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 German 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 this 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
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)
A classic Scottish biscuit topped with icing and filled with raspberry jam.
Ingredients
- 227 g (2 sticks) butter
- 85 g (1/3 c) sugar
- 1 egg
- 454 g (3 ½ cups) all purpose flour
- 255 g (2 cups) confectioner's sugar
- candied/Glacé cherries, to decorate
- raspberry jam
Instructions
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 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 Information:
Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 378Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 79gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 11g
Nutrition information is only an estimate.
More Scottish biscuits to try~
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Wow, these are absolutely amazing! I have never even baked a biscuit before but was talked into baking these during lockdown with my 9 year old daughter. Safe to say I’ll definitely be making these again. Best tasting Empire biscuits I have ever had and so easy to make even I can make them. Thank you!
Fantastic! Thank you for the rave review, Russell! Hope you find more of my recipes to enjoy!
[…] Of course, it’s perfectly acceptable not to fill them with anything. However, if you like the look of the jam and cream filled doughnut below, just slice it in half, at a slight angle, then slather on some raspberry jam. Next, pipe in some real, freshly whipped cream (I used my ISI whipper). That’s it! If you don’t know, raspberry jam is a frequent ingredient in Scottish fare, like these coconut and raspberry tartlets and Empire biscuits. […]
These are fantastic – I’ve made them a few times now and love them. I was looking for a recipe a while ago, this was the first I tried and I wouldn’t think of trying another one now as these are perfect. And, as a funny coincidence, my husband is the man who designed the tea towel in the picture and quite possibly printed it too! Big thank you and hello from Scotland!
Noooooo!!!! Are you serious? That is SOOO cool! Thank you, Emily and it means a lot to get the stamp of approval from back home! :) Happy new year!
Hi Christina, What size Cooke round should i use?
Any size you like, Ellen! You can make mini or large. Traditionally, I think the ones I remember from Scotland were probably 3″ to 3.5″ if you want to go for that size. Merry Christmas!
Hi there, I am a completely novice baker and I am trying to make a big empire biscuit for my dad’s Christmas as empire biscuits are his favourite. I was thinking of making it the size of a sponge cake tin, is there anything I should differently? I’m not sure how these thing work but scared it cooks unevenly because of the size. Also, I never know what kind of butter to get, is it salted or unsalted? Sorry if these are silly questions but any help would be great! Looking forward to trying out your recipe since everyone is giving it such great reviews! Xx
Hi Nicola, not silly questions at all! If you use unsalted, add a good pinch of salt. Salted is fine as is.
Regarding making a big one, honestly, I’ve never tried and I feel it will do what you said and will probably have bubbles since it should be pricked at that size. You can try half the recipe and see how it goes in enough for one tin and then go from there. It won’t be bad, I’m sure, but given it’s for your Dad, I know you want it to look right. Good luck and let me know how it goes.:)
Hi Christina, the sugar, is it granulated or caster sugar?
Many thanks will be giving these a try,
Patricia
Hi Patricia, while either one will work, I use granulated in the US. Enjoy, they’re so good!
It shows the ingredients make 20, is that 20 shortbread which in turn make 10 empire biscuits or does it mean 20 empire biscuits? Thanks
Hi Zow,
I’m SO late in responding, but the cookies are sandwich cookies, so yes, it will make 20 sandwiches (40 singles).
CC
Christina, your story of the origins of this biscuit is incorrect. This biscuit was created to celebrate Queen Victoria’s visit to the 1901 Empire exhibition that took place in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow. The Empire biscuit has nothing to do with Germany.
Oh, I’ve never heard of this, but I’ll happily edit the post if you can provide me a link to where I can find this information. Thank you, Colin.