Empire Biscuits (German Biscuits)
These amazing Empire biscuits, also known as German biscuits or Imperial cookies, are filled with raspberry jam, iced, and topped with cherries.
Servings: 12 biscuits
Calories: 287kcal
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1biscuit | Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 27g