Anna Louise Empire biscuits are one of those wonderfully old-fashioned British bakes that have never gone out of fashion in Scotland — and with good reason. Two rounds of crisp, buttery shortbread sandwiched with raspberry jam, topped with a smooth layer of white glacé icing, and finished with a single glacé cherry in the centre. Simple. Beautiful. Completely delicious.
They are the biscuit you find in every Scottish bakery, at every church coffee morning, on every grandmother’s baking tray. They have a nostalgic quality that is genuinely charming — they look cheerful and old-fashioned and entirely unpretentious, and they taste wonderful.
Mary Berry’s empire biscuits recipe gives you exactly what this classic biscuit should be — a properly crisp, buttery shortbread base with a clean snap, good quality jam that does not overwhelm, and an icing that sets firm and smooth. Every element in its right proportion.
What Makes a Great Empire Biscuit?
The shortbread must be properly crisp. A soft, underbaked shortbread base makes the whole biscuit feel heavy and doughy. Bake until pale golden and completely firm — the biscuit will crisp further as it cools, but it needs to be properly baked first.
The jam layer must be thin. Empire biscuits are not about the jam — they are about the shortbread. A thin, even spread of good raspberry jam is exactly right. Too much jam makes the biscuits difficult to eat and overwhelms the delicate buttery flavour of the shortbread.
The icing must be smooth and set firm. Glacé icing made with just icing sugar and a small amount of water gives a beautiful, smooth, slightly opaque white finish. It should be thick enough to coat the biscuit without running off the edges, and it sets firm enough that the biscuits can be stacked without sticking.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Empire Biscuits
For the Shortbread Biscuits
- 225g plain flour, sifted
- 50g cornflour, sifted
- 100g icing sugar, sifted
- 200g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
For the Filling and Topping
- 4 tbsp good quality raspberry jam, seedless
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tbsp warm water
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
To Decorate
- 10–12 glacé cherries, halved
How to Make Mary Berry Empire Biscuits — Step by Step
Step 1 — Make the Shortbread Dough
Beat the softened butter and icing sugar together with an electric hand whisk for three to four minutes until pale and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat briefly.
Sift the plain flour, cornflour, and salt into the bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together, then bring it together gently with your hands into a smooth ball. The cornflour gives these biscuits a particularly tender, melt-in-the-mouth quality — do not be tempted to leave it out.
Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This firms the butter back up and makes the dough much easier to roll cleanly.
Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment.
Step 3 — Roll and Cut
On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to exactly 4mm thickness. Use a 6cm round fluted cutter to cut out rounds. Re-roll the trimmings once and cut again. You should get approximately 20 to 24 rounds, which will be sandwiched into 10 to 12 finished biscuits.
Place on the prepared trays with a small gap between each — these biscuits do not spread significantly.
Step 4 — Bake
Bake on the middle shelf for 14 to 16 minutes until the biscuits are pale golden and completely firm to the touch. They should be just starting to colour at the very edges. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring carefully to a wire rack to cool completely.
The biscuits must be completely cold before you add the jam and icing.
Step 5 — Sandwich With Jam
Match the biscuits into pairs of equal size. Spread a thin, even layer of seedless raspberry jam onto the flat side of one biscuit from each pair. Place the other biscuit flat side down on top and press together very gently.
Step 6 — Make the Glacé Icing
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the vanilla extract and warm water one tablespoon at a time, stirring until the icing is smooth, bright white, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should flow slowly off the spoon — not pour off, and not hold stiff peaks. The right consistency is between the two.
If the icing is too thick, add a few more drops of warm water. If too thin, add more sifted icing sugar.
Step 7 — Ice and Decorate
Spoon approximately one teaspoon of icing onto the top of each sandwiched biscuit. Use the back of the spoon to spread it gently to the edges — let it find its own level rather than spreading aggressively. It will self-level slightly as it settles.
Press half a glacé cherry gently into the centre of the icing on each biscuit before it sets.
Leave the iced biscuits undisturbed for at least one hour until the icing has set completely firm before stacking or packaging.
My Top Tips for Perfect Empire Biscuits
Chill the dough before rolling. Thirty minutes in the fridge makes the dough significantly easier to roll and cut cleanly. Unchilled dough is sticky and soft, tears when you try to lift it, and the cut edges are less defined. Chilling is a two-minute job that makes a real difference.
Use cornflour in the shortbread. The combination of plain flour and cornflour gives empire biscuit shortbread its characteristic tenderness — more delicate than straight plain flour shortbread, with that lovely slightly sandy texture that makes it so good. Do not substitute it with more plain flour.
Keep the jam layer thin. One thin, even spread is exactly right. Too much jam squeezes out when you sandwich the biscuits and makes the icing sticky and uneven. Thin and even is the goal.
Get the icing consistency right. Too thin and it runs straight off the biscuit and pools on the tray. Too thick and it sits in a lump and does not spread to the edges. The right consistency coats the back of a spoon and flows slowly — add the water extremely gradually, a few drops at a time, until you reach it.
Add the cherry before the icing sets. Press the cherry gently into the wet icing so it adheres firmly. If you add it after the icing has set, it will simply sit on top and fall off the moment someone picks the biscuit up.
Use a fluted cutter for the traditional look. A plain round cutter works perfectly well, but the fluted edge gives empire biscuits their characteristic, slightly frilly appearance that is immediately recognisable as the classic version.
Serving Suggestions
On a plate at a Scottish afternoon tea — this is their natural home. With a cup of strong builder’s tea. As a gift, packaged in a small tin or box. They are wonderfully cheerful biscuits that make people smile when they see them, and that taste exactly as good as they look.
How to Store Mary Berry Empire Biscuits
At room temperature: Store in an airtight container, layers separated by baking parchment, for up to 5 days. Once the icing is fully set they stack reasonably well without sticking.
Uniced shortbread rounds: Keep in an airtight container for up to a week. Ice and assemble on the day you plan to serve for the freshest result.
In the freezer: Freeze uniced, unfilled shortbread rounds for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature, then assemble and ice.
Mary Berry Empire Biscuits
Ingredients
Method
- Beat butter and icing sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla.
- Sift in flour, cornflour, and salt. Mix then bring together with hands into a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Line two baking trays with parchment.
- Roll chilled dough to 4mm thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut 6cm fluted rounds. Place on trays. Bake 14–16 minutes until pale golden and firm. Cool completely.
- Match biscuits into pairs. Spread a thin layer of raspberry jam on the flat side of one biscuit from each pair. Sandwich together gently.
- Mix sifted icing sugar with vanilla and warm water, adding water gradually until icing coats the back of a spoon. Spoon onto each biscuit and spread gently to edges. Press half a glacé cherry into the centre immediately. Leave to set for 1 hour.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions About Mary Berry Empire Biscuits
What is the difference between empire biscuits and custard creams?
They are completely different biscuits. Empire biscuits are made from shortbread, filled with raspberry jam, and topped with white glacé icing and a cherry. Custard creams are a proprietary sandwich biscuit with a custard-flavoured cream filling. The only similarity is the sandwich format.
Why did my icing not set firm?
Either there was too much water in the icing, or the icing was applied too thickly. Make sure the icing is the right consistency — thick enough to coat the back of a spoon — and apply a thin, even layer. Icing that is too thin or too thick takes much longer to set and may not set firm at all.
Can I use a different jam?
Yes — any good quality jam works. Strawberry and blackcurrant are both traditional. Apricot jam gives a slightly less sweet, more sophisticated flavour. Seedless jam gives a cleaner finish under the icing.
Can I add lemon to the icing?
Yes — replacing the warm water with fresh lemon juice gives a lemon glacé icing that is wonderfully bright and sharp against the sweet shortbread and jam. Add a little finely grated lemon zest to the icing as well for extra flavour.
Are empire biscuits the same as German biscuits?
Very similar — German biscuits are an almost identical biscuit found in Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland. The main difference is that German biscuits sometimes use a softer, more cake-like base rather than crisp shortbread. Empire biscuits always use shortbread.
Can I make these without glacé cherries?
Yes — the cherry is traditional but not essential. A small swirl of coloured icing, a single silver dragee, or a small piece of dried fruit all work well as alternatives. Or simply leave the top plain — the smooth white icing looks beautiful on its own.
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