Cream Biscuits

Cream biscuits, also called sandwich biscuits or bourbons, are two thin biscuits joined by a layer of flavoured cream. Indian bakeries are known for chocolate and vanilla creams, orange and pineapple fillings, and elaichi cream with the scent of cardamom. Sri Lankan factories make their own lemon puff style creams and chocolate fingers, and British bourbons and custard creams sit on the same shelf. The filling is usually made with sugar and vegetable fat, which gives that smooth bite.

When you choose, start with the flavour your household likes and then the format. Family packets are good for the tin, while multipacks of small rolls are made for school bags, office drawers and long drives. Children usually pull the two halves apart and lick the cream first, so a softer filling goes down better with younger ones. Check the label if you need to avoid milk, egg or nuts, as fillings vary between bakeries.

Cream biscuits soften faster than plain ones, and the cream can turn greasy in a warm room, so keep them somewhere cool and close the packet after use. In the summer a few minutes in the fridge firms them up again. Crushed chocolate cream biscuits blended with cold milk make a quick shake, and they also layer well in a simple trifle. For plain dunkers, see sweet biscuits, for lighter layers wafers, and for the whole aisle biscuits and cookies. Flavoured powders for a proper shake are in hot chocolate and milkshake.