Recipe – Custard Cream

(c) Good Housekeeping UK

If you miss custard creams or just crave them, then you can make them yourself with a few simple ingredients from your pantry and a little custard powder. This recipe for custard cream cookies is from Good Housekeeping UK. I first made this recipe before I had a kitchen scale (more on this later).

US Standard

• For the cookie:
• 2 cups All Purpose (plain) flour, plus extra to dust
• 6 dry tablespoons Bird’s custard powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/8 cup or 7 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk

• Filling
• 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup icing/powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp Bird’s custard powder

Or

Metric

• 200 g (7oz) All purpose (plain) flour, plus extra to dust
• 50 g (2oz) Bird’s custard powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 75 g (3oz) caster sugar
• 125 g (4oz) unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk

• For the Filling

• 75 g (3oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 125 g (4oz) icing sugar
• 2 tbsp Bird’s custard powder

• For the biscuits, put the flour, custard powder, baking powder, sugar and butter into a food processor, or use a fork and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Alternatively, rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingertips.

• Add the egg and milk and mix until the mixture just comes together. Tip onto a work surface, bring together with your hands, then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 mins or up to 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out dough until 3mm (⅛in) thick. Cut it into an even number of 3cm x 4.5cm (1¼in x 1¾in) rectangles, re-rolling trimmings as needed. If you like, mark the rectangles with a diamond and a dot in each corner.
• Put rectangles on prepared sheets and bake for 13-15 minutes until lightly golden. Cool on the sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Meanwhile, put the softened butter into a large bowl and sift over icing sugar and custard powder. Mix to combine (don’t add water as it needs to be fairly thick). Set aside.
• When the biscuits are cool, sandwich together with some of the filling, using a knife, spatula, or a piping bag if you want a less messy finish.