Empire Biscuits
A true Scottish favourite, Empire Biscuits are made with buttery biscuits, a layer of raspberry jam and a simple icing topping finished with a glacé cherry. This easy recipe recreates the classic bakery treat at home.
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Servings: 12
INGREDIENTS
For the Biscuits
- 130 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 250 g Block Margarine or Butter (softened)
- 1 Free-range Egg (at room temperature; see Egg Size notes below)
- 500 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
For the Decoration
- Strawberry or Raspberry Jam
- 200 g Icing Sugar (Powdered Sugar)
- Few teaspoons of boiling water
- Glace Cherries/Gummy Sweets
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
For the Biscuits
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (or 160°c for a fan-assisted oven, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F) and line a couple of baking sheets with greaseproof paper.
- In a large bowl, cream your butter & sugar until light & fluffy.
- Add the egg and mix until combined. Sift in the flour and mix to form a dough - it may be crumbly, so use your hands to bring it together.
- Roll the dough on a floured surface to around 5mm thick. Using a round cutter, cut out your biscuits and transfer them to your baking tray. The number of biscuits will depend on the cutter size - the smaller the cutter, the more biscuits you'll get.
- Bake for around 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just turning golden and the tops appear dry. Again, depending on the size of your biscuits, you may need to bake them a little bit longer.
- When still warm but cool enough to touch, spread a little jam to the underside of half the biscuits. Place the remaining biscuits on top to sandwich them together. Allow to cool completely.
For the Decoration
- When completely cool, make your icing by mixing icing sugar & gradually adding the boiling water until you're happy with the consistency - "gloopy" is a great way to describe it!
- Gently dip the top of your biscuits into the icing, allowing the excess to drip off.
- Decorate with a glace cherry ot jelly tot in the centre of the biscuit. Leave the icing to set before serving.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
NOTES
Egg Size:
When it comes to eggs, I always buy mixed-weight free-range eggs. Generally speaking, egg size doesn’t make a huge difference in most baking, unless you are using sizes that lean towards the extremes. If you’re unsure which eggs to use, I recommend medium eggs in the UK, which are roughly equivalent to large eggs in the US. That’s what this recipe has been tested with.Storage:
Store your Empire Biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The biscuits may soften slightly after a day or two - this is normal.Make Ahead:
The biscuit dough can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept wrapped in the fridge. Alternatively, bake and jam the biscuits a day ahead and decorate them once completely cool.Substitutions:
- Jam: I love using raspberry jam for a traditional Empire Biscuit, but strawberry or blackcurrant jam work just as well. Choose a seedless jam for the neatest finish.
- Decoration: Glacé cherries and Jelly Tots are the traditional Scottish favourite, but you can top them however you like. You can even leave them plain if you prefer.
- Butter or Margarine: I recommend using block margarine or butter for the best texture. Avoid spreadable margarines, as they contain more water and can make the dough softer, more difficult to handle and cause the biscuits to spread while baking.
Biscuit Cutter Size:
You can use any size of cutter you have, or even an upturned glass if you don't have cutters. Choose your size based on what size of finished biscuits you'd like. Just be aware that you may need to adjust your baking times - smaller biscuits will bake faster, bigger biscuits will need a bit longer.Tried this recipe?
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