Bourbon Biscuit Recipe, Homemade Classic British Biscuits (2024)

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Want a proper Bourbon biscuits recipe? I’ve got the best one for you right below! Sorry, there’s no liquor in this classic British biscuit, but it won’t matter because you’ll fall in love these chocolate cookies anyway.

Bourbon Biscuit Recipe, Homemade Classic British Biscuits (1)

If you go to the UK, there’s a good chance that you’ll cross paths with the classic British Bourbon biscuit.

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What are Bourbon Biscuits?

Along with Digestives, custard creams, and shortbread, Bourbon creams are some of the most popular biscuits which are frequently enjoyed across the pond. Despite their name, there is no alcohol involved. Bourbon biscuits are simply chocolate sandwich biscuits with a chocolate cream filling.

Like their custard cream cousin, this Bourbon Biscuit recipe requires custard powder to give them their unique flavor. This is not just another chocolate biscuit.

For Christmas last year, my daughter gifted me with something she knew I had wanted, these biscuit cutters! They include Bourbon biscuits, Party Rings, Jammy Dodgers and Custard Creams cutters!

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This will explain how I was able to make the Bourbon biscuits look like a store-bought biscuit. No worries if you don’t have them, though; you can just cut the chocolate biscuit dough into fingers and use a fork to prick them. If you use this Bourbon biscuit recipe, they will taste the same with or without the cutters. You can purchase the biscuit cutters here.

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NB: according to Wikipedia, these biscuits are called Bourbon biscuits after the European house of Bourbon (nothing to do with the liquor). They also note that Bourbons are apparently the 5th most popular biscuit in the UK for tea dunking!

Classic Bourbon Biscuit Recipe

recipe slightly adapted from Lofty Peak Recipe Book makes about 18 sandwich biscuits

FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

Sift flour, custard powder and good quality cocoa into a large bowl.

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Cream butter and sugar, then stir in the egg. Next, add the sifted ingredients from the other bowl and mix to an even dough.

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Put the dough onto worktop and using flour, roll out to about 1/8″ thickness and cut into fingers.

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Then, place on lined baking tray.

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Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, turning half way through baking time to assure even results.

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Finally, place on cooling rack and let cool before filling them.

Bourbon Biscuit Cream Filling

recipe by Christina Conte

Mix all the ingredients together to form a stiff buttercream. Adjust with a few drops of liquid; just don’t make the filling too soft.

Next, match up two biscuits at a time (they won’t all be exactly the same size, believe it or not) and sandwich together with the filling.

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Continue until all the biscuits and filling are used. Finally, enjoy with a steaming hot, cup of tea!

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More classic English recipes can be found here.

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Homemade Bourbon Biscuit Recipe

Yield: 18 biscuits

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

A classic British chocolate biscuit.

Ingredients

Biscuit Dough

  • 1 1/3 cup (6 oz) all purpose (plain) flour
  • 1/2 cup (2 oz) custard powder (Bird’s Custard Powder-available on Amazon and in British shops)
  • 1/4 cup (1 oz) unsweetened cocoa (I use Barry cocoa)
  • 1 stick (4 oz) butter
  • 1/2 cup (4 oz)Baker's/caster sugar
  • 1 egg

Filling

  • 1 cup (4 oz) confectioner's/powdered sugar
  • 1/4 stick (1 oz) butter
  • 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
  • a few drops of milk or water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)

  1. Sift flour, custard powder and cocoa into a large bowl.
  2. Cream butter and sugar, then stir in the egg. Add the sifted ingredients from the other bowl and mix to an even dough.
  3. Place onto worktop and using flour, roll out to about 1/8" thickness and cut into fingers.
  4. Place on lined baking tray.
  5. Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, turning half way through baking time to assure even results.
  6. Place on cooling rack and let cool before filling them.

Bourbon Biscuit Cream Filling

  1. Mix all the ingredients together to form a stiff buttercream. Adjust with a few drops of liquid; just don't make the filling too soft.
  2. Match up two biscuits at a time (they won't all be exactly the same size, believe it or not) and sandwich together with the filling.
  3. Continue until all the biscuits and filling are used. Enjoy with a steaming hot, cup of tea!

Notes

  • If you love Bourbon biscuits, try custard creams, too!
Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9Serving Size: 2
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 290Total Fat: 13gCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

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Bourbon Biscuit Recipe, Homemade Classic British Biscuits (2024)

FAQs

What is the original bourbon biscuit? ›

Britannia Bourbon - The Original Choco Creme sandwich biscuits are a delightful combination of smooth choco creme and crunchy choco biscuits topped with sparkling sugar crystals. Every bite of these delicious, chocolaty and indulgent cookies entices you to have more and more.

Are bourbon biscuits British? ›

They are often called Bourbon Creams. The biscuits were originally manufactured in 1910 by a British company called Peek Freans but now most are produced by British supermarkets under their own name, hence they can be difficult to find outside the UK.

What are the ingredients in bourbon cream biscuits? ›

INGREDIENTS:Fortified Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Palm Oil, Icing Sugar, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder (6%), Wheat Starch, Palm Fat, Palm Kernel Fat, Glucose Syrup, Dextrose, Sea Salt, Raising Agents: Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate, Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate; Flavouring.

What is the main flavor in bourbon biscuits? ›

The Bourbon (pronounced /ˈbʊərbən/ or /ˈbɔːrbən/) is a sandwich biscuit consisting of two thin rectangular dark chocolate-flavoured biscuits with a chocolate buttercream filling.

Which bourbon biscuit is the best? ›

JOINT-WINNER: Co-op Bourbon Creams

This biscuit has a deeply rich chocolate aroma with a balanced sweetness. It was praised by testers for its strong, rich chocolate hit and sweet, chocolate cream, perfectly harmonised for a premium taste and satisfyingly crunchy yet buttery smooth biscuit.

Do they have bourbon biscuits in America? ›

Britannia Bourbon Choco Kreme Biscuits, 13.7 OZ - Walmart.com.

What is the quintessential British biscuit? ›

Classic British biscuit recipes
  • Custard creams. A bright yellow custard cream is sure to brighten up any tea break. ...
  • Ginger nuts. With their crackled tops and fiery heat, a good ginger nut biscuit is hard to beat. ...
  • Jammy dodgers. ...
  • Shortbread. ...
  • Viennese whirls. ...
  • Coconut macaroons. ...
  • Malted milks. ...
  • Iced party rings.

What are British biscuits called in America? ›

Biscuits, along with cornbread and soda bread, are known as “quick bread,” because you use baking soda instead of yeast to make them. Biscuits in the UK are what we Americans call cookies.

What is the difference between British biscuits and American biscuits? ›

In the United Kingdom, the word biscuit refers to any hard, thin, bread-like product. A distinguishing factor between an American cookie and a British biscuit is that a British biscuit must always have a “snap” because it is crispy. In the UK, if a biscuit does not snap, or is soft, it is considered to have gone bad.

Why are bourbon biscuits so good? ›

Bourbon biscuits are carefully baked (there is also an interesting fun fact about baking bourbon biscuits about which you will hear later) to a classic recipe with a smooth chocolatey filling.

Which country made bourbon biscuit? ›

Bourbon biscuit is a very popular delicacy during high tea or as a snack with co*cktails. They are one kind of the most famous biscuits in the UK for dunking into tea. Many foods companies make their own version of the biscuit under the "Bourbon" name, including major supermarkets.

Are all bourbon biscuits the same? ›

Now, many companies make their own version of the biscuit under the Bourbon name - including major supermarkets. Many would consider these biscuits to be pretty standardised, perhaps even made in the same factory and packaged for different stores.

Why do bourbon biscuits have holes? ›

In order to let the steam out of soft biscuits such as bourbon creams, the holes are added before they're cooked, to stop them cracking or breaking in the process. "If the holes weren't there, steam would build up inside the biscuits", Mark explained on the programme.

What makes Southern biscuits different? ›

What makes biscuits Southern? Besides being passed down by beloved grandmothers, Southern biscuits are typically made with flour made from soft red winter wheat, such as White Lily.

Do bourbon biscuits contain milk? ›

Bourbons get their rich chocolatey flavour from cocoa powder and, traditionally, are dairy-free which makes them a suitable (and delicious) biscuit choice for vegans.

Which country invented bourbon biscuit? ›

Bourbon biscuits are originally from the United Kingdom. So, on the off chance that you go to Britain, there's a decent possibility that you'll run into the great British Bourbon biscuits. The Bourbon may be a popular biscuit delicacy but the treat was actually invented by a German – Dr.

What was the first biscuit ever made? ›

Britain's favourite snack began life in the ancient world when slices of bread were dried to store them. The Romans called these rusks panis bicoctus (bread twice-baked), and so the original method for making biscuits is embedded in their name.

What is the oldest biscuit brand in the world? ›

Huntley & Palmers is a British company of biscuit makers originally based in Reading, Berkshire. Formed by Joseph Huntley in 1822, the company became one of the world's first global brands (chiefly led by George Palmer who joined in 1841) and ran what was once the world's largest biscuit factory.

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