Empire Biscuits (Classic Scottish Iced Cookies with Raspberry Jam)
Empire Biscuits are simply classic Scottish bakery fare. Two shortbread type biscuits are sandwiched together, topped with icing and a candied cherry.
I grew up with these Empire biscuits (cookies) like children in the US grow up with chocolate chip cookies.
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I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful they are, but my three year old niece recently turned down homemade chocolate chip cookies for an Empire biscuit. Not once, but twice, so that should tell you something!
Remember the candied cherry recipe I shared recently? This is the reason I shared it: a classic Empire biscuit has a bit of glacé cherry (or half of one) in the center.
What are Empire Biscuits?
Apparently, they are a copy of Austrian Linzer cookies/biscuits. Edited Nov. ’19 – I was just in Linz last month and all the Linzer cookies truly reminded me of Empire biscuits! That’s because I knew of Empire biscuits before learning about the original Linzer cookies.
Why are they Called Empire Biscuits?
I never knew why they were called Empire biscuits, and simply accepted it. However, as we get older, our curiosity gets to us. I did a little digging and realized that the name was changed when WWII broke out; they were renamed “Empire Biscuits” – Wikipedia. If you don’t understand why they changed the name, it’s because the UK was at war with Germany and they didn’t want any association to their rival country with a beloved Scottish biscuit!
My snow cookies are based on Empire biscuits and have won two contests, so I’m not just saying they’re really good, they’re really good!
Can I freeze Empire biscuits?
Empire biscuits freeze exceptionally well, but do so before jamming them together, and icing them. You want to defrost them first, then assemble and decorate, and they’ll be just perfect!
NOTES: This recipe includes an egg, but you can easily make them more as traditional shortbread with egg free cookie recipe. You can use either a straight or serrated biscuit/cookie cutter.
Classic Empire Biscuits Recipe
slightly adapted from Lofty Peak makes 20 sandwich biscuits
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients
- butter
- sugar
- egg
- flour
- confectioner’s sugar
- candied cherries
- raspberry jam
Directions
Preheat oven to 400˚F (200˚C)
Mix the butter and sugar together until it forms a homogenous mixture. Add the egg and mix well. Next add the flour until it forms a crumbly consistency.
Turn onto a floured surface and form into a smooth dough. Do not overwork the dough. Roll out quite thinly (about 1/8″) and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter.
Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (I turn them once through baking). Put on cooling rack. Then, when completely cool, choose a mate for each cookie.
Coat the tops with confectioner’s sugar mixed with milk or water (to a thick, but runny consistency as in the photo below).
Top with a piece of candied cherry in the center, then sandwich together cookies with raspberry jam and enjoy with a cup of tea! When completely set, keep in an airtight container. Most households in the UK have a biscuit tin.
Magical!
Empire Biscuits (Classic Scottish Iced Cookies with Raspberry Jam)
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter
- ⅓ cups sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 20 candied cherries to decorate
- 13 oz raspberry jam as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃)
- Mix the butter and sugar together until it forms a homogenous mixture. Add the egg and mix well. Next add the flour until it forms a crumbly consistency.
- Turn onto a floured surface and form into a smooth dough. Do not overwork the dough. Roll out quite thinly (about 1/8") and cut into rounds with a cookie cutter.
- Place on lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (I turn them once through baking). Put on cooling rack. Then, when completely cool, choose a mate for each cookie.
- Coat the tops with confectioner's sugar mixed with milk or water (to a thick, but runny consistency as in the photo below).
- Top with a piece of candied cherry in the center, then sandwich together cookies with raspberry jam and enjoy with a cup of tea!
Notes
- The number of biscuits the recipe will make depends on the size of the cutter you use.
Nutrition
For another classic Scottish biscuit, you can’t beat shortbread!
More Scottish biscuits to try~
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What brand of raspberry jam do you use/recommend?
Hi Alison, of course homemade is preferred, but the most readily available is (affiliate links) Bon Maman from France. If I could have choose my favorite, it would be McKay’s Scottish raspberry. Tiptree is also good, and in a pinch Trader Joe’s is also fine.
400 was absolutely way too hot and I burned all of mine after only 6 minutes. Now trying to salvage some from the dregs of dough at 350.
I would check your oven temperature with a thermometer Diana, as 6 minutes to burn cookies sounds like it was set to 500. Maybe they were rolled too thin, as well?
If I use a kitchen master to mix flour butter egg etc, do I use the paddle or the hook? What number on the kitchen master do I set it to mix and how for how long?
I assume a kitchen master is a stand mixer? Use the paddle, but you’ll have to judge by eye on how long to mix it, don’t go above medium low speed. Let me know how it turns out, Diane!
My mum was Scottish and made Empire Biscuits every Xmas and special occasions. Her biscuits were delicious and everyone wanted her recipe. She passed her recipe down to me and it is very similar to this one. Question: Has anyone ever substituted all purpose flour for almond flour? If so, did you use the same amount as the original recipe calls for (3 1/2 C.)? TIA
That’s lovely, Heather! I have never used almond flour as then they would no longer be empire biscuits, but almond biscuits. Therefore, I cannot advise on what to do with the recipe, sorry! Good luck if you give it a go, and let us know here.
My cookie mix was too dry and wouldn’t form a dough. I used Kerrygold unsalted butter and HEB flour. What could I have added or changed to make it less crumbly? No matter what I did it just wouldn’t hold together as a dough.
Hi Jennifer, did you weigh the ingredients? My guess is you used cups and had too much flour.
Christina,
Thank you for this beautiful recipe, formatted wonderfully, both in weight and cups. Not many take the time to do this! We all know that weighing your measurements (despite the controversial response by some) creates a beautiful and accurate cookie, cake, etc.
As some of us have found out, the butter of current manufacturing is less baking-worthy! Sad but true. Possibly something else to thank COVID for! Companies seem to be cutting corners more and more.
I appreciate your skills and knowledge and passing them along to us. I didn’t go to Culinary School, but I did take Culinary 101 and Baking 101 in college after my husband passed away. What a wonderful experience for me.
Merry Christmas