Custard Creams Recipe

custard creams biscuit recipe featured image

A beloved vintage British teatime treat that's well over 100 years old, custard creams are still popular today. It's a biscuit sandwich with two crisp, buttery shortbread-like cookies and a sweet vanilla cream filling.

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Keyword Custard Cream Biscuit, Custard Cream Biscuit Recipe, Custard Cream Biscuits, Custard Cream Cookies, Custard Creams, Custard Creams Recipe

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 20

Other Time: 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 135kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Custard creams biscuit stamp/cutter (see Notes if you don't have one)

Ingredients

Biscuit Dough:

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (113g)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar (100g)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons whole milk
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (157g)
1/4 cup custard powder (30g; see Notes for substitute)
2 grams salt (a slightly scant 1/2 teaspoon of fine salt)

Custard Creams Filling:

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar (175g)
1/4 cup custard powder (30g; see Notes for substitute)
1/2 cup unsalted butter (113g)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons whole milk plus 1 teaspoon more if necessary

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For the Dough:

Make the dough. Add the butter, sugar, vanilla, and milk to a large bowl. Use a handheld electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy. Sift in the flour, custard powder, and salt, and beat until it forms dough. (TIP: It will take a few minutes to form dough; the mixture will look clumpy and dry at first, but keep beating!)
Chill the dough. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it slightly, and wrap it in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour (see Notes).

Roll Out the Dough and Bake the Cookies:

Prep. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough and shape the cookies. Roll out the cookie dough on a floured surface to a a thickness of about 4 to 5 mm. Use a stamp or cookie cutter to cut out the dough into cookies (see Notes). Arrange the stamped cookie dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1/2 inch between each. Gather the dough scraps and repeat this process until all the dough is rolled out into cookies.
Bake and cool. Bake the cookies until they’re light golden and set but not browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Make the Cream Filling:

Once the cookies are cool, make the filling. To do so, add all ingredients to a large bowl and use a handheld electric mixer to beat until smooth and creamy, adding more milk if needed.

Assemble the Cookie Sandwiches:

Sandwich the cookies together with the cream. (TIP: I like to pipe a dollop of about 1/2-tablespoon for each cookie sandwich, but you can spread the cream on instead.)

Notes

Recipe Yield: This recipe makes 48 cookies and 1 1/4 cups cream filling for 24 sandwich cookies. You may have a little bit of cream filling leftover.
Custard Powder Substitute: Custard powder (specifically Bird's) is classic in these sandwich biscuits. However, if need be, you can substitute 1/4 cup custard powder for the following: 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/8 teaspoon fine salt, 1 small pinch turmeric (for yellow color), and 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Add the vanilla along with the other wet ingredients, and add the cornstarch, salt, and turmeric along with the other dry ingredients.
Chilling the Dough: Instead of chilling the dough for 1 hour, you can chill it for up to 1 day. After wrapping it in plastic wrap, pop it into a zip-top plastic bag and seal it to help prevent the dough from drying out. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling it out.
If You Don't Have a Custard Creams Stamp: Any cookie cutter or stamp will work, or you can simply roll out the dough and cut it into small rectangles.
Cookies Make Ahead: Before sandwiching the cookies together with cream, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 months.
Cream Filling Make Ahead: Store this cream in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 10 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. After chilling, thaw if it was frozen, and let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before re-whipping, adding a splash of milk if needed to achieve the right consistency.
Storage: Let the cream filling set, and then store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (or longer if you live in a cool climate), or in the fridge for up to 10 days.

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