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? ›

A basic Bourbon biscuit is a lovely thing: two thin oblongs of crisp dark chocolate biscuit sandwiched together with chocolate fondant filling for an altogether more elegant – and much more chocolaty – version of an Oreo.

What are the ingredients in bourbon cream biscuits? ›

Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Palm Oil, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Glucose Syrup, Dextrose, Wheat Starch, Raising Agents (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt, Flavouring.

What is in the middle of a bourbon biscuit? ›

The bourbon biscuit is an oblong biscuit sandwich created by two chocolate flavoured biscuits with a chocolate butter cream filling. A popular tea accompaniment, the bourbon is a favourite biscuit among many others in The Complete Collection of Biscuit Types.

Do they have bourbon biscuits in America? ›

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

What is the oldest biscuit in the world? ›

The ship's biscuit thought to be the oldest in the world until now dates from around 1852 and is on display at the Maritime Museum of Denmark in Elsinore, Denmark.

Are all bourbon biscuits made in the same factory? ›

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.

How many pieces are in a bourbon biscuit? ›

Product information
Occasion‎Everyday
Brand‎Britannia
Item Weight‎100 Grams
Number of Pieces150
Item Form‎Bar
18 more rows

What are the ingredients in Fab bourbon biscuits? ›

Refined Wheat Flour, Sugar, Edible Vegetable Oil, Cocoa Solids, Sprinked Crystal, Sugar, Invert Sugar Syrup, Raising Agents, Edible Common Salt, Emulsifier, Lecithin Of Soya Origin, Chocolate, Vanilla. Perfect as a tea time snack, this biscuit is great even when ever hunger strikes.

Do bourbon biscuits contain milk? ›

Are bourbons vegan? Yes. 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. This is one of those times where we're thrilled something's accidentally vegan.

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 are the characteristics of bourbon biscuits? ›

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.

What does bourbon biscuit taste like? ›

A rich and dark coloured biscuit generously filled with chocolate-flavoured cream. There is a gentle but deep cocoa aroma with a hint of sweetness. There is an intense chocolate flavour, and a lovely sweet chocolate-flavoured cream in the middle, but the biscuit on its own is bland and the filling a touch too sweet.

What is the American equivalent of bourbon biscuits? ›

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. The closest substitute is Nabisco's Oreo cookie, particularly the chocolate creme variety.

Who makes the original bourbon biscuit? ›

The biscuit was introduced in 1910 (originally under the name "Creola") by the biscuit company Peek Freans, of Bermondsey, London, originator of the Garibaldi biscuit. The Bourbon name, dating from the 1930s, comes from the former French and Spanish royal House of Bourbon.

What is a British biscuit 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 was the original biscuit bread made out of? ›

Originally, biscuits were little more than wheat flour and water, baked to form hardtack, which was carried by travelers because it stored for long periods of time. By the early 1800s, commercial baking powder was developed and the biscuit took a form that resembles the modern biscuit.

What was the original club biscuit? ›

Origins. W & R Jacob and Company started producing the "Club Milk" biscuit in Dublin just before the outbreak of World War I. It became a popular brand across Ireland. The confection consisted of two rectangular Marie biscuits forming a filled sandwich using a cocoa cream, then covered in thick milk chocolate.

Which bourbon is original? ›

Britannia The Original Bourbon Choco Kreme Biscuits

Thick, rich and delicious chocolate packed between two crunchy chocolate biscuits, topped with sugar crystals - presenting, the original Bourbon, from the house of Britannia.

Does Peek Freans still exist? ›

In 1949, they established their first bakery in Canada, located on Bermondsey Road in East York, Ontario, which still today produces Peek Freans branded products. After 126 years, the London factory was closed by then owner BSN on Wednesday 26 May 1989.

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