!/2 lb. softened butter
3/4 Cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
3 Cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda
Sift flour, cream of tartar and baking soda together and set aside. Cream the butter with the sugar and then add egg. Mix until incorporated. Add flour mixture in three additions, blending well after each. If dough is sticky, add 1/2 Cup more flour. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight.
Roll dough on well-floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into rectangles 1 inch by 2 1/2 inches and transfer to ungreased cookie sheet. I always brush off excess flour at this point.
Bake at 350 degrees until the bottoms start to brown. (8-10 mins) Transfer to cooling rack immediately.
Use red raspberry preserves as the middle layer between two cookies. Frost top cookie with glaze made of 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp. almond extract, and 3 Tbsp. milk.
Before the glaze sets, add thin slices and bits of red and green maraschino cherries to resemble holly leaves and berries or roses and leaves. Allow to dry thoroughly before packing into containers.
Top/center are my Empire Buscuits.
This recipe was given to me by an elegant English lady when I was young. I asked her why a cookie was called a "biscuit" and she laughed. Cookies are biscuits in the UK. I've made thousands of these over the years.