Biscuit Week recipes are where things can get a bit more fiddly – from piping and sandwiching to shaping and decorating. These 10 tried-and-tested biscuits include easy British classics, nostalgic favourites, and a few bakes for when you fancy a bit more of a challenge.
Which Biscuit Week Recipe Should I Make?
- Best for beginners: Gingernuts
- Classic British biscuit: Custard Creams
- Something a bit more challenging: Viennese Whirls
- Scottish classic: Scottish Shortbread
- Something a bit different: Brandy Snaps
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Easy Biscuit Recipes for Bake Off Biscuit Week
If Biscuit Week on The Great British Bake Off – or The Great British Baking Show, as it’s known in the US – has you reaching for the biscuit tin, you’re in good company. Biscuits might look simple, but getting the right snap, texture, shape and finish can make them surprisingly technical – especially once piping, sandwiching and decorating get involved.
Biscuit Week is also a bit of a favourite in our house, not least because Granny and I once took some of our own Scottish biscuits along to Bake Off: An Extra Slice! From homemade Custard Creams and Scottish Shortbread to Viennese Whirls, Brandy Snaps and nostalgic Jammy Dodgers, these Biscuit Week recipes include plenty of familiar favourites alongside a few bakes that will put your skills to the test.
10 Easy Biscuit Week Recipes to Bake at Home
Custard Creams
The classic British biscuit that belongs on any Biscuit Week list. These homemade Custard Creams have crisp vanilla-custard biscuits sandwiched with a sweet custard-flavoured filling, making them instantly familiar but much more satisfying when made from scratch. A recipe from my own lovely wee Granny.As seen in Bake Off: Custard Creams were the Biscuit Week Technical Challenge in Series 14.
Custard Creams Recipe
Viennese Whirls
A great choice if you fancy something a little more technical. Delicate, buttery biscuits that are piped into swirls, baked until light and crisp, then sandwiched with buttercream and jam for a proper bakery-style finish. Just make sure your butter is VERY soft before you begin.As seen in Bake Off: Viennese Whirls were Mary Berry's Biscuit Week Technical Challenge in Series 7.
Viennese Whirls Recipe
Empire Biscuits
A must if you want a proper Scottish bakery classic. Two round, buttery biscuits are sandwiched with jam, topped with icing and finished with a glacé cherry or jelly tot, for a nostalgic biscuit that is a favourite with all generations.As seen in Bake Off: Briony made Apple Cider Empire Biscuits for the regional biscuit Signature Challenge in Series 9.
Empire Biscuits Recipe
Scottish Shortbread
Simple ingredients, but all about getting the texture just right. This traditional Scottish Shortbread is rich, buttery and crumbly, making it a great choice if you want a classic bake without lots of decorating or fiddly finishing.As seen in Bake Off: Shortbread has featured in the tent since the very first Biscuit Week, when several Series 1 bakers chose their own versions for the Signature Challenge.
Scottish Shortbread Recipe
Chocolate Digestive Biscuits
Perfect if you love recreating familiar biscuits at home. These homemade chocolate Digestives have that classic crisp, slightly wheaty texture, finished with a layer of chocolate for a biscuit tin favourite that feels instantly nostalgic.
Chocolate Digestives Recipe
Jammie Dodgers
A fun, nostalgic option with plenty of love. Buttery biscuits are sandwiched with jam, with the iconic cut-out heart centre showing the filling, for a homemade version of a proper childhood favourite.As seen in Bake Off: Sandwiched Jammy Biscuits – very similar to a homemade Jammy Dodger – were the Biscuit Week Technical Challenge in Series 12.
Jammie Dodgers Recipe
Brandy Snaps
One for when you really want to show off your biscuit skills. Thin, crisp biscuits are shaped while still warm, so timing matters – but the result is light, lacy and completely different from any standard biscuit dough.As seen in Bake Off: Brandy Snaps were the Biscuit Week Technical in Series 2 and returned as the Signature Challenge in Series 12.
Brandy Snaps Recipe
Gingernut Biscuits
One of the easiest biscuits in this recipe collection and a great place to start. Crisp, deeply gingery and straightforward to make, these are perfect if you want a classic homemade biscuit without piping, sandwiching or decorating.As seen in Bake Off: Luke made Yorkshire Gingernuts for the Series 9 regional biscuit Signature Challenge – and ginger nuts had previously appeared among the Series 2 Signature bakes.
Gingernut Biscuits Recipe
Melting Moments
A lovely old-school bake with plenty of nostalgia. These soft, crumbly biscuits are rolled in coconut or oats and finished with a glacé cherry, making them simple to make but a little more special than an everyday shop-bought biscuit.As seen in Bake Off: Mary-Anne chose Melting Moments for her Biscuit Week Signature bake in Series 2.
Melting Moments Recipe
Japonaise (Japs)
Choose these if you fancy something a bit different from a traditional biscuit dough. These light, nutty meringue-style biscuits have a crisp exterior and delicate texture, giving the roundup a more unusual bake for anyone wanting to try a different technique.
Japonaise (Japs) Recipe
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Reid
Amy Reid is an award-winning food blogger, mother, wife and cookbook author. Inspired by her childhood in the kitchen with her Mum – a professional baker and her children’s Granny – Amy now shares her tried-and-tested traditional home baking recipes with bakers of all abilities around the world. She lives in Scotland with her husband, two sons and her small pack of Siberian huskies.