How to Make Empire Biscuits
A traditional artisan bake offering a delicate, buttery crumb and golden exterior, served fresh with clotted cream, preserves, or rich salted butter.
Ingredients
- • 300g Plain flour (2 cups)
- • 200g Salted Butter ( 1 cup)
- • 100g Caster Sugar (1/2 cup)
- • Large Egg
- • Raspberry Jam (we like MacKays)
- • 180g Icing Sugar (icing sugar) (1.5 cups)
- • Glace/Candied Cherries for decorating
Preparation Steps
Preheat the oven to 200 Celcius or 400 Fahrenheit, or 180C/350F for a fan oven.
Start by beating the butter until it is softened just creamy, but not too fluffed up or airy. Then add the sugar and mix until just combined. You want the sugar to dissolve into the butter to a caster or fine sugar is best.
Next, add the flour along with a beaten egg and mix carefully until the dough begins to form clumps. At this point, you can get your hands into it and bring the dough together.
Tip onto a lightly floured surface and roll the dough out until it’s around 5mm or about a 1/4 inch in thickness.
You can use a cookie cutter like this one, or the rim of a glass to cut the dough into separate biscuits.Use a spatula or a pastry/dough scraper to move the biscuits onto the baking tray, lined with baking paper or a reusable liner.
If you have time, chill for about 20 minutes in the fridge to help stop spreading.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes. The biscuits will stay soft but will start to town slightly and that’s when they’re ready. Take them out of the oven and allow to cool.
Match the biscuits into pairs. Spread jam over the top of the biscuit that will be the base, and press the biscuit for the top gently down onto it.
Mix the icing/icing sugar with just enough milk or water to form a thick but runny consistency. We start with a couple of tablespoons and then slowly add more until it’s ready. You can either spread the icing with a teaspoon/knife or use the dipping method. If you’re using a spoon or knife then start with a small amount in the middle of the biscuit and slowly spread it out, leaving a gap before the edge of the biscuit in case of extra spread. Otherwise, dip the biscuit top side down into the icing to coat it, allow any excess to drip off, and then quickly flip over and pit back on a tray to allow it to harden. You want to try and avoid the icing running down the sides of the biscuit.
Place half a glace/candied cherry in the centre of the biscuit. Allow the icing to harden and then eat!