“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.” – Jack London.
I don’t consider myself a technical baker, but being away from home made me realize how much I rely on my usual baking equipment. Staying with loved ones and working with a convection microwave, I felt oddly limited without my digital scale, my roll of parchment, and my familiar pantry of baking staples. It felt a little fussier than usual, but I decided to make the best of what I had and bake anyway.
Not long ago, before I began collecting every baking pan and tool I could find, I used to make simple cookies with minimal equipment. A half-used box of custard powder caught my eye, and cookies felt like the obvious, easy choice. I combined custard powder with powdered sugar (regular granulated sugar blitzed in a mixer), a generous amount of butter (salted in this case), and all-purpose flour. A quick mix with a spoon and a short knead by hand brought the dough together. A greased metal plate served perfectly as a cookie sheet in place of a proper tray.
The result was a success. These tender cookies—often called “Yo-Yos” in some places—are traditionally sandwiched with buttercream or jam, but I find them delightful on their own. They have a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture, a subtle vanilla note, and a pleasant yellow hue that depends on the custard powder you choose. If you like, add a dash of vanilla extract for extra aroma, and add a pinch of salt only if your butter is unsalted. If you do use salted butter, taste the dough and adjust the sugar to suit your preference, since some brands are saltier than others.
Four-Ingredient Custard Cookies
Simple, melt-in-your-mouth cookies made mostly from pantry staples — custard powder gives them a lovely vanilla and yellow character.
Ingredients
- 35 grams (about 1/4 cup) custard powder
- 75 grams (about 1/3 cup) salted butter, at room temperature
- 90 grams (about 3/4 cup) all-purpose flour (maida)
- 30 grams (about 1/4 cup) icing sugar (powdered sugar)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper if available.
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, icing sugar, and custard powder. If you need salt, add it now.
- Add the softened butter (and vanilla if using). Mix until a soft dough forms. You can use a spoon at first, then bring the dough together with your hands.
- Divide the dough into small, even balls—about 2 cm in diameter works well.
- Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet and press each one lightly with a fork to create a crisscross pattern, or simply flatten slightly with your palm for a rustic look.
- Bake for 16–20 minutes, until the cookies feel firm and the edges are lightly browned. The bottoms should turn a light brown but not overly dark.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
This recipe yields about 20 cookies of roughly 4 cm diameter. Since these cookies do not spread much, you can place them fairly close on the cookie sheet—leave about an inch between each. If you used salted butter, taste the dough before baking and add a little more icing sugar if you prefer a sweeter result. Feel free to sandwich two cookies together with jam or leftover buttercream for a classic finished treat.
If you enjoy simple recipes with just a few ingredients, these custard cookies are ideal. They offer a different texture and flavor profile compared with rich, chewy condensed-milk cookies, but both types are rewarding and easy to make from basic pantry supplies.