Bourbon Biscuits made with a Wee Dram
Back in August last year I posted a review of some classic British biscuit cutters and promised you the recipe for the bourbon biscuits I made using them. Well never let it be said that I don’t fulfil my promises – if somewhat dreckly. If you don’t know what dreckly means, you clearly haven’t been to Cornwall. They may be a bit late, but here follows the afore mentioned recipe.
Bourbons are one of my favourite shop bought biscuits, they are chocolate flavoured, have a filling, are cheap and definitely tasty. They’ve also been around since 1910 and although my mother never bought them when I was young, I used to snaffle the odd one here and there when visiting friends and family; I thought them the hight of sophistication. Of course, I don’t buy them very often now either, as I doubt there’s a single nutritious ingredient included. Introduced by Peak Frean over a century ago and for some reason named after the French royal house of Bourbon, they are the fifth most popular biscuit in the UK.
The biscuit recipe I adapted, was from one of my favourite books, Homemade Memories by Kate Doran, baking blogger at The Little Loaf. She deftly uses bourbon in the buttercream filling and calls them Real Bourbon Biscuits. I didn’t have any bourbon, so I used a wee dram of whisky instead. I also used a drop in the actual biscuit dough. This gave the rich chocolatey bourbon biscuits an added depth of flavour that lifts them up a level, virtually eye-to-eye with Ben Nevis in fact.
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 110 g wholemeal flour
- 110 g plain white flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp whisky
- 1-2 tbsp water
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 175 g golden icing sugar
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp whisky
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the golden syrup.
- Sift in the dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined.
- Stir in the whisky then add the water a little at a time until you have the right consistency for a rollable dough.
- Roll out the dough to about 3mm in thickness. Then either stamp out the dough using a Bourbon biscuit cutter or cut into rectangles of about 6 x 3 cm. If you don't have a cutter, use a tooth pick to create 5 holes down each side of the rectangles.
- Transfer to lined baking trays and bake at 175C for about ten minutes or until the biscuits look done.
- Leave to cool for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cream the butter a little then add the icing sugar and cocoa bit by bit, beating as you go util you have a light whipped consistency.
- Beat in the whisky and vanilla extract.
- Spread the filling on half of the biscuits and press the other half on top.
Adapted from Homemade Memories by Kate Doran
I’m sending these Bourbon biscuits off to Cakeyboi and The Baking Explorer for Treat Petite where the theme this month is favourite sweets, chocolates and biscuits.
They also go to Bake of the Week with Casa Costella and Maison Cupcake.
Other classic British biscuit recipes you might like
- Custard creams via It’s Not Easy Being Greedy
- Custard creams (gluten free) via Tin and Thyme
- Garibaldi biscuits via Tin and Thyme
- Gingernuts with custard cream filling via United Cakedom
- Jam sandwich biscuits via Thinly Spread
- Jammie dodgeresque biscuits via Tinned Tomatoes
- Jammy dodgers, custard creams and party rings via Supergolden Bakes
- Not so jammy dodgers via Tin and Thyme
Vicky
11th April 2016 at 11:33 amThese look awesome and definitely for the grown-ups – putting the whisky in makes the perfect excuse for hiding them from the kids! Bourbon Biscuits were my absolute favourite before going gluten free. I was thinking about them last night and this reminds me that at some point I must put my recipe on the blog.
Choclette
11th April 2016 at 2:18 pmWell yes exactly Vicky 😉 Do put your recipe up, I expect a gluten free version would be really popular.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
11th April 2016 at 1:36 pmI heard that there was a bourbon biscuit shortage, so you posted these at the right time. One of my favourite biscuits and they dunk so well too.
Choclette
11th April 2016 at 2:19 pmI heard something about the shortage too, hmmm wonder why. I have been known to lose most of a bourbon when dunking – oops!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
11th April 2016 at 1:57 pmThese look amazing! Love the addition of whisky – the shop-bought version don’t use real bourbon though, do they?! If so maybe that’s why I liked them so much as a child haha
Choclette
11th April 2016 at 2:20 pmNow that would be something Becca. Maybe we should give them the idea.
Chris @thinlyspread
11th April 2016 at 2:48 pmGrown up biscuits! How fabulous! I’m totally over excited by the cutters too – I need them in my life! My 10 year old is a total Bourbon Biscuit addict (I’ll have to make two batches, one for him and one with that little kick for me!) We’ve been missing them since the floods closed the biscuit factory!
Choclette
11th April 2016 at 5:13 pmThe cutters are fab Chris, although I’ve still not used the ones for custard creams, party rings and jammy dodgers. I’ve only just cottoned on to the factory closing. Sounds like you need to whip up a batch (or two) quickly.
Claire Thorpe
11th April 2016 at 3:40 pmThese look delicious! for our baking club this month we have to bring in a British bake so I will be having a go at these and the custard creams!
Choclette
11th April 2016 at 5:14 pmOh yes Claire, they would be perfect for this. Do let me know how you got on.
Tracey
11th April 2016 at 6:31 pmBourbons are my son’s fave biscuits. He nibbles on 2 or 3 every day – his treat. He’s 15 so I guess I could get away with baking him a few with a wee dram of whisky in there! ;). Tx
Choclette
11th April 2016 at 7:01 pmAh yes, reckon you could Tracey. Would he approve though?
Johanna @ Green Gourmet Giraffe
12th April 2016 at 2:47 amI quite like chocolate bourbons even though I can’t say I have had them often (when I land in the UK I have to eat chocolate digestives – so have eaten my fair share of them lately). And I can just imagine how superior yours are to the shop bought version. They even look every bit if more gorgeous! Glad you finally shared them.
Choclette
12th April 2016 at 8:47 pmAh thanks Johanna. Can’t you get chocolate digestives in Melbourne? Bourbons are a favourite of mine, although I am, of course, partial to a chocolate digestive or two. Are you home from your travels now?
Lisa
12th April 2016 at 11:48 amOnly the 5th most popular? I thought for sure they’d have been higher up? Either way I like the idea of using actual bourbon in a bourbon biscuit! Or whiskey – I, like you, have whiskey to hand!
Choclette
12th April 2016 at 8:49 pmit’s a definite improvement. I would have used Bourbon if I’d had any, but I never ever have as I’ve never really understood what it is. Not sure what the other 4 favourites are – custard creams and digestives for sure, but …
Jenny Paulin
12th April 2016 at 9:30 pmthese look so good – properly good like shop bought good, BUT I bet they taste much better. x
Choclette
13th April 2016 at 11:27 amh thank you Jenny, that’s very kind of you. I think the stamp helped 😉
The Kitchenmaid
13th April 2016 at 8:54 amI’ve never eaten a Bourbon biscuit, let alone made one – they do sound fab. And those biscuit cutters are amazing, I definitely want some of those!
Choclette
13th April 2016 at 11:29 amWell I’m not sure I can think of a single NZ biscuit, despite spending six months there. Try a homemade one, they’re heaps better than bought ones anyway. The stamps are fab.
Angela / Only Crumbs Remain
13th April 2016 at 9:36 amI’ve not had a Bourbon biscuit for many years, they really were one of my favourites alongside Custard Creams and Nice biscuits. Your version sound amazing with the inclusion of whisky – which type did you use, I guess it wasn’t one of the very strong ‘peaty’ ones.
By the way, you’ve taught me a new word Choclette- ‘dreckley’ 🙂
Angela x
Choclette
13th April 2016 at 11:33 amHaha Angela, I guess you haven’t spent a great deal of time in Cornwall. I’d forgotten all about Nice biscuits until you mentioned them. My aunt used to make a really good creamy dessert with them. The whisky I used was a fairly cheap blended one, so no not one of the strong malt whiskies.
Kate - gluten free alchemist
13th April 2016 at 11:41 amNow how professional are they! And especially love the addition of the ‘wee dram’…..
Choclette
14th April 2016 at 1:22 pmThank you. I was slightly impressed myself, although it is of course all down to the stamp.
Sarah Maison Cupcake
13th April 2016 at 2:24 pmThese look even better than the real thing and so appropriate when there’s been a shortage of Bourbon biscuits recently!!
Thanks for joining in with #BAKEoftheWEEK – round up and new week’s linky is now live on my site.
Choclette
14th April 2016 at 1:23 pmGreat, thanks Sarah. Who would have thought we’d have a UK biscuit shortage – quite shocking!
Jo
14th April 2016 at 12:25 amThese look fantastic! I’m off to check out these biscuit cutters now as I think I need to add them to my (somewhat embarrassingly massive!) biscuit cutter collection.
Choclette
14th April 2016 at 1:24 pmHaha Jo. I think we need to see more biscuits on your blog to demonstrate your massive collection.
Sammie
17th April 2016 at 7:29 amI love Bourbon biscuits and am now the proud owner of 4 traditional biscuit cutters/stamps. Great that you’ve incorporated wholemeal flour into the recipe. As we have children I’ll leave out the tipple, but I’m definitely going to give these a gi. Thanks for a great recipe. Sammie.
Choclette
17th April 2016 at 1:18 pmAh you have the cutters Sammie. I look forward to seeing some classic British biscuits on your blog. You can use milk or water instead of the whisky.
Sarah James
17th April 2016 at 7:28 pmI used to love Bourbon biscuits as a kid but not had them in years. I love that you’ve added a wee dram to the biscuit mix, definitely going to try these Choclette x
Choclette
18th April 2016 at 11:04 amAll this talk of biscuits and whisky has me keen to try them again too Sarah 😉
Angie@Angie's Recipes
18th April 2016 at 2:50 pmWell done, Choclette. These cookies look way to cool!
Choclette
18th April 2016 at 5:45 pmThey certainly got eaten way too fast Angie 😉
Kat
27th April 2016 at 9:49 pmI love these homemade Bourbon biscuits! Certainly an improvement on the shop bought ones! Thanks for entering into Treat Petite.
Choclette
28th April 2016 at 11:11 amThanks Kat, I was really pleased with them and they tasted fab.
Stuart Vettese
28th April 2016 at 11:00 amThanks for entering these Choclette. Love Bourbon biscuits. They don’t quite fit the theme this month (it was to use a fave sweet, chocolate or biscuit in a bake) but I’ll let you off ;0)
Choclette
28th April 2016 at 11:07 amOops sorry Stuart, I obviously didn’t pay enough attention. That’s very kind of you 🙂