Some of the links below are affiliate links, so we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Check our Disclosure in the Privacy Policy for more info.
Custard Creams Recipe
Make these iconic British custard creams with this quick and easy recipe. These biscuits are buttery, melt-in-the-mouth and taste just as good as shop-bought biscuits.
I can’t explain how much I LOVE custard cream biscuits, it’s a childhood obsession of mine that I make all the time from scratch, and you can too with this recipe – trust me, it’s so easy!
These biscuits are melt-in-the-mouth and have a smooth custard-flavoured buttercream sandwiched in the middle. The textures and flavours are insanely good, so good, that it’s hard to stop at one.
It’s definitely up there when it comes to the nations’ favourite biscuit, and I’m not surprised! I like to dunk mine into any hot drink for a guaranteed moment of bliss!
What Are Custard Creams?
Custard creams are one of the most popular British biscuits here in the UK, in fact, it’s iconic! Two layers of shortbread-type biscuits are sandwiched together with a custard-flavoured buttercream in between.
Classic custard creams, as they’re sold in shops, are rectangular and have a distinctive pattern with the text ‘custard cream’ printed in the middle. To recreate this iconic look, I use a special shaped cookie cutter that moulds the design onto the biscuit dough.
If you don’t have the cookie cutter, don’t worry! You can simply roll the biscuits into balls and use a fork to press them down.
Watch How To Make It
Why You’ll Like This Recipe
- The texture is light, crumbly and melt-in-the-mouth
- The perfect recipe for newbies and advanced bakers
- It’s one of the nations’ favourite biscuits!!
- This recipe is super quick, easy and so delish
How To Get The Classic Custard Cream Print
These homemade custard cream biscuits taste just like the ones in the shops, and they look like them too. If you want to replicate this design, then you’ll need to use a patterned cookie cutter like this one here.
An alternative way is to roll the biscuits into balls and use a fork to press them down. The fork helps to imprint lines across the biscuits once baked. Another way is to simply press the biscuits down with your fingers, instead of using a fork.
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the few ingredients needed to make these British custard cream biscuits, it’s then followed by the buttercream filling ingredients:
- Butter (Block Butter): Use salted or unsalted butter, this is down to personal preference, I tend to use salted butter or Stork margarine which has salt added to it.
- Caster Sugar: Use caster sugar for this recipe, as a substitute you can use icing sugar or granulated sugar instead.
- Egg: Use eggs at room temperature for best results.
- Vanilla Extract: This is added for extra flavour, this is an optional addition.
- Plain Flour: Use plain flour and not self-raising flour as it will alter the biscuit texture.
- Custard Powder: I like using Bird’s custard powder (it’s the only one I see in the shops really).
What Is The Custard Cream Filling Made Of?
To make the custard cream filling, you need the following ingredients below:
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted butter, this is down to personal preference.
- Icing Sugar: To help build the structure for the buttercream and to help it set.
- Custard Powder (Optional): This is optional unless you want a custard cream taste throughout the biscuit and buttercream filling.
- Milk (Optional): Adding milk to the buttercream is optional, but it does help to thin-out and smoothen the consistency of the buttercream.
How To Make Custard Creams
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make homemade custard creams. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card:
Making The Biscuit
Step One:
Preheat your oven to 170°C (150°Fan, gas mark 3, 325°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl or food processor and cream together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Step Two:
Add flour and custard powder and mix together until thoroughly combined. Use your hands to help bring the dough together.
Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured work-surface until the dough is combined and smooth. Roll the dough into a ball then use your palms to slightly flatten it into a disc shape.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to chill in the fridge for 1 hour or freezer for 30 minutes.
Step Three:
Roll the dough into a 3mm (0.3cm) thickness. Lightly flour your custard cream cookie cutter, then use it to cut out pieces of dough, stamp the design and place it onto a lined baking tray.
TIP: Work the dough in two batches. While you’re rolling and cutting out the first half of the dough, keep the second half in the fridge to chill. You can then swap them when you’re done with the first batch or if the first half of the dough requires additional chilling.
NOTE (hand shaped biscuits): If you’re not using a patterned stamp, divide the dough equally into balls and press the dough down with your fingers or with a fork.
Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until the biscuits are starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Leave the biscuits to cool down for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
How To Make The Custard Buttercream Filling
Step Four:
To make the custard cream buttercream: add butter, icing sugar, milk and custard powder to a large mixing bowl and mix together until combined, smooth and pale in colour.
Spoon or pipe buttercream over half of the biscuits and top with the remaining un-iced biscuits (design-side up).
What To Serve With Custard Creams
There’s nothing that goes better with a classic biscuit than a hot cup of tea or coffee would. Really any hot drink will do, I’ve listed a few of my favourites below:
My Top Tips
If you don’t have a large enough tray to bake all 24 biscuits at once, you can bake them in batches. Simply divide the dough into two and keep the second batch of dough in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. Roll the second batch into shapes just before placing them in the oven for best results.
Chilling the dough isn’t 100% necessary, but it’s vital in helping the biscuits keep its shape and design whilst baking in the oven. In addition, with proper chilling, the dough is less likely to stick to the cookie cutter. If you’re not imprinting a design onto the biscuits then you don’t need to chill it.
Make sure you roll out the dough roughly 3mm (0.3cm) thick, otherwise if the dough is not thin enough, the biscuits will lose the custard cream pattern imprinted onto them. It will still taste nice, just won’t look as amazing.
I used a food processor when making this custard cream recipe, simply because it takes less time. However, you can also make these biscuits by hand. When combining the butter and sugar together, use the ‘rub-in-method’ by rubbing the butter and sugar together using your fingertips.
The dough will be sticky and soft – that’s normal. Make sure you flour your work surface and hands then gently mould the dough into a ball. Continue adding more flour to your hands and work surface until it’s no longer sticky.
Custard Creams Recipe Variations
Chocolate Custard Creams: Add cocoa powder to the icing and biscuit batter to make a chocolate flavoured custard cream, which are equally good! Simply add 20g cocoa powder to the biscuit batter and 10g to the buttercream.
Gluten-Free Custard Creams: To make this recipe gluten-free, swap the plain flour with gluten-free flour – that’s it! Bird’s custard powder is gluten free already, though double check before using.
Make It Vegan: To make this recipe vegan, swap butter for margarine and don’t add eggs.
Make New Designs: You don’t have to use a custard cream print, there are so many nice design stamps that you can use. I’ve seen floral designs, faces and geometric lines.
Change The Flavour: Instead, or in addition to vanilla extract, you can add other flavourings like almond extract, orange extract or lemon extract.
How To Store And Freeze
If you have any biscuits left to store, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 5 days. I find that after two to three days they start to soften.
If you want to freeze these biscuits, make sure you don’t sandwich them with the buttercream filling. Freeze either the biscuit dough (wrapped in clingfilm) or freshly baked biscuits that have cooled down. Leave the biscuits to thaw first before filling them with the custard buttercream.
More Biscuit Recipes
If you love this custard creams recipe, then you’ll probably love these biscuits below just as much:
- Ginger Biscuits Recipe
- Coffee Kisses
- Shrewsbury Biscuits
- Oat Biscuits
- Christmas Shortbread
- Fork Biscuits
- All Butter Shortbread Biscuits
Custard Creams
Equipment
Ingredients
Biscuits
- 175 g Plain Flour
- 100 g Butter (Block Butter)
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- 35 g Custard Powder
- 1 Egg
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Custard Buttercream
- 100 g Icing Sugar
- 50 g Butter
- 1 tsp Custard Powder (Optional)
- 1 tbsp Milk (Optional, For Thinner Texture)
Instructions
Biscuits
- Preheat your oven to 170°C (150°Fan, gas mark 3, 325°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl or food processor and cream together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.100 g Butter, 100 g Caster Sugar, 1 Egg, ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
- Add flour and custard powder and mix together until thoroughly combined. Use your hands to help bring the dough together.175 g Plain Flour, 35 g Custard Powder
- Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured work-surface until the dough is combined and smooth. Roll the dough into a ball then use your palms to slightly flatten it into a disc shape.Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to chill in the fridge for 1 hour or freezer for 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough into a 3mm (0.3cm) thickness. Lightly flour your custard cream cookie cutter, then use it to cut out pieces of dough, stamp the design and place it onto a lined baking tray. See notes if not using cookie cutter.
- Bake in the oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until the biscuits are starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Leave the biscuits to cool down for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Custard Buttercream
- To make the custard cream buttercream: add butter, icing sugar, milk and custard powder to a large mixing bowl and mix together until combined, smooth and pale in colour.100 g Icing Sugar, 50 g Butter, 1 tsp Custard Powder, 1 tbsp Milk
- Spoon or pipe buttercream over half of the biscuits and top with the remaining un-iced biscuits (design-side up).
Video
Notes
Quick Tips:
The dough will be sticky and soft – that’s normal. Make sure you flour your work surface and hands then gently mould the dough into a ball. Continue adding more flour to your hands and work surface until it’s no longer sticky. If you don’t have a large enough tray to bake all 24 biscuits at once, you can bake them in batches. Simply divide the dough into two and keep the second batch of dough in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. Roll the second batch into shapes just before placing them in the oven for best results. Chilling the dough isn’t 100% necessary, but it’s vital in helping the biscuits keep its shape and design whilst baking in the oven. In addition, with proper chilling, the dough is less likely to stick to the cookie cutter. If you’re not imprinting a design onto the biscuits then you don’t need to chill it. Make sure you roll out the dough roughly 3mm (0.3cm) thick, otherwise if the dough is not thin enough, the biscuits will lose the custard cream pattern imprinted onto them. It will still taste nice, just won’t look as amazing. I used a food processor when making this custard cream recipe, simply because it takes less time. However, you can also make these biscuits by hand. When combining the butter and sugar together, use the ‘rub-in-method’ by rubbing the butter and sugar together using your fingertips.Nutrition
Music in video from Uppbeat, License code: 08VBCZFHCZBZDBBY
Leave a Reply