead and always keep a batch handy.

The warming, aromatic blend of spices in these biscuits almost remind us of American pumpkin pie spices or ginger kisses biscuits.

Related: Matcha Cookies / Almond Crescent Cookies

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Several biscuits on a cooling rack and white plate, next to a small dish of pink icing.

Where are Coffee Scroll Biscuits from?

We know Coffee Scroll Biscuits as the ULTIMATE 90’s biscuit. The exact start date is currently unknown, so if you had these in the 70’s or 80’s too – let us know!

From our own experience and scouring the internet, variations of these biscuits have been made by Arnotts, Nabisco and possibly Lanes.

They also stopped production of these classic cinnamon biscuits with currants / raisins over 20 years ago… now that makes us feel old. That’s a long time to go without such an awesome treat!

Quick note: Don’t confuse these with the sweet coffee or cinnamon bread rolls that use yeast. Our coffee scroll biscuits are crunchy cookies and nothing like the bread version.

Coffee scroll biscuits scattered over a black cooling rack.

What You’ll Need

Get ready to get your bake on, and open that pantry! No surprises today, just good old fashioned biscuit ingredients!

Ingredients laid out for coffee scroll biscuits.

How to Make Coffee Scroll Biscuits

To make the Biscuit Mixture:

  1. First up, place your butter, brown sugar, vanilla and spices into a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy. An electric mixer such as a Kitchenaid with a dough hook works best for this, but you can use a wooden spoon if necessary! 
    Next add the ½ whisked egg and switch the mixer to low to mix it through nicely.
  2. Now add flour and baking powder, and continue to mix on low as the dry ingredients fold into the mixture, scraping the edges as you go.
  3. Add currants and fold them in, then remove from the bowl from your mixer. Wrap in cling film and place in fridge for 30 mins.

To make the Biscuits:

  1. Preheat oven to 160°C. Roll out the dough onto baking paper until it’s ½ cm / ¼ inch thick and cut out circles around 5-6 cm / 2 ¼ inches wide.
  2. To add the spirals, use smaller circles such as the tops of small jars to slightly indent the biscuits. Coat the tops of your jars with flour first so they won’t stick to the biscuits.
  3. Now place your biscuits on a tray lined with baking paper, and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the biscuits to cool completely before icing.

For the White Chocolate Icing:

  1. Melt your chocolate buds in a bowl in the microwave in short 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted.
  2. Add 3-6 drops of red food colouring, then mix together.
  3. Pipe or spoon onto cooled biscuits in small circles, without going to the edge. Make the circles as small or big as you like!

Wandercook’s Tips

  • We used our Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook to whip up our batch, and that worked a treat. If you don’t have one, just use the ol’ wooden spoon and mixing bowl!
  • This recipe is quick and easy – the only part that takes time is allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge, and letting the biscuits cook in the oven for 15 minutes. We’d allow just over an hour to have these done and dusted.
  • If you want to set the chocolate icing quickly, pop the biscuits in the fridge for a couple of minutes.
One coffee scroll biscuit on a white side plate.

FAQs

Can you freeze coffee scroll biscuits?

Yes, you can freeze freshly baked coffee scroll biscuits. Just make sure they are completely cooled before wrapping them in heavy duty foil or freezer bags. They’ll last around 2-3 months in the freezer. Reheat individual biscuits in the microwave for around 10-30 seconds. 

How do you achieve the swirls and the pink icing circles?

For the swirls, we used the tops of small glass jars. Get creative and see if you can find something in the kitchen with the perfect sizes – you only need to make one or two indentations per biscuit.
The way to get the best pink icing circles is to use a spoon or piping bag to put the mixture on the biscuit, then carefully and lightly use the top of your (clean, unlicked) finger to spread the mixture out in small circles until you achieve the size of icing circle you want.

Arnotts Coffee Scroll Biscuits vs Homemade Coffee Scroll Biscuits?

So how does the taste of homemade coffee scroll biscuits stack up against the originals you ask? Pretty close according to our taste testers! 
We found the biggest differences from the original store-bought biscuits was the texture and the currants.
The texture isn’t as dry as store-bought – or maybe that’s just because we ate them straight out the oven!
Either way, not a big deal, just a noted difference. It also definitely pays to used the smallest, driest currants you can find – we only added in a few and they still swelled up and cracked the biscuits during baking with the amount of liquid left in them.
All in all, these homemade coffee scroll biscuits are a great replacement to fill your coffee scroll biscuit void.
Especially as it doesn’t look like they’ll be back on shelves any time soon, and we’re not waiting another 20 years to find out!

Variations & Substitutes

  • For the spices: If you don’t have all the spices, feel free to substitute with a pumpkin spice mix, or make up your own mix with your favourite flavour combinations.
  • For the currants: You can substitute these with sultanas, cranberries or raisins. Omit them if you’re not a fan of dried fruit.
  • For the Red Food Dye: Feel free to use any colour for your food colouring. Or omit for an au naturel white chocolate finish!
  • Flour: You can try using self-raising flour if you don’t have plain flour available. They may turn out a little softer, but will be a pretty close match!
Coffee scroll biscuits scattered over a black cooling rack.

Why We Learned This Recipe

These elusive coffee scroll biscuits started out as a heated discussion over a family dinner. What in the world were those biscuits we all remembered, that had swirls, pink icing and currants? I still remember sitting on Nan’s countertop when I was about four and nibbling around the edges so I could eat the pink icing last. Anyone else do this, or am I just weird?

The conversation progressed with enthusiasm and frantic Google searches that finally resulted in a name – Coffee Scroll Biscuits. Which is interesting considering it has no coffee in the recipe, but we do know they go very well when eaten alongside or dipped straight into a nice hot mug of cappuccino.

Keep the oven fired up with more cookies and biscuits for you to cook next:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating below!

A pile of coffee scroll biscuits on a white plate.

Coffee Scroll Biscuits

Infused with spices, these Coffee Scroll Biscuits are a remake of the classic cinnamon biscuits from our childhood. The iconic swirls and pink icing circles are back, along with the spicy cinnamon taste right down to the very last currant!
4.81 from 21 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Resting Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Snack
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 18 biscuits
Calories: 160kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $5

Ingredients

Instructions

To make the Biscuit Mixture:

  • First up, place your butter, brown sugar, vanilla and spices (cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg) into a mixing bowl and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
    Note: An electric mixer such as a KitchenAid with a dough hook works best for this, but you can use a wooden spoon if necessary! 
    ½ cup butter, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp allspice, ½ tsp nutmeg
  • Next add the whisked egg and switch the mixer to low to mix it through nicely.
    ½ egg
  • Now add flour and baking powder, and continue to mix on low as the dry ingredients fold into the mixture, scraping the edges as you go.
    1 ½ cups plain flour / all purpose flour, ½ tsp baking powder
  • Add currants and fold them in, then remove from the bowl from your mixer. Wrap in cling film and place in fridge for 30 mins.
    â…› cup currants

To make the Biscuits:

  • Preheat oven to 160°C.
  • Roll out the dough onto baking paper until it's ½ cm / ¼ inch thick and cut out circles around 5-6 cm / 2 ¼ inches wide.
  • To add the spirals, use smaller circles such as the tops of small jars to slightly indent the biscuits. Coat the tops of your jars with flour first so they won't stick to the biscuits.
  • Transfer biscuits on a tray lined with baking paper, and bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the biscuits to cool completely before icing.

For the White Chocolate Icing:

  • Melt your chocolate buds in a bowl in the microwave in short 30 second bursts, stirring in between, until melted.
    ½ cup white melting chocolate buds
  • Add 3-6 drops of red food dye, then mix together.
    3-6 drops red food dye
  • Pipe or spoon onto cooled biscuits in small circles, without going to the edge. Make the circles as small or big as you like!

Video

YouTube video

Recipe Notes

Tips
  • We used our Kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook to whip up our batch, and that worked a treat. If you don’t have one, just use the ol’ wooden spoon and mixing bowl!
  • This recipe is quick and easy – the only part that takes time is allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge, and letting the biscuits cook in the oven for 15 minutes. We’d allow just over an hour to have these done and dusted.
  • If you want to set the chocolate icing quickly, pop the biscuits in the fridge for a couple of minutes.
FAQs
  • Can you freeze coffee scroll biscuits? Yes, you can freeze freshly baked coffee scroll biscuits. Just make sure they are completely cooled before wrapping them in heavy duty foil or freezer bags. They’ll last around 2-3 months in the freezer. Reheat individual biscuits in the microwave for around 10-30 seconds. 
  • How do you achieve the swirls and the pink icing circles? For the swirls, we used the tops of small glass jars. Get creative and see if you can find something in the kitchen with the perfect sizes – you only need to make one or two indentations per biscuit. The way to get the best pink icing circles is to use a spoon or piping bag to put the mixture on the biscuit, then carefully and lightly use the top of your (clean, unlicked) finger to spread the mixture out in small circles until you achieve the size of icing circle you want.
Variations & Substitutes
  • For the spices: If you don’t have all the spices, feel free to substitute with a pumpkin spice mix, or make up your own mix with your favourite flavour combinations.
  • For the currants: You can substitute these with sultanas, cranberries or raisins. Omit them if you’re not a fan of dried fruit.
  • For the Red Food Dye: Feel free to use any colour for your food colouring. Or omit for an au naturel white chocolate finish!
  • Flour: You can try using self-raising flour if you don’t have plain flour available. They may turn out a little softer, but will be a pretty close match!
Adapted from Sweet Perfection Cakes.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Coffee Scroll Biscuits
Amount per Serving
Calories
160
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
8
g
12
%
Saturated Fat
 
5
g
31
%
Cholesterol
 
25
mg
8
%
Sodium
 
59
mg
3
%
Potassium
 
69
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
 
20
g
7
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
12
g
13
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
171
IU
3
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
36
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hey hey – Did you make this recipe?We’d love it if you could give a star rating below ★★★★★ and show us your creations on Instagram! Snap a pic and tag @wandercooks / #Wandercooks

Coffee Scroll Biscuits
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36 Comments

  • Reply
    Lynda
    20/08/2023 at 2:33 pm

    I did something wrong I could not lift biscuits up onto tray. So either I rolled too thin or something then I had the bright idea to roll 9n floured board perfect but takes at least 30 m8ns to change colour in oven. Back to the drawing boa4d with a few tweaks me thinks

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      22/08/2023 at 9:59 am

      Hey Lynda, this happened to us the first time we made them. I rolled them too thin AND straight on the chopping board. There were a few tweaks we made to make sure this was easier next time:

      – Make sure your biscuit dough is nice and cold out the fridge, and you don’t over roll it – the warmer the dough is, the harder it is to handle once the butter warms up.
      – Roll out the dough on baking paper. This is a great hack for getting these biscuits off, because you can fold the paper out from underneath each one when you transfer onto a baking tray.
      – Finally, do roll them out a little thicker if you need and it makes it easier, they’ll taste just as good.

      Hope that helps and good luck on the next batch!

  • Reply
    Adam
    20/12/2022 at 9:47 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you, I might have to give this a go! Yes I had the same memory eating these at my own Nan’s house 🙂

    I emailed Arnott’s in 2011 asking about these, as I had a sudden craving and couldn’t find them on the shelf. All I got was a blunt response, “Please be advised, Coffee Scrolls biscuits have never been made by Arnott’s”.

    Such a pity they’re no longer on the shelves, but it is great to see some recipes popping up online. Thank you.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      30/12/2022 at 9:07 am

      Hey Adam, let us know how they turn out! They def get those nostalgic vibes going as soon as you smell them baking in the oven! It really is such a pity you can’t buy them anymore, but yay for being able to make our own!

  • Reply
    Kathy
    23/10/2022 at 9:21 am

    5 stars
    Used a wooden spoon to start with then kneaded the dough lightly by hand. Used 1 x egg and 1/4 cup extra flour. Very easy and tasty biscuits. Will definitely make again. Thanks

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      02/11/2022 at 4:31 pm

      So glad you liked them Kathy!

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