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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Hi I love your empire biscuits and have made them loads of times but the last twice I have made them they seems quite grainy, what have I done wrong they are just not the same.
Thanks xx
Hi Evonne, I have no idea since they turned out well beforehand. Have you changed the type of sugar you buy?
When you say add the sugar and butter in step one, do you mean both the regular sugar and confectioners?
No, just the first measurement of sugar. If you read the recipe, later the confectioners sugar is used for the icing. I fixed it to make it more clear. Enjoy!
These look great! Is the butter cold and cut into pieces? Or are we using softened butter? Thanks!
More on the cold side, yes. You don’t want to use warm butter as it will cream completely, but it doesn’t have to be rock hard either, Daniella. Enjoy!
Great ideas for lockdown and the kids Alex 4 and Edward 3 love to help.
That’s lovely! Baking and cooking teaches children SO much and it’s a fabulous life skill many have not acquired.
Empire Biscuits were, as you stated, renamed from German biscuits because of the War with Germany. They resembled the First World War German spiked helmet ( Pickelhaube) and in the Second World War the name was changed to Empire biscuits
I have never heard this! Interesting.
Can I use gluten free flour and dairy free butter to make these please
Hi Faith, I don’t know, to be honest. I have never tried either one, so the only way would be to experiment. I’d advise making half the recipe, though. Just in case they don’t turn out well. Let me know if you give it a go! Good luck! CC
I found that I only needed half the cooking time you suggested but they turned out great. 8-10 mins was perfect with a flip halfway through. I also boiled down the jam a bit and put it in between while it was still hot to make it stickier and more chewy.
Hi Kevin, yes, I can imagine that different ovens require much different baking times, but the key is to check them and figure it out which you did. I LOVE your boiling down the jam idea!! I absolutely love the chewy jam in Jammy Dodger biscuits and so I would love this, too! Thanks for the awesome idea! I’m going to try it next time! Happy baking :)
I have to agree with this timing. I left my first tray in for seven minutes and then went to turn them…and they were already slightly burnt around the edges. Cut the next two trays down to about four minutes per side and they are beautiful.
I am so happy I found your site and can’t wait to try out all the recipes from HOME.
For your Empire Biscuits when you say mix butter and sugar together but don’t cream what exactly do you mean. Do I mix with mixer?
Thank you for your help and your great recipes.
Kath
Hi Kathleen, I’m so happy you found my recipes, too! On the Empire Biscuits, you can use a mixer, just don’t over mix the dough. It’s a bit like shortbread and if you overdo it they get tough, that’s all. That said, I’ve never had a bad batch :) Enjoy! CC