These amazing Empire biscuits, also known as German biscuits or Imperial cookies, are filled with raspberry jam, iced, and topped with cherries.
What are Empire biscuits?
They are shortbread biscuits sandwiched with raspberry jam, iced with powdered sugar icing, and topped with a glacé cherry. They’re so good, my son can’t stop eating them - I have to step in every time!
They come from Linz, Austria, which is why they’re sometimes called Linzer cookies. But unlike the classic ones with ground almonds, these are made with just flour. For a more traditional Linzer-style recipe, check out these Spitzbuben. Check out the Best German Cookies, too.
Empire biscuits have more names than ingredients - German biscuits, Imperial cookies, Scottish cookies, Belgian biscuits, and even Linzer biscuits.
Recipe ingredients
Cookie ingredients: Flour, sugar, salt, unsalted butter, and egg.
Jam: These double cookies are traditionally sandwiched together with raspberry jam. I recommend using that for a genuine flavor, but if you don't have it, any jam will taste great. I often use Red Currant Jam.
Icing ingredients: Powdered sugar and a little lemon juice or water. I prefer the added freshness of lemon juice.
Topping: Use glace, maraschino, or candied cherries; they are all excellent. Glace cherries are easy to buy just about anywhere and have a light red color. Candied cherries are darker, and they’re the ones I always use for this recipe. The main reason is that I make lots of small jars of them every summer.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make German biscuits?
Step #1: Mix flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, cubed butter, and egg in a bowl for 1-2 minutes.
Step #2: Form a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least half an hour.
Step #3: Roll ½ of the dough and cut it with a round cookie cutter or a glass. Bake until very lightly golden.
Step #4: Rest shortly, let cool, and spread jam on half of the German biscuits.
While the first batch bakes, roll and shape the next one. Knead the leftover dough, roll it out again, and cut as many cookies as possible. I ended up with 24 cookies, making 12 Empire biscuits.
Step #5: Make the icing. Ice the second half of the cookies. Press the iced pieces on top of those with jam.
Step #6: Place one cherry (or one cherry half) on top of each Empire biscuit. Allow to set.
Icing: You should have a thick paste that stays on the empire biscuits without running down the sides. Adjust with more sugar or lemon juice if needed.
If using candied cherries in syrup, drain them slightly so they’re not too wet. Halve them if they’re very large.
Tips
Measurements: Use a digital kitchen scale to measure the ingredients; cup measuring is very inaccurate (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
You can make the dough in advance and refrigerate it for longer, overnight, or for a couple of days. The unbaked dough can be made up to 2-3 days in advance. Keep refrigerated. The unbaked dough can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Make sure you cut an equal amount of cookies so that you can form the double biscuits.
Rest and cool: Once they are baked, leave them on the baking tray for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. They need that time to set slightly; otherwise, they will break when you try to move them. Let the German biscuits cool completely before icing and filling with jam.
How to store?
Store the German biscuits in airtight containers, ideally in a single layer. If stacking, place parchment paper between layers to prevent the cherries from sticking.
They will keep for about a week, but you'll probably finish them much sooner!
Empire Biscuits (German Biscuits)
Equipment
- 1-2 Baking sheets
- Bowls
- Round cookie cutter or a glass (about 2.5 inches/ 6 cm diameter)
Ingredients
Shortbread dough:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 egg
- pinch of salt
Filling and topping:
- 12 teaspoons raspberry jam
- 1½ cups icing sugar
- about 2 tablespoons lemon juice or water
- 6-12 glace cherries or candied cherries, depending on size, Note 2
Instructions
Shortbread dough:
- Dough: Place flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, soft cubed butter, and egg in a bowl and mix well for 1-2 minutes. Form a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least half an hour (and up to 3 days).2 cups all-purpose flour + ⅔ cup granulated sugar + ⅔ cup unsalted butter + 1 egg + pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/ 200°C (350 F/ 180°C fan oven). Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut cookies: Divide the dough into two parts. Roll one half on a lightly floured surface about 0.2 inch/ ½ cm thick. Cut the cookies with a round cutter (or a glass). Place them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake the German cookies for 7-8 minutes until very lightly golden. Let rest on the trays for 5 minutes, then transfer them carefully to wire racks to cool completely.
- Repeat: While the first batch of cookies is baking, roll and form the second batch, and so on. Knead the leftover dough shortly, roll again, and cut as many cookies as possible; an even number of cookies would be best.
Decorate:
- Fill: Place half of the cookies, bottom-side up, on the working surface. Spread 1 teaspoon of jam on each of them.12 teaspoons raspberry jam
- Ice biscuits: Mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice to form a thick paste that will not run down the cookies' sides. Spread some icing on each of the remaining biscuits (those without jam). Press the iced cookies on top of those with jam.1½ cups icing sugar + about 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Decorate: Drain the cherries if they have a lot of syrup on them. Cut in half if they are large. Decorate each biscuit with a cherry or halved cherry. Allow the icing to set before serving. 6-12 glace cherries
Notes
- Tip: Use a digital kitchen scale to measure the ingredients when baking; it guarantees the best results.
- Cherries: You can use glace, candied, or maraschino cherries. Large cherries should be halved.
Cher says
Should the butter be room temperature like in ingredient list or cold like comment says?
Adina says
Room temperature.