Empire biscuits with jam in the middle and icing on a wire rack

Empire biscuits

Name: Empire biscuits
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Makes 16 biscuits
Ingredients: 125g unsalted butter softened; 250g icing sugar; 2 egg yolks; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 200g plain flour plus extra for dusting; 160g raspberry or strawberry jam; 8 glacé cherries halved

Gaby English

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Makes 16 biscuits

A little effort

Prep: 35 mins

Cook: 25 mins

plus chilling and cooling

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Make these crumbly shortbread-style biscuits for an afternoon treat. Raspberry jam acts as a sharp contrast to the sweet icing

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Try this recipe for empire biscuits, then try lemon biscuits, vegan shortbread biscuits, Easter biscuits, snickerdoodles and cobnut and chocolate shortbreads. Now try more biscuit recipes.

Chef's tips for empire biscuits:

Don’t knead the biscuit dough too much as this can result in biscuits that are tough, rather than light and crumbly
If the dough becomes too soft when re-rolling, wrap and chill for 5-10 mins until it has firmed up
Use a fluted biscuit cutter, if you like
Keeps in an airtight container for up to two days

Empire biscuits recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition

125g unsalted butter

softened
250g icing sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
200g plain flour

plus extra for dusting
160g raspberry or strawberry jam
8 glacé cherries

halved

Nutrition: per serving

kcal209
fat7.3g
saturates4.3g
carbs33.7g
sugars22.2g
fibre0.5g
protein1.7g
salt0g

Method

step 1

Beat together the butter and 100g of the icing sugar in a bowl using an electric whisk on low speed until just combined, then turn the speed up to high and continue to beat for 2-3 mins or until pale and fluffy. Or do this in a stand mixer.
step 2

Add the egg yolks and vanilla, then beat again briefly until just combined. Add the flour and a pinch of salt, and mix using a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. Lightly knead the dough using your hands until smooth, then pat into a rough disc, wrap and chill for 30 mins until firm.
step 3

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line two large baking sheets with baking paper. Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured worksurface until it's roughly 3mm thick. Use a 7cm round cutter to stamp out eight circles, then transfer these to one of the baking sheets, leaving space between each. Re-roll the offcuts and repeat until you have 16 circles. Bake for 10-12 mins or until lightly golden at the edges – you may need to swap the trays around halfway through baking to ensure they cook evenly.
step 4

Meanwhile, re-roll the offcuts and repeat the process until you have cut out another 16 circles (making 32 in total). Arrange these on a sheet of baking paper and chill while the first batch bakes. Once the first batch is baked, leave to cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes until firmed up slightly, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Bake and cool the second batch in the same way.
step 5

Sift the remaining 150g of icing sugar into a bowl and mix with 1 tbsp of water until you have a thick, smooth icing – you can add an extra ½ tsp of water at a time to loosen, if needed. Spread the icing over half the cooled biscuits using an offset spatula or palette knife, leaving a small border around the edge. Leave to set for 20 mins.
step 6

Spread the jam over the other half of the biscuits, then sandwich these with the iced biscuits to make 16 in total. Top each biscuit with a halved glacé cherry before serving.

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Authors

Gaby English

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