These Custard Cream Biscuits come filled with jam and buttercream. They are buttery, crunchy, crumbly and have an authentic taste of custard about them.
This week I am sharing with you one of my household’s favourite recipes: custard cream biscuits. These are fun to make and a joy to eat. I made them last week with my 2 little girls during their half term break. I love school holidays… and these biscuits.
We first made these cream biscuits about 3 years ago, back in the days when my youngest daughter was determined to do everything ‘all by myself’ – even though she was only 2. My older daughter (then 5) would just about fall off her chair laughing at the huge mess created by these attempts. Three years later, their baking skills are coming along nicely, but I can’t say I’ve noticed any improvement in their ability to not make a mess. Good thing I don’t mind. 
Before I go off track about mess in bedrooms, which is another matter entirely, I’ll get back to the biscuits. These biscuits are a far cry from any mass-produced custard creams available in the supermarket. They really are: buttery, crunchy, crumbly, and have an authentic taste of custard about them. They also have a hint of yellow in their appearance and are dangerously addictive – one is never enough. Oh, and my best friend is close to falling out with me because we made them at a time she was not due to visit.
How can I Adapt these Custard Creams?
You can customise these biscuits as you see fit:
- use a cookie press to add a pretty pattern
- if you’re adding the jam, cut out the centres to reveal the middle
I like to think of this version as the ultimate Jammie Dodger (let’s be honest, not adding cream to the original Jammie Dodger was a bit ridiculous).
This time we chose to add jam but they are sensational without it. The buttercream filling is rich – just look at the quantity of butter compared to the sugar. It’s not too sweet and gives you a second hit of that fantastic custard flavour. Just superb.
These custard creams are, without a doubt, my favourite biscuit. This is partly due to them being totally irresistible. However, I know that when my girls have grown up and left home, baking these will bring back memories of many happy afternoons spent in the kitchen with two giggly little girls making a whopping big mess. 
Custard Cream Biscuits
Ingredients
For the Biscuits
- 150 g/ 2/3 cup Unsalted butter (softened)
- Pinch of salt
- 150 g/ 2/3 cup Caster sugar
- 75 g/ 2/3 cup Cornflour (cornstarch)
- 75 g/ 2/3 cup Plain (all purpose) flour
- 100 g/ 3/4 cup Custard powder (such as Birds)
- 150 g/ 1 cup Ground almonds
- 1 Egg - large, free range
For the Filling
- 125 g/ 1/2 cup Unsalted butter (softened)
- 50 g/ 1/2 cup Icing (confectioners) sugar
- 1 tbsp Custard powder
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
- Optional: raspberry or blackberry jam
Instructions
Make the Biscuits
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F/ GM 2
- Sieve the sugar, cornflour, plain flour, custard powder, salt and ground almonds into a large mixing bowl
- Cut the butter into cubes, add to the dry ingredients and rub in using your fingertips, until the mixture looks like sand or breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre
- Crack the egg into a small bowl, beat lightly, then pour into the well
- Using a blunt knife, pull it through the egg mix about 20 times, so that it starts to mix into the dry ingredients. Give the bowl a quarter turn and slash the knife another 20 times, then use your hands to gently bind the rest of the ingredients together into a ball
- Tip out and knead gently on the worktop until the dough is smooth. Flatten slightly, wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 5mm (1/4 inch) thick. Cut out pairs of biscuits using cutters around 6-7cm/ 21/2 inch diameter (see notes). Re-roll the leftovers and cut again. You should end up with about 40 biscuits (20 pairs)
- If you are cutting out the centre of the biscuits, remember to do this on half of them only - the bottom of each pair should be whole, only the tops should have the cut-out
- Put the biscuits onto non-stick baking sheets (line with baking parchment if they are not non-stick), leaving a small space between each biscuit. Cover loosely with clingfilm and chill for 20 minutes, then bake for 20-25 minutes until the biscuits are beginning to brown
- Remove from the oven, let rest for 2 minutes, then transfer the biscuits to a wire rack to cool completely
Make the Filling
- Put the butter and vanilla extract into a mixing bowl, then sieve the icing sugar and custard powder into the bowl
- Once the biscuits are cool, pair them up into tops and bottoms and divide the custard cream across the bottoms
- Spread the cream out, using a blunt knife
- If you are using jam, put a small blob (about 1/3 tsp) into the centre of each biscuit, spreading out slightly, so that any of the top biscuits with a cut out will appear to be filled with jam
- Add the top biscuit, pressing down lightly to sandwich the 2 halves together
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
Notes
Pin this Recipe:
Custard Cream Biscuits filled with Jam: buttery, crunchy, crumbly, with an authentic taste of custard. One is never enough.
Jo
And then you go and put delicious pictures out there for my mouth to water even more. Everybody, this are the most delicious biscuit ever! Definitely as good as Jane makes them look in her fab photos. Go bake!
Jane Saunders
Thankyou Jo. Maybe next time I could courier some over to you 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche
What beautiful little biscuits.. these look delicious and I imagine tasted just as good as their perfect appearance.
Jane Saunders
Thanks Thalia. So pleased you’re liking my recipes.
Monique
I just copied and pasted and sent to me..The Pin button appears on your delish photos..but keeps saying..OOPS..cannot pin..
Jane Saunders
Hi Monique. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I’ve just resolved the issue (at least, I think I have). Happy pinning!
Dini @ The Flavor Bender
Jane these are SO GOOD. I have a thing for Jammie Dodgers, and this is definitely the ULTIMATE Jammie Dodger! 🙂 Genius! Thank you so much for sharing this with us at #SaucySaturdays!
Jane Saunders
A total pleasure, Dini. #SaucySaturdays is my first link party and so far, so good. You’re an excellent team of bloggers.
Christine
I absolutely have to do more baking with my daughter. But first, I need a visit from the patience fairy. I am resolved to make these beauties with her when fall rolls around and the temperature drops a bit. Thanks for linking up to #SaucySaturdays. I always enjoy your posts so much. Also just (re)subscribed to get your book. Yay!
Jane Saunders
Ah, thankyou so much Christine. Hope the book is useful for you…..
Jennifer Stewart
I love baking cookies with my boys. Though we don’t bake too many of them because we usually eat the dough. Some people get mad when the kids make a mess but since I am just as messy, we just go with it. Usually end up giggling too because there is flour or sugar on all of us! These look beautiful and the thought of that butter cream mixed with the sweet jelly makes my head swoon! Thanks for sharing these with Saucy Saturdays!
Jane Saunders
Hi Jennifer, I’m kind of proud that my kitchen always looks like a hurricane has hit it after a baking session with my girls, so completely agree with you. Tidy kitchen after kids baking session = me being a killjoy Mummy. I just won’t do that! However, eating the dough and double testing the buttercream are both wins for all of us too.
swayam
Gorgeous isnt enough Jane!! Absolutely nostalgic..my mum used to bake jammies ever since I was a kid! Pinning!
Jane Saunders
Thanks Swayam – I’m enjoying taking part in #SaucySaturdays