Simple Gypsy Creams Recipe

Who doesn’t love a sandwich biscuit? These Gypsy creams are ones you simply have to try.

Crunchy oat biscuits that are sandwiched together with a creamy filling, the biscuits are delicious and moreish. After that first bite, one just won’t be enough!

Empire Biscuits are one of the most popular sandwich biscuits in Scotland, but we’ve seen these regularly popping up in cafes across the country too.

What are Gyspy Creams?

Golden, crunchy oat biscuits are delicious on their own, but team them up with a creamy and sweet vanilla filling, and they’re even better!

These particular sandwich biscuits used to be sold in packets by McVities, but they were discontinued in 2005. While we have seen some made by Irvings Homestyle Bakery available in some Sainsbury’s stores, they seem to have largely gone off the market altogether.

However, we have seen them in individual cafes across Scotland, including one of our favourites, The Loft in Haddington.

This particular version with an oat biscuit and vanilla buttercream filling seems to be more unique to the UK in particular, as when we were searching for some more background information, we came across Romany Biscuits, which are made in South Africa.

Despite the similar name, the biscuits are made of chocolate and coconut, and the filling is more like a chocolate cream cheese filling.

We debated adding a chocolate/coconut element but decided to stick to the Gyspy Cream version of biscuits that we’ve come across while travelling around Scotland instead.

Oat biscuits are hugely popular in Scotland, not least because the oats themselves are such a well-used ingredient throughout the country.

They’re also popular in Australia and New Zealand, where a version of them is called ANZAC Biscuits after the biscuits sent to soldiers who fought abroad in WWI.

What’s with the name?

We are well aware of the negative connotations around using the word “gyspy” and considered it carefully before making these biscuits. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of history behind the name that we can find.

Clearly, there may be a link to Romany (which is how we also came across the Romany Biscuits), but we can’t find out exactly why. We considered renaming them to be Oat Cream Biscuits or Oat Sandwich Biscuits, but no one would know what we are talking about, so we’ve kept it for now!

Things you need to make Gypsy Creams

• Large mixing bowl
• Baking trays
• Stand mixer or hand mixer
• Piping bag (optional)

Ingredients needed to make Gypsy Creams

For the Biscuits

• 130g of softened unsalted butter (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp)
• 140g of caster sugar (2/3 cup + 2 tsp)
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp of golden syrup
• 1 tbsp of boiling water
• 150g of plain flour (1 ¼ cups)
• 125g of porridge oats (1 ½ cups)
• ¾ tsp of baking powder
• ¾ tsp of baking soda

For the Buttercream

• 125g of softened unsalted butter (1/2 cup + 2 tsp)
• 250g of icing sugar (2 cups)
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract
• 2-3 of tbsp milk

How to make Gypsy Creams – Step-by-step method

Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy – about 3 minutes. You can also do this by hand if preferred.

Add the golden syrup, boiling water and vanilla extract. Mix again to combine.

Add all remaining ingredients and mix until thick and well combined.

Take small portions of the mixture and shape them into rough balls with your hands. Each should weigh approx. 25g. Place the dough balls on a plate and freeze for 1 hour.

When the biscuit balls have almost finished chilling, preheat the oven to 180C and line two
baking trays with baking paper.

Place the small balls on a baking tray, leaving enough space between each for them to spread as they bake. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden.

Leave the biscuits on the trays for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Whilst the biscuits cool, make the buttercream. First, cream butter and vanilla extract until
smooth and creamy. You can do this with an electric hand whisk or in a stand mixer.

Sift in about 1/3 of the icing sugar and add a splash of milk. Mix until combined. Repeat
twice more until everything has been added. If the icing is too thick, add a little more milk. If
it’s too runny, add a little more icing sugar.

Beat for a final 3-4 minutes to get the icing super fluffy.

Once the biscuits have cooled on the wire rack, assemble them with the creamed mixture. Spoon or pipe a dollop of icing onto the bottom of a biscuit, then gently squash it down with the bottom of another biscuit to form one sandwiched Gypsy Cream. Repeat with the remaining biscuits and buttercream.

Variations to try

Make Romany Creams

If you want to make a slightly different version of these Gypsy creams, then Romany Creams usually have a chocolate flavour. Remove 50g of flour and replace with cocoa powder, and remove 50g of oats and replace with coconut.

You can keep a vanilla buttercream or replace 50g of icing sugar with cocoa powder as well.

Create different flavoured buttercream

We have used vanilla extract in our buttercream to make a more traditional version of the Gypsy Cream, but you could change the flavours and put your own twist on these biscuits if you wish.

Almond extract and lemon extract would work well with these oat biscuits.

You could also go for a cream cheese buttercream, more like the Romancy Biscuits. To make this, mix 100g butter and 100g icing sugar with 200g full fat cream cheese, and an optional tbsp lemon juice.

Drizzle or Dip in Chocolate

We’ve also seen Gyspy creams that are drizzled in chocolate on the top or one half of the whole sandwich biscuit is dipped in chocolate.

FAQs

How do you store Gypsy creams?

If you want to make these in advance, you could cool the biscuits and wait a day or two to ice them and sandwich together so they don’t go soft. We normally wouldn’t advise to do more than a day in advance so the biscuits don’t go too stale.

Once sandwiched you can store in and airtight container at room temperature. They’ll be at their best for 3 days.

Can you make these gluten-free?

You could make the biscuits gluten-free. It is just a case of being mindful of the dry ingredients you use. Choose your preferred gluten-free flour instead, or mix something like almond flour with desiccated coconut to help make these addictive biscuits gluten-free.

More biscuits and easy bakes to try:

• Empire Biscuit Recipe: Classic Scottish Double Biscuits
• Scottish Petticoat Tails Shortbread Recipe
• Easy Mini Egg Cookie Bar Traybake
• 4 Ingredient Chocolate Bourbon Biscuit Cake Recipe
• Delicious Biscoff Brownies Recipe
• Easy Chocolate Tiffin Recipe
• The Most Excellent NYC Mini Egg Cookies Recipe

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