Empire Cookies are buttery shortbread cookie sandwiches filled with raspberry jam and topped with a simple buttercream frosting. Delicious cookies that are both pretty and delicious!
I had never even heard of Empire Cookies until recently, but now that I’ve tried them, I’m hooked! I think they are common in England and Scotland, which explains why many Americans are missing out on knowing about these little treats.
What are Empire Cookies?
Empire Cookies are easy to make, but they are so fancy looking too! First, you need to make a simple shortbread cookie dough. Chill for an hour before rolling it out and cutting small circular cookies. Once the cookies are baked and cooled, top half of the cookies with raspberry jam before topping them off with the other half of the cookies. Pipe a bit of homemade buttercream icing on top of each cookie sandwich, and then serve!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST COOKIES:
After trying out multiple cookie recipes over many years, I have picked up several important tips for making the absolute BEST Empire Cookies!
- Make sure that you have enough flour in the dough. If the dough is too sticky, you may need to add a little bit of flour.
- Spend a little extra time when you mix the butter and sugar. Creaming them together for 2-3 minutes will improve the consistency of your cookies.
- Preheat the oven. This will help your cookies turn out right every time!
- Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Doing this will make it really easy to remove the cookies from your cookie sheet so that you don’t have to scrape them off the pan – they will just slide right off in perfect shape!
- Don’t over bake the cookies – when I take mine out of the oven, they still look slightly under baked but they will continue to bake on the cookie sheet for a couple more minutes so that’s ok!
Ingredients in Empire Cookie recipe
Flour – All-purpose flour works best. A gluten-free substitute works well too!
Baking powder – This is the leavening agent in the cookies. For best results, make sure the baking powder isn’t old or expired.
Butter – Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before adding to the other ingredients. For best results, use real butter.
Sugar – You can’t make cookies without sugar!
Egg – One egg will help to bind all of the other ingredients together. Beat the egg with a fork before adding to the other ingredients.
Almond extract – Just 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract adds a lot of flavor! If you have almond allergies, you can leave this out or swap it with vanilla extract.
FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar will make the buttercream frosting sweet and smooth.
Butter – Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature before mixing with the other frosting ingredients.
Milk – Just a little bit of milk will thin out the frosting to get the perfect consistency for piping.
Almond extract – A little bit of almond extract really adds amazing flavor to the frosting. Again, you can swap this out with vanilla if you’d like.
Jam – The cookie sandwiches are filled with raspberry jam. You want the jam layer to be thick enough to taste, but not so thick that it oozes out and makes a huge mess! You can use a different flavor of jam if you prefer.
Sprinkles – Sprinkles are totally optional, but they are fun to sprinkle on top of the frosting.
How to make Empire Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Add the flour and baking powder to a small mixing bowl and mix with a whisk to combine. Set aside.
Add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer for about 2-3 minutes. Pour in the beaten egg and almond extract and beat for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
Turn the dough out onto parchment paper, wrap it up, and place in the refrigerator for one hour.
After one hour, remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is approximately ¼ inch thick.
Cut out the cookies using a 1-inch scalloped cookie cutter and place them evenly spaced on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet.
Bake for 6-7 minutes or until the bottoms are barely golden brown. Let the cookies cool for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Directions for Frosting:
Add butter and almond extract to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy.
With the mixer set on LOW speed, slowly add in the powdered sugar, followed by the milk, and mix until just combined. Turn the mixer speed up, and beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
Add the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Set aside.
Cookie Assembly:
Lay half of the cooled cookies on a baking sheet, bottom side up. Spread a small amount of jam onto each cookie and top with the remaining half of the cookies.
Pipe a small swirl of frosting onto each cookie.
Top with sprinkles if desired.
HOW DO YOU SOFTEN BUTTER?
I like to soften butter by using the defrost function on my microwave. If you need the full 1/2 cup cube of butter, you can leave it in the paper wrapper, otherwise, place the amount of butter you need in a glass or porcelain bowl. I use the lowest defrost setting on my microwave and just let it run for 20 seconds. Check the butter and see how soft it is by pressing it with a rubber scraper. If it is still not soft to the touch, meaning it doesn’t indent when you press into it, let it warm for another 5-10 seconds. Watch it closely! Butter softens very quickly.
How to store Empire Cookies
Empire Cookies can be kept at room temperature for up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. You can freeze the cookies for about 3-4 months. I usually freeze the cookies before adding the jam and the frosting and add those to the thawed cookies just before assembling them and serving.
MORE DELICIOUS COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:
- RASPBERRY ALMOND KISS COOKIES
- LEMON RASPBERRY COOKIES
- BROWN SUGAR SHORTBREAD COOKIES
- ORANGE SHORTBREAD COOKIES
- RASPBERRY MELTAWAY COOKIES
- CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE COOKIES
- TWIX COOKIE CUPS
- DUTCH ALMOND COOKIE CUPS
- FRUIT SHAPED LINZER COOKIES
- STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE COOKIES
Empire Cookies are buttery shortbread cookie sandwiches filled with raspberry jam and topped with a simple buttercream frosting. Delicious cookies that are both pretty and delicious!
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