13 Biscuits To Pair With Tea-British Classics

The British are known for many things. They have a strong culture, bustling cities, an interesting language, and of course, incredible food.

Whether it be fish and chips, a cup of tea, or a delicious Victoria sponge cake, Britain has it all.

One of the best things they have is classic biscuits. British biscuits are wonderful. Available in a wide range of textures, sizes, and flavors, there are hundreds of awesome options to choose from.

Best of all, they all pair brilliantly with tea. In fact, you don’t have to be British to appreciate a tasty cup of tea and a fresh biscuit.

Today, we want to help you enjoy the best classic British biscuits with a fresh cup of tea.

To do so, we’ve listed 13 amazing biscuit recipes. In this post, we’ll show you each one.

Let’s get started straight away!

1. Scottish Shortbread

We’ll start our list with an iconic biscuit. The Scottish shortbread has been a British favorite for centuries.

Beautifully crumbly, delightfully buttery, and extremely delicious, Scottish shortbread is only made better when dipped in a hot cup of tea.

Made in just 40 minutes, using only 4 ingredients, this sweet treat is one of the easiest and tastiest British biscuits you’ll ever make.

Make sure you follow the recipe carefully though if you want your biscuits to be the perfect “short” texture.

To complete your shortbreads, sprinkle some sugar on top to give them an extra crunch of sweetness.

2. Digestives

Another super easy-to-make biscuit is the classic digestive. The perfect tea-time snack and pie crust, the crunchy texture of the digestive pairs with tea perfectly.

A lot of British people also like to dunk their digestives in their cup of tea. The biscuit’s strong mixture holds up to and absorbs the heat of the tea brilliantly.

First made in 1839 by two Scottish men, the digestive was actually made to aid digestion.

Don’t know about you, but that feels like the perfect excuse for us to tuck into the biscuit. 

This starchy recipe has a relatively neutral, sugary flavor, making it a good choice for those that don’t want to eat too unhealthily. 

Did you know that 6 million digestives are eaten in the UK every day? It’s about time we got involved too!

3. Nice Biscuits

If you enjoy coconut, this Nice biscuits recipe is perfect for you. Despite being a big hit in supermarkets, it’s actually very rare to see this British biscuit baked at home.

With that in mind, why don’t you impress your guests with some freshly baked Nice biscuits next time they come over.

Rectangular in shape and covered in a sprinkling of sugar, these biscuits are light, crunchy, sweet, and super satisfying. 

In 29 minutes and with just 5 ingredients, you can easily make 16 biscuits that everyone will love.

Perfect after a meal, make sure you etch the word Nice into the top of your biscuits if you really want to impress.

4. Bourbon Biscuit

Despite its alcohol related name, the bourbon biscuit contains no alcohol. Instead, this British favorite gets its name from where it was invented and the hometown of the inventor.

Those names are Bourneville and Bonn. 

Not too dissimilar from the Oreo, Bourbons are crunchy cookies with a creamy, chocolatey filling.

Sweet, soft, and super tasty, these biscuits are made without flour and eggs, and just a little butter. 

This is because they aren’t supposed to rise. The perfect comfort biscuit, make sure you dunk your freshly made Bourbons in tea or milk for the full experience.

For a more unique appearance, use food coloring to alter the color of the creamy filling.

5. Homemade Jaffa Cakes

Is it a cake, or is it a biscuit? 

That’s the biggest question the British public ask themselves when enjoying this cake-like tangy treat.

First made in the 1920’s, the Jaffa Cake takes its name from the jaffa orange used to make it.

This recipe consists of a circular vanilla cake disc topped with an orange jelly circle, and then a dark chocolate layer. 

The only problem with these biscuits is stopping yourself from eating them all. An addictive snack, don’t dip them for too long because they’ll fall in your tea.

The recipe we’ve provided for you only takes 74 minutes to make.

6. Homemade Party Rings

Next up, we have this easy homemade party ring recipe. As the name would suggest, party ring biscuits are perfect for birthday parties, in particular children’s birthday parties.

A vibrant treat, these biscuits are made with a shortbread dough, minus the vanilla. 

The topping of the party rings is a sweet glaze that adds a burst of sweetness and a unique crunch. 

To make the party rings bright and colorful, make sure you use a range of colorful food coloring. To create a cool striped effect, use a toothpick to feather each biscuit.

7. Viennese Whirls

If you’ve never had a Viennese Whirl before you’re seriously missing out. An iconic biscuit, for a long time people mistook the Viennese Whirl for an Empire biscuit. 

The main difference between the two is that the Empire biscuit has icing on top. 

For those that don’t know, Viennese Whirls are soft pastry biscuits shaped into a swirling design. In the center of the biscuit sits a creamy jammy filling.

The tender, butteriness of the biscuit paired with the sweet jamminess of the filling go together amazingly. 

Washed down with a hot cup of tea, this is a brilliant comfort snack. This recipe is another one you’ll struggle to stop eating.

8. Empire Biscuits

Once known as the Deutsch biscuit, Empire biscuits are quick and easy to make, light, and of course, delicious.

Changed to the Empire biscuit during WWI, these biscuits are truly scrumptious.

They consist of a sweet, buttery, fluffy biscuit and an incredibly tart raspberry jam filling.

To make the biscuit even better, the recipe includes an iced topping, complete with a sweet cherry.

This recipe is quite similar to the Linzer biscuit, so you might have tried something similar before. If not, you have to give it a try as soon as you can.

From start to finish, it will only take you 25 minutes to make these biscuits, so you don’t really have an excuse not to.

9. Buttery Sultana Cookies

The next recipe only takes 30 minutes to make and requires 7 ingredients, making it one of the easiest on this list.

In British baking sultanas are used a lot. As a result, it’s no surprise to see a biscuit recipe containing them.

This buttery sultana cookie recipe is both crisp and chewy. Its butterness and sweetness combine wonderfully, while the soft texture of the sultanas are a welcomed addition. 

They might not be the best tea dunking biscuit because of their thinness, but they’re certainly one of the lightest biscuits on this list. 

Made from a thin shortbread, these biscuits will quickly become a family favorite.

10. Homemade Hobnob Recipe

You might have tried something similar to the next recipe on our list if you’ve ever made an Aussie Anzac biscuit or British flapjack.

Our go to when adding texture and flavor is usually molasses. In Britain, they prefer to use golden syrup or treacle instead.

Amber in color, the golden syrup helps give the biscuit a golden color and a rich taste. It also helps bind the other ingredients together.

Hobnobs are surprisingly hard to get hold of in the United States so you should just make your own.

This oaty-flavored sweet treat, is crunchy, filling, and a solid dunking biscuit. The syrup adds a beautiful caramel flavor too. 

11. Cornish Fairings

As you’ve probably already guessed, the next recipe on our list originates from Cornwall.

A type of tasty spiced ginger biscuit, the idea for this recipe comes from “fairing”. Fairing was a treat given to loved ones during a farewell.

Unlike the famous gingerbread men, this recipe is much crunchier. It will snap easily and break in half. This firmness makes it perfect for dipping in a cup of tea.

In fact, the spicy flavor of the biscuit pairs with tea amazingly.

Taking 25 minutes to make, and containing just 99 calories per biscuit, this is a brilliant treat for the family.

12. Jammie Dodgers

When it comes to iconic British biscuits, the famous Jammie Dodger is right up there with the best. 

A shortbread sandwich that contains a thick, chewy raspberry jam, this recipe to make your own Jammie Dodgers couldn’t be any better. 

All you need to make these biscuits are 7 ingredients and a spare 25 minutes.

A quite elegant looking biscuit, this could be the perfect biscuit to make for a wedding anniversary, romantic date night, or engagement party.

Don’t forget to cut the heart shape into each shortbread biscuit for the full effect. This sweet, chewy biscuit will satisfy your cravings.

13. Ginger Nut Biscuits

The final classic British biscuit recipe on our list is this awesome ginger nut biscuit recipe. We couldn’t possibly finish this list without giving you a great ginger nut recipe.

Loaded with spicy ginger flavor, ginger nut biscuits are arguably the king of dunking.

No matter how hot your tea is, these biscuits will withstand the pressure, leaving you with a beautifully soft, chewy biscuit full of sweet and spicy flavor.

This recipe only requires 7 ingredients and takes just 25 minutes to make. At the end, you’ll be left with a batch of fresh biscuits that everyone can enjoy.

Good luck winning the battle for the last one!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are The Best Biscuits For Dipping?

If you’re planning on dipping your biscuit in a cup of tea, you need one that will withstand the heat. There are a wide range of biscuits that do this well, but some are better than others.

The best biscuits for dipping in a hot cup of tea are digestives, hobnobs, and ginger nuts.

These three biscuits handle the heat with ease, leaving you with a delicious snack.

What Is The Most Popular British Biscuit?

If you’re simply looking for the most popular British biscuit, look no further than the Digestive, in particular, the Chocolate Digestive.

Studies have actually shown that the Chocolate Digestive biscuit is the best and most popular biscuit in the United Kingdom.

Over 6 million Digestives are eaten every day. That works out at 70 biscuits a second.

What Is The Oldest British Biscuit?

The oldest biscuit in the United Kingdom dates back to the 13th century. Known as the Aberffraw biscuit, the biscuit is a simple shell-shaped shortbread biscuit. 

It was first made in Anglesey, in north Wales. Today, the biscuit has started making a resurgence, being sold in various British stores.

Final Thoughts

There you go, 13 classic British biscuit recipes you can try at home.

Britain is well known for making iconic biscuits, but not all of them are available in the United States. Therefore, making them yourself might be the only way to get a bite. 

We could have shown you more British biscuits, but we thought it best to stick to the best of the best, of which, we have definitely done.

Now you have this list of tasty treats at your disposal, why don’t you give a few recipes a try.

After all, you must be pretty hungry after going through our list.