Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Biscuit Base
- 175 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 75 g caster sugar
- 250 g plain flour
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Filling
- 100 g raspberry jam, smooth or seeded
Icing and Topping
- 150 g icing sugar, sifted
- 20 ml warm water
- 6 glacé cherries, halved
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 42 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 24 g
- Sodium
- 7 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 7 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 31 mg
- Potassium
- 34 mg
- Calcium
- 10 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 5 mg
- Phosphorus
- 28 mg
- Zinc
- 0.2 mg
- Vitamin A
- 100 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.03 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.02 mg
- Niacin
- 0.3 mg
- Folate
- 7 mcg
- Water
- 9 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and caster sugar together using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and gently mix in the plain flour until a soft dough forms. Do not overwork the dough.
Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up the butter.
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F and line two baking trays with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 5mm. Use the 6cm round biscuit cutter to cut out 24 circles, re-rolling scraps as needed.
Place the dough circles onto the prepared baking trays. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 180°C/350°F until pale golden at the edges.
Allow the biscuits to rest on the trays for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Once completely cool, spread about 1 teaspoon of raspberry jam onto the flat side of half the biscuits. Top with the remaining biscuits, pressing gently to sandwich them together.
In a clean bowl, gradually whisk the warm water into the sifted icing sugar until you achieve a smooth, thick, spreadable consistency that holds its shape slightly.
Spoon a small amount of icing onto the top of each biscuit sandwich, spreading it gently toward the edges. Place a glacé cherry half in the center of the wet icing and leave to set for 15 minutes.
Chef's Notes
- To achieve a cleaner presentation, lightly warm your jam in a small saucepan or microwave and stir until smooth. This makes spreading much easier and creates a uniform layer without tearing the tender shortbread.
- Always sift your icing sugar. Even tiny lumps will ruin the smooth, glossy surface of the finished biscuit top.
- Shortbread dough relies on cold butter to maintain its tender crumb. If you notice the dough becoming greasy or exceedingly soft while rolling, place it back in the refrigerator immediately.
- When sandwiching the biscuits, press them together from the center outwards to gently push the jam to the edges without overflowing.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store in an airtight container to keep the icing firm.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the baked, un-iced and unfilled biscuit rounds only. Defrost before assembling.
Troubleshooting
Biscuits spread too much in the oven and lose their round shape
Cause: The dough was too warm or over-mixed before baking
Fix: While hot out of the oven, use a larger round cutter to gently scooch the edges back into a perfect circle
Prevention: Ensure you chill the dough thoroughly before rolling, and re-chill the cut out shapes for 10 minutes if the kitchen is warm
Icing runs completely off the sides of the biscuit
Cause: Too much water was added to the icing sugar
Fix: Whisk in an additional 20 to 30 grams of sifted icing sugar until the consistency thickens
Prevention: Add water just half a teaspoon at a time while mixing the icing
Biscuits crumble when trying to spread the jam
Cause: Biscuits were still warm or handled too roughly
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but broken pieces can be used as an ice cream topping
Prevention: Allow biscuits to cool completely on a wire rack before assembling
Cultural Context
Originally known as the German biscuit or Linzer biscuit, this classic treat was renamed the Empire biscuit in Britain during World War I for patriotic reasons. Today, it remains an iconic and ubiquitous staple in Scottish bakeries, beloved across generations for its crumbly texture, sharp fruit jam, and sweet nostalgic finish.
