Empire Biscuits – Lavender and Lovage

February 14, 2026

15

Empire Biscuits – Right now’s recipe is a really nostalgic one, as my maternal grandmother used to bake these usually for the biscuit tin.

A Classic Recipe from 1928

Right now’s recipe for Empire Biscuits is a really nostalgic one, as my maternal grandmother used to bake these usually for the biscuit tin.

I used to be reminded of those forerunners of the fashionable day Jammie Dodgers on a latest journey to Northumberland, the place I noticed them on the market in Greggs in Alnwick.

Sadly, once I went again to purchase one, that they had all offered out, so I made it my mission to bake a batch once I acquired dwelling!

I searched excessive and low in my previous cookbooks for a recipe, nevertheless it was in a classic journal that I lastly discovered a recipe for these jammy biscuits.

I additionally discovered one other recipe on-line by James Morton, The Hebridean Baker, whom I comply with and admire very a lot – his recipe was nearly the identical because the one I discovered in a replica of Lady’s Companion from 1928.

It’s a quite simple recipe, however may be fiddly to sandwich the 2 biscuits along with the jam, and get the icing JUST proper, in order that it stays in a single place on high of the biscuits (cookies) with out dripping.

James suggests utilizing gummy sweets to brighten the highest, however I choose the classic recipe that makes use of Glacé cherries,, which I keep in mind my granny utilizing wheh she baked these.

Trying into the historical past of those biscuits, it seems that though they’re massively common in Scotland, and the North East of England, they’re in all probability derived from Linzer Biscuits.

Linzer biscuits, or cookies as they’re known as in North America, are shortbread fashion biscuits, sandwiched togther with jam, with a reduce out form on the highest biscuit.

Empire Biscuits had been initially known as German Biscuits and Deutsch Biscuits, however the title was modified after WW1 within the UK as a result of anti German sentiment after the battle.

This jammy shortbread biscuit has many different names now too, and is commonly known as Double Biscuit, and Belgium Biscuit in New Zealand as a result of it has white icing and a cherry on high, like Belgium Buns.

Regardless of the title, they’re delectable biscuits that might grace any tea agenda, and they might be excellent for elevenses and for the Sunday tea tray. I hope you get pleasure from them if you happen to make them, Karen

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Notes and Suggestions

Some classic recipes I discovered recommend including cornflour or rice flour to the plain flour. The ratios appear to be 1 ounce to eight ounces of flour – so 7 ounces of plain flour and 1 ounce of cornflour or rice flour. This makes the biscuits shorter.
Strawberry jam can be utilized instead of raspberry jam. Use an excellent commerical jam or do-it-yourself jam.

Components

BISCUITS:
8 ounces plain flour (225g)
6 ounces butter (170g)
2 ounces icing sugar (60g)
Seedless raspberry jam
ICING:
8 ounces icing sugar (225g)
water
6 x glace cherries, halved
BISCUIT/COOKIE CUTTERS:
2″ (5cm) fluted/flower cutter

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Recipe for Empire Biscuits

Empire Biscuits

Yield:
12

Prep Time:
20 minutes

Cook dinner Time:
20 minutes

Whole Time:
40 minutes

Right now’s recipe for Empire Biscuits is a really nostalgic one, as my maternal grandmother used to bake these usually for the biscuit tin.

I used to be reminded of those forerunners of the fashionable day Jammie Dodgers on a latest journey to Northumberland, the place I noticed them on the market in Greggs in Alnwick.

Sadly, once I went again to purchase one, that they had all offered out, so I made it my mission to bake a batch once I acquired dwelling!

I searched excessive and low in my previous cookbooks for a recipe, nevertheless it was in a classic journal that I lastly discovered a recipe for these jammy biscuits.

I additionally discovered one other recipe on-line by James Morton, The Hebridean Baker, whom I comply with and admire very a lot – his recipe was nearly the identical because the one I discovered in a replica of Lady’s Companion from 1928.

It is a quite simple recipe, however may be fiddly to sandwich the 2 biscuits along with the jam, and get the icing JUST proper, in order that it stays in a single place on high of the biscuits (cookies) with out dripping.

James suggests utilizing gummy sweets to brighten the highest, however I choose the classic recipe that makes use of Glacé cherries,, which I keep in mind my granny utilizing wheh she baked these.

Trying into the historical past of those biscuits, it seems that though they’re massively common in Scotland, and the North East of England, they’re in all probability derived from Linzer Biscuits.

Linzer biscuits, or cookies as they’re known as in North America, are shortbread fashion biscuits, sandwiched togther with jam, with a reduce out form on the highest biscuit.

Empire Biscuits had been initially known as German Biscuits and Deutsch Biscuits, however the title was modified after WW1 within the UK as a result of anti German sentiment after the battle.

This jammy shortbread biscuit has many different names now too, and is commonly known as Double Biscuit, and Belgium Biscuits in New Zealand as a result of it has white icing and a cherry on high, like Belgium Buns.

Regardless of the title, they’re delectable biscuits that might grace any tea agenda, and they might be excellent for elevenses and for the Sunday tea tray. I hope you get pleasure from them if you happen to make them, Karen

Components

BISCUITS:
8 ounces plain flour (225g)
6 ounces butter (170g)
2 ounces icing sugar (60g)
Seedless raspberry jam
ICING:
8 ounces icing sugar (225g)
water
6 x glace cherries, halved
BISCUIT/COOKIE CUTTERS:
2″ (5cm) fluted/flower cutter

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gasoline mark 4 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Combine the flour and icing sugar collectively in a bowl, then rub within the butter.
Knead effectively to type a easy dough, then divide into two items and type every bit right into a ball. Wrap them each in cling movie and chill for about half an hour.
Take away the dough, after which scatter slightly plain flour over a board or clear work floor; roll out one ball of pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin.
Utilizing a flower or fluted cutter, reduce out 24 biscuits.
Frivolously knead the trimmings collectively and roll them out once more. As soon as the shapes have all been reduce out, then fastidiously place the biscuits/cookies on a baking sheet, ensuring you retain them barely aside as they unfold when baking.
Proceed reducing out the shapes with the second ball of dough.
Bake the biscuits for 20 to 25 minutes or till agency and only a gentle golden brown.
Take away them from the oven and place them on a cooling rack to chill utterly – being cautious once you take them off the baking tray as they’re fragile and so they can crack.
Place a heaped teaspoon of jam onto the centre of every biscuit.
Sandwich all of the biscuits along with the jam.
ICING: Combine the icing sugar with slightly water, till you might have a stiff icing that is not too runny.
Spoon or pipe the icing over the sandwiched biscuits and add a glace cherry right away, so it’ll stick.
Retailer in an hermetic tin for as much as 3 days – these are higher when eaten with 24 hours, as they go smooth and break simply after that.

Notes

Some classic recipes I discovered recommend including cornflour or rice flour to the plain flour. The ratios appear to be 1 ounce to eight ounces of flour – so 7 ounces of plain flour and 1 ounce of cornflour or rice flour. This makes the biscuits shorter.

Strawberry jam can be utilized instead of raspberry jam. Use an excellent commerical jam or do-it-yourself jam.