Boozy Bourbon Biscuits
A recipe with a twist. Plus, the history of this British classic.
Hello there and welcome back to Bake Experiments - I’m Shell. Once I worked in press, now I’m a baker, food photographer and Mama, based near London.
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For the second edition in my classic British biscuits series, we are investigating the Bourbon Biscuit. Found to be the third best biscuit to dunk in a cup of tea. Genuinely, this was a research project reported on the BBC. Apparently the Bourbon Biscuit lasted 78 dunks.
Sometimes called Bourbon Creams, these are two biscuit rectangles flavoured with cocoa powder, sandwiched together with chocolate buttercream. With that all important Bourbon stamp and ten docker holes (more on those later).
In terms of background and technique, there are similarities between the Bourbon Biscuit and the Custard Cream. So, do check out the first in my biscuit series, a deep dive into the Custard Cream. Full of tips and a little bit of biscuit history too.
Bourbon Biscuits are a cornerstone in British biscuit culture...
Across the country, hundreds, maybe even thousands, of us are dunking them in our cuppa tea every day. Giving us all a moments respite from the daily grind. And they are addictive. Once I’ve had one, I become possessed by some salivating biscuit monster who's reaching for a second and third.
Yet, contrary to expectations, Bourbon Biscuits are not richly chocolatey, the distinctive flavour profile a mix of cocoa, and custard powder for sweetness.1 Traditionally, there’s no Bourbon Whiskey in them either.
Do you love a Bourbon Biscuit? Tell me all about it.
Some historical myth busting.
There are many stories that swirl around the Bourbon Biscuit. It’s said to be the first biscuit eaten on the moon. That the ten docker holes were named after Dr. Zehnloch, who invented the biscuit. With Zehnloch literally translating to ‘10 holes’ in German.2
And where did the name come from? Why is it called a Bourbon Biscuit, when it doesn’t have any Bourbon in it?
Here, more stories abound. According to BBC reporter Hugh Schofield, both Bourbon whisky and biscuits are named (in a roundabout way) after the French Royal House of Bourbon. Bourbon Whisky fares from Bourbon county in Kentucky. So named as a gesture of thanks to the French king, the Bourbon Louis XVI, for his help against the Brits in the war of independence.
And the story goes the name was chosen for the biscuit by famous biscuit manufacturer Peek Frean in the 1930s. To make the product sound: “a bit posher, a bit French, and a bit royal too.”3
Other stories claim it is a portmanteau of Bourneville and Bonn. Bourneville because it was invented in Cadbury’s Bourneville R&D department by Dr. Hans Zehnloch, who hailed from Bonn, in Germany. While Cadbury’s did file a patent for a chocolate sandwich biscuit covered in chocolate in 1891, they didn’t successfully market it, and it fell from their list.4
Elsewhere, it has been said that the name was derived from ‘Buerre bon’ or ‘best butter’, as they used butter from the top of the milk.5
Yet, a chat with Gary Magold, founder and curator of the Peek Frean Museum, dispelled some of these myths.
While Peek Frean first launched the sandwiched chocolate biscuit in 1910, Gary has found evidence that the name came from an earlier biscuit - a kind of chocolate log covered in crystallised sugar nibs, advertised in the 1890s. This biscuit was likely named after the French Royal House of Bourbon, due to the Peek Frean link with the French government, making biscuits for French soldiers, and to celebrate the end of the Siege of Paris.
Gary tells me: “The Bourbon Biscuit we know and love today was Peek Frean’s first sandwich biscuit… Originally, they were named Creola. But that was only for a few weeks, before they went back to the Bourbon name. It was an old name, for a new biscuit.”
In his years curating the museum, Gary has heard other anecdotes, telling me of an American visitor who shared that in the 1920s in the US, the biscuits were called “Mississippi Munchers.” As they couldn’t use the word Bourbon due to prohibition.
And you can still buy the original Peek Frean Bourbon Biscuit today, in Ontario, Canada, where there is still a Peek Frean factory.
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The Recipe - Bakers Notes
I couldn’t resist adding my own little twist to these biscuits - by adding a generous splash of booze in the form of, you guessed it, Bourbon. Mary Berry would be proud. Although it’s easily left out if you wish to go booze free. These are excellent homemade, with real butter and no palm oil.
My recipe was inspired by Lizzie Collingham’s, author of The Biscuit, The History of a Very British Indulgence. She uses a mix of cocoa and custard powder for that distinctive bourbon biscuit flavour. In the US, I’m told you can substitute custard powder for vanilla pudding mix. Although the flavour won't be quite the same.
Cocoa is very drying, so a key tip with these biscuits is not to overwork the dough, and to use a small amount of cocoa powder and icing sugar - just a tsp or two of each - for rolling. Too much can make the biscuits tough.
The docker holes - in manufacturing these 10 stamped holes allow steam to escape during the baking process, so the biscuits don’t crack. I tested this, and found the biscuits didn’t crack with my home made recipe, but adding holes did make the biscuits lighter. And were aesthetically pleasing. So, even if you don’t have a bourbon stamp, I recommend adding these in with a toothpick.
And to finish, an interview (to read with your tea and Bourbon Biscuits)
I had a delightful time chatting with Katie from What's on your plate? for their Around the Kitchen Table feature. We talked everything from career changes and falling in love, to cooking with kids, positive mindset and of course, lots of baking.
Katie and Meredith are two awesome mum’s living, cooking and baking in Spain. Do check out their cheerful and uplifting stack, full of easy family recipes, hot tips, kitchen inspiration, and wonderful interviews with cooks and bakers.
Until next time…
To visit Peek Freans Museum, drop an email to peekfreanmuseum@hotmail.com, suggesting a couple of dates you're able to visit. Entry is free.
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According to Lizzie Collingham, The Biscuit. A history of a very British Indulgence. P. 229
Both taken from Biscuit People. Unfortunately, I can’t find any further evidence to suggest they are true.
Hugh Schofield, BBC
Lizzie Collingham, as above
Taken from blog, Redundant Midlife,
@Kier Atkinson 🇨🇦 - I think you’re in Ontario? The article made me think of you, wishing you an enjoyable Sunday.
Oh wow , Shell! Bourbon biscuits. They sounds amazing, I have to bake these. Don't mind my bad shapes..but this is happening.
Fun story with it...loved it all.