Custard Creams Biscuits

5 from 5 votes

Custard flavoured biscuits with a custard cream centre are hard to resist. But why not go all the way and try them Jammie Dodger style, with a cut out centre.

Prep Time45

Cook Time25

Total Time1 10

Course: Baking

Cuisine: British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 234kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Ingredients

For the Biscuits

150 g Unsalted butter (softened)
Pinch of salt
150 g Caster sugar
75 g Cornflour (cornstarch)
75 g Plain (all purpose) flour
100 g Custard powder (such as Birds)
150 g Ground almonds
1 Egg - large, free range

For the Filling

125 g Unsalted butter (softened)
50 g Icing (confectioners) sugar
1 tablespoon Custard powder
¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Optional: raspberry or blackberry jam

US Customary - Metric

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 (¼ 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
Using electric beaters cream the ingredients together until smooth and well combined
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 ⅓ 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

Use digital scales to measure your ingredients - the cup system is less accurate and I never recommend it for baking recipes
Let the butter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using just to make it easier to rub into the dry ingredients
Don't be tempted to skip the chilling times. This dough is very soft and will be difficult to roll out if it is too warm. Likewise, the final chill helps ensure the biscuit keeps it's shape well in the oven
If the dough gets too soft to be manageable when re-rolling, pop it back in the fridge to firm up again
Use a variety of cutters - plain, embossed or cut out the centre to allow the jammy middles to be revealed
Keep the worktop lightly floured when rolling out and keep dough on the move to stop it sticking to the worktop - rotate it after every roll of the pin
Don't rush the cooking - a slightly lower than normal temperature and a longer bake help ensure a deliciously crisp and crumbly biscuit texture

Storage Instructions

The best way to store these biscuits is in an airtight glass jar with a tight-fighting lid. I use a large Kilner jar with a clip-down lid. Stored like this these biscuits will stay fresh for around 5 days.

Note: when stored in alternative jars, tins or Tupperware containers my biscuits soften within a day or two. They are still tasty but that lovely crunch is missing.

If you would like to freeze them, simply make and assemble as instructed, then wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let defrost at room temperature before eating.

Nutrition