Do Bourbon Biscuits Actually Have Alcohol In Them?

You can't have a proper British cuppa without something sweet to go with it, maybe a bit of scones with clotted cream (or any of the other ways to use this delicious treat) or a plate full of bourbon biscuits. The latter is a mainstay in England, a very popular type of cookie that's perfect for dunking, dipping, stirring, and nibbling. Bourbon biscuits are a type of sandwich cookie, like Oreos, with a velvety chocolate mousse smashed between two chocolate cookies. They're shaped like rectangles, not circles, and are crunchy and crumbly with a smooth and silky inside layer. And though these biscuits bear the name of a popular type of whiskey called bourbon — and, yes, there are differences between whiskey and bourbon — they don't actually contain any alcohol.

There isn't any bourbon tucked into the recipe of these chocolatey afternoon snack cookies. You won't catch a boozy buzz from chowing down on some bourbon biscuits, but eat too many and you might just get a sugar high. These sweet sandwich biscuits are built to be luxurious little indulgences, the true definition of a sweet treat. The dough for the cookies is made with butter, sugar, cocoa, vanilla, flour, and milk, while the inside filling is a stiff buttercream made with butter, sugar, vanilla, milk, and cocoa. They're really just a more portable and longer-lasting version of a chocolate cake, a two-bite treat that fits perfectly in your hand.

The House of Bourbon is a centuries-old French ruling family with a lineage that dates back to at least 1327. The family has influenced European culture for generations, including being the inspiration for the name of a popular tea-time biscuit. What we know today as bourbon biscuits were introduced to the public by the English company Peek Freans in 1910 under the name Creolas. In the 1930s, however, the biscuit's name was changed to seemingly sound more elegant. If a cookie sounds like nobility, surely everyday people will want to consume it, right?

Now, the family name of the House of Bourbon is stamped boldly across both sides of each rectangular sandwich cookie. It's how you make a traditional bourbon biscuit, and there are even cookie cutters and stamps specific to making them — for example, the Dexam 17851061 Classic British Biscuit Cookie Cutters — so that even homemade versions can bear the family name. You can also get a box of Tesco Bourbon Cream Biscuits online if you don't have access to them in your local grocery stores. Why not try them with your tiny, crustless, and unique tea sandwiches for your next afternoon tea?