Saturday 15th September 2018 sees the Isle of Skye host the start of the “I
would walk 500 miles” walk in support of a second Scottish Independence Referendum. A friend of ours is having a stall at the start and asked if I would bake some Empire Biscuits for the stall. With my baking credentials, how could I refuse. Traditionally Empire Biscuits are decorated with half a glacé cherry or jelly sweet such as a jelly tot. However these Empire Biscuits are adorned with an edible Saltire Flag to support the dedicated walkers who are heading just over 500 miles to Edinburgh.
Empire Biscuit Recipe
Ingredients
150g caster sugar
250g unsalted butter
500g plain flour
1 large egg and one egg yolk
Strawberry or Raspberry Jam for the filling
For the icing:
200g icing sugar
Boiling water
Glacé cherries/Jelly sweets
Method
Preheat the oven to 160c fan and line some flat baking trays to bake the biscuits on. I used greaseproof baking sheets.
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and creamy.
Add the egg and yolk and mix together.
Sift the flour into the mixture and combine until everything is mixed and you can form a dough ball.
Next roll the dough out on a floured surface until it is the thickness of a £1 coin (approx 3-4 mm).
Using a 7cm cutter cut out the biscuits and transfer onto the baking trays.
The dough should yield about 40 discs which will make 20 Empire Biscuits.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges start turning a golden colour.
You may need to bake them in a couple of batches.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire cooling rack.
Whilst the biscuits are still warm spread a thin layer of jam on top of one biscuit and then sandwich another biscuit on top. Leave to cool completely.
Sift the icing sugar into a large wide bowl and add a drop of boiling water until you have a gloopy consistency in which you can dunk the biscuits.
Dunk each biscuit into the icing and if necessary smooth over with a palette knife.
Top each biscuit with a glacé cherry or jelly sweet.
Put the kettle on, put your feet up and enjoy an Empire Biscuit.
