Traditional Scottish Recipes
- Empire BiscuitsIn the days when Britain had an Empire (not all that long ago) nobody thought it unusual to use the term "Empire Biscuit." North American readers might like to be reminded that a "biscuit" is a "cookie." It was originally known as the "Linzer Biscuit", and later the "German Biscuit" (and is still known as that in Northern Ireland). With the outbreak of World War I it was renamed as Empire biscuit, but was also known as the "Belgian biscuit". Strictly speaking it should be called the "Commonwealth Biscuit" these days as the British Empire no longer survives...
Ingredients: 1/2 lb (250g or two cups) sifted flour
1/2 lb (= 250g or two sticks) butter
1/4 lb (125g or slightly more than half a cup) castor sugar (finely granulated sugar)
Jam or jelly or jell-O
1 eggMethod:
Cream butter and sugar, add egg then add the flour. Make into a stiff paste, roll out and cut in rounds. Place on greaseproof paper (vegetable parchment or waxed paper) on a baking tray (cookie sheet). Cook in a moderate oven until slightly brown. When cold, spread jam/jelly on one round and place another round on top. Ice (the icing used is usually glacé icing) the top of the sandwich and put half a glace cherry in the middle of the icing.
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