Empire biscuit

An Empire biscuit is a sweet biscuit originating in Scotland and popular in the North East of England. It is also popular in Ireland, as well as Canada.
Empire biscuits were originally known as German biscuits but were renamed during World [War I] due to anti-German sentiment. Other regional names include Imperial biscuits or double biscuits.
Empire biscuits are loved for their buttery texture, sweet jam filling, and the extra sweetness from the icing, making them a popular choice in bakeries and for afternoon tea.

History

The Empire biscuit was originally known as the "Linzer biscuit", and later as the "Deutsch biscuit". With the outbreak of the First [World War] it was renamed the Empire biscuit.

Ingredients

The typical Empire biscuit has a layer of jam in between two biscuits, typically shortbread. The top is covered with white water icing, usually decorated with a glace cherry in the centre, but Dew Drops are common too. They are derived from the Austrian Linzer Augen, a similar shortbread cookie sandwich which has 1–3 small round cut outs in the upper cookie and is dusted with powdered sugar. The empire biscuit does not have a cut-out section on the top and is decorated with white icing.