Have you ever gone to the store, picked up a box or package of cookies, slowly made your way through them before deciding you need to recreate them yourself?
This isn’t that story.
Bourbons are a classic staple in England. Chocolate buttercream sandwiched between two chocolate biscuits. Best eaten by carefully biting off the top layer, scraping off the buttercream with your teeth, then eating the bottom biscuit.
These are cool casual cookies. You’ll find them at the store wrapped in unassuming brown packaging. Nothing fancy for these bad boys. They’re the cool kids on the shelf and they know it.
Being that they are pretty much my family’s favourite cookie, and we can’t get them over here in good ol’ Portland, it was high time I made some myself. No one should ever be deprived of a Bourbon. Ever.
If I’m being completely honest (and we know I always am), I actually made these for my sister’s birthday as a joke. Ya see, we have a “Bourbon” tin, the kind you buy at the airport so they don’t all break on the flight home. At Christmas, my brother cruelly wrapped the tin in wrapping paper and gave it to her. EMPTY.
As the kinder sibling – who am I kidding, I’m just the sibling that can bake – I decided I was going to surprise her by making my own bourbons and giving her a full tin.
I’m going to crown myself champion gift-giver.
They were a hit! My sister loved them and the rest of my family got to test them immediately after baking. Now, we never, ever have to go without Bourbons again!
Bourbons
Ingredients
- Biscuits:
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. golden syrup
- 220g all-purpose flour
- 40g dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2-3 tbsp. milk
- Filling:
- 150g powdered sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 2 tsp. cold, strong coffee
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Step 2 Use an electric whisk to cream the butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy in a large bowl. Beat in the golden syrup with a wooden spoon.
- Step 3 Sift in the flour, cocoa and bicarbonate of soda and combine well into a soft dough, adding the milk as necessary. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Step 4 Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or so, then roll into a rectangle about 5mm thick.
- Step 5 Cut dough out with rectangular cookie cutter, little holes and “BOURBON” are optional (I used a cookie cutter that had this imprint).
- Step 6 Transfer the biscuits to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Step 7 For the filling, sift the powdered sugar into a large bowl. Beat the butter until light and fluffy then carefully combine with the icing sugar. Add the cocoa and coffee, or you could use Bourbon if you prefer. Beat ingredients together until they are thoroughly mixed.
- Step 8 Assemble the biscuits by spreading a teaspoon of cream filling over half the biscuit and, gently press another biscuit on top to form a sandwich.
