Mary Berry's Empire Biscuits
Bring a touch of Scottish tradition to your tea tray with Empire Cookies. Bake a batch, share them with loved ones, and create sweet memories that will last a lifetime. This recipe comes from British baking great Mary Berry.
Servings 12 cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 175 grams all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting 6 oz
- 100 grams salted butter, cold cut into cubes 3.5 oz
- 85 grams icing sugar, plus 250 g (9 oz) for the icing
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 medium egg yolks
- 100 grams raspberry jam 3.5 oz
- 50 grams glacé cherries, quartered 1.75 oz
Instructions
Make the Shortbread Dough
- Preheat your oven to 350°F 180°C (160°C fan or gas mark 4) and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
- Put the flour, butter, 85 g (3 oz) of icing sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks in a food processor and pulse until the mixture comes together into a dough. Alternatively, you can rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips in a large bowl, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, and egg yolks. If the dough is too dry, add a little water, one tablespoon at a time, until it holds together.
- Wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes. This will make it easier to roll out and cut later.
Cut Out and Bake the Cookies
- Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3 mm (1/8 inch). Use a 7 cm (2.75 inch) round cookie cutter to cut out 24 circles of dough. You may need to re-roll the scraps of dough to get enough circles.
- Arrange the circles of dough on the prepared baking sheets, leaving some space between them. Bake them in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they are lightly golden around the edges. Watch them carefully, as they can burn easily.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let them cool completely before filling and decorating them.
Fill the Cookies with Jam
- Spoon the raspberry jam into a small bowl and stir it well to loosen it. You can also warm it slightly in the microwave or on the stove to make it easier to spread.
- Take half of the cookies and spread about a teaspoon of jam on each one, leaving a small border around the edge. Be careful not to overfill them, as the jam will ooze out when you sandwich them.
- Top each jam-filled cookie with another plain cookie and press them gently together to form a sandwich.
Decorate the Cookies with Icing and Cherries
- Put the remaining 250 g (9 oz) of icing sugar in a small bowl and add 2-3 teaspoons of water, one at a time, until you have a runny spreadable icing. You can also add a drop of food coloring if you want to make your icing more colorful.
- Pam's tip: Ensure your icing is nice dip your cookie in the icing, hold it above the bowl and let the icing drip off. Then turn the cookie right side up, moisten your thumb and run it along the edge of the cookie so you get a nice edge.
- Cut the glacé cherries into quarters and place one piece on the center of each iced cookie. Press it lightly into the icing to make it stick.
- Leave the icing to set for about 30 minutes before serving or storing your biscuits.