Last year The English Tea Store mentioned that I would be writing a blog of recipes and also trying those recipes out. Penny Shiel asked for a good recipe for Empire biscuits and I have now found one. The basic biscuits are shortbread and two biscuits are sandwiched together with jam and then icing put on top plus a glace cherry if liked.  You will need;

12 oz butter
4 oz sugar
12 oz plain flour
4 oz cornstarch
a few drops of vanilla essence

a small amount of jam
4 oz icing sugar
water

Oven 180 C, 350 F or gas mark 4

2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy and add the vanilla essence, then beat in the flour and cornstarch until everything is combined. Turn out onto a floured board and roll out to 1/2 inch thick, cut out 48 rounds using a small plain scone/biscuit cutter and place on the baking sheets, not too close together. Bake for about 20-25 mins until golden but not brown; if necessary cover the biscuits with foil after 10 mins to stop the biscuits from browning too much. Allow to cool on the baking sheets and then transfer to a cooling rack.  When cold place one teaspoon of jam on one biscuit and put another biscuit on top.  Then make your icing with icing sugar and water, not too runny though! Ice each biscuit top and if liked place a small piece of glace cherry on top.  This makes about 24 completed biscuits which will keep in an airtight tin. I ate mine with some lemon tea.

~JB