Custard Creams
A fuss-free vegetarian built around plain flour, custard powder and bicarbonate of soda — roughly 60 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and baking sheet. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Gluten Dairy Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the unsalted butter with the superfine sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Sift together the plain flour, custard powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt, then fold into the creamed mixture until a firm, slightly stiff dough forms.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 4 mm thick and cut into small rectangles, transferring them to the baking sheets and pricking a neat pattern of dots over each with a fork or skewer.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until the biscuits are pale gold and firm, then leave them on the trays for a few minutes before cooling completely on a wire rack.
- Make the filling by beating the soft butter with the icing sugar and a little extra custard powder until smooth and pipeable, then sandwich pairs of cooled biscuits together with a generous layer of buttercream.
You'll use: Oven · Baking sheet
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
Tips & common questions
How long does Custard Creams take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Custard Creams vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Custard Creams is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: Custard cream biscuit.jpg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.