Yo Yo Biscuits (Classic Australian Cookie Recipe)
There’s a reason Yo Yo Biscuits are a beloved classic in Aussie kitchens — one bite of their buttery, crumbly texture, and you’ll be hooked for life. Made with simple pantry staples and filled with a bright, tangy lemon frosting, these little sandwich cookies are pure melt-in-your-mouth magic.
Whether you’re baking for a school fete, putting together a sweet gift box, or simply craving an old-fashioned treat for morning tea, you’re going to love how easy — and impressive — these biscuits are to make!
🤔 What are Yo Yo Biscuits?
Yo Yo Biscuits are buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies made with the addition of custard powder, making them so deliciously rich! The texture is crumbly and buttery, the filling is a tangy, light lemon frosting and the finished result is the best sandwich cookie imaginable! Often mistaken for another delicious Aussie biscuit, Melting Moments, these classic Yo Yo Biscuits have a softer, crumblier texture, thanks to the custard powder.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Yo Yo Biscuits
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Nostalgic and comforting: These are the ones my Nanna used to make!
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Perfectly crumbly and buttery: Thanks to the custard powder magic.
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Crowd-pleasers: Fantastic for school fetes, bake sales, picnics, and lunchboxes.
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Simple ingredients: No fancy shopping lists required.
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Long shelf life: They store beautifully, making them ideal for gifting.
📝 Key Ingredients You’ll Need
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Unsalted Butter: Softened, for a smooth dough and creamy filling.
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Pure Icing Sugar (Confectioners’ Sugar): Helps create that delicate, melt-away texture.
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Custard Powder: The secret ingredient for flavour and signature yellow hue. (👉🏼 For US readers: Look for Bird’s Custard Powder or substitute with instant vanilla pudding mix if needed.)
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Plain Flour (All-Purpose Flour): For structure.
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Vanilla Extract: Quality matters here for depth of flavour.
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Fresh Lemon Juice: To bring brightness to the frosting.
🍯 Variations & Substitutions
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Passionfruit Yo Yos: Replace lemon juice with passionfruit pulp in the frosting.
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Vanilla Bean Yo Yos: Scrape a vanilla bean into the dough for a luxury touch.
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Chocolate Yo Yos: Add 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to the biscuit dough.
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Orange Frosting: Swap lemon juice for fresh orange juice for a softer citrus note.
👩🏼🍳 Step-by-Step Instructions
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Prep your oven: Preheat to 160°C (320°F) and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
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Mix the dough: In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter, icing sugar, custard powder, flour, and vanilla together until smooth.
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Shape the cookies: Roll small balls of dough and place them on the trays. Dip a fork into cold water and gently press each ball to create that classic ridged top.
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Bake: For 10–12 minutes, until just set (they should stay pale).
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Cool completely: Let them firm up before frosting.
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Make the frosting: Beat butter, icing sugar, and lemon juice until fluffy. Pipe or dollop onto half the cookies, then sandwich together.
💡 Expert Baking Tips
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Room temp butter is key: Cold butter won’t cream properly, leading to dense biscuits.
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Don’t overmix: As soon as the dough comes together, stop — this keeps your biscuits tender.
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Use fresh lemon juice: Bottled lemon juice just doesn’t deliver that zingy flavor.
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Start small with frosting liquid: Add lemon juice 1 tablespoon at a time to reach that Goldilocks “just right” frosting consistency.
🫙 Storage Tips
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At Room Temp: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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Freezing: You can freeze unfrosted biscuits for up to 2 months. Frost fresh after thawing.
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Gifting: Pack between parchment sheets in a pretty tin — they’ll stay perfect for days.
❓ FAQs About Yo Yo Biscuits
What’s the difference between Yo Yo Biscuits and Melting Moments?
Both are buttery sandwich cookies, but Yo Yos are made with custard powder, giving them a softer, slightly more crumbly texture.
Can I make Yo Yos without custard powder?
You can, but they won’t have that classic flavor and color. If you must substitute, try instant vanilla pudding mix.
My biscuits are too crumbly — what went wrong?
It’s likely too much flour. Always spoon and level your flour, don’t scoop!
🔍 Explore More Delicious Aussie Recipes
Craving even more Aussie classics? Dive into some of these reader favourites that are all perfect to pair with a cuppa!
📸 Share Your Bake!
Made these Yo Yo Biscuits?
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Yo Yo Biscuits
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookies
- 300 g Plain Flour
- 300 g Unsalted Butter room temperature
- 100 g Icing Sugar
- 100 g Custard Powder
- ½ tsp Vanilla Extract
Filling
- 60 g Unsalted butter room temperature
- 200 g Icing sugar
- 1-2 tbsp Lemon juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
The Biscuits
- Pre heat oven to 170°C/340°F or 160°FF
- Add cookie ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer
- Beat on low, then increase speed to medium, mixing until smooth
- Roll mixture into small balls and place on a lined cookie tray (I use a 1 tablespoon ice cream scoop, to ensure my cookies are the same size). Leave space for cookies to spread slightly
- Gently press each cookie ball down slightly with a fork
- Bake for 12-15 minutes
- When cooked, remove from oven and gently slide paper off the tray onto a cake cooling rack, allowing the cookies to cool
- While cookies are cooling, make the filling
Lemon Frosting
- Place all 3 ingredients into a mixing bowl, starting with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- Mix on low, then increase speed, until the filling is smooth and a spreadable consistency. Add a little more juice if required
- Pipe filling onto half of the cooled cookies, then sandwich together with the other half
Video
Notes
- You can also use a small 2 teaspoon scoop to make smaller cookies. It should yield around 24 sandwich cookies
- Yo Yo Biscuits can be eaten straight away, or left for an hour or two to allow the filling to harden a little
- Yo Yos will stay fresh for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature
