If you want an authentic taste of Merida’s Kingdom of Dunbroch why not try making these Brave Empire Biscuits?
This easy Scottish sweet treat recipe is inspired by the Empire Biscuits from Brave.
Not only does Merida have to contend with her parents’ obsession with marrying her off to a suitor of their choice, but she also has her identical triplet brothers to deal with.
As with everything in a Pixar movie, the filmmakers always make sure that the details are as accurate as possible.
So when they needed to decide what would appear in the banquet scene they looked to find something traditionally Scottish to include on the Royal Table. The triplets don’t seem to be enjoying their haggis very much, but the Empire Biscuits are a different story!
Harris, Hubert, and Hamish are mischievous, to say the least. Not only do they eat more than their fair share of the Scottish Empire Biscuits, they even use them as a weapon!
So what are Empire Biscuits?
They are essentially two rounds of shortbread with jam in the middle and icing on the top. To finish them off you decorate with a Maraschino Cherry on top!
Now you can make your very own Brave Empire Biscuits from Brave with this easy recipe.
Pixar Brave Empire Biscuits Copycat Recipe
This recipe makes 12 rolls. They are pretty large so if you are making these for young children you may want to split the rolls in half to make 24 instead.
The Preparation time is 25 minutes with a Bake time of 25 minutes.
Equipment Needed for Brave Empire Biscuits
- Stand Mixer With Dough Hook and Whisk Attachments
- Bowl
- Towel
- Glass Liquid Measuring Cup or Jug
- Dry Ingredient Measuring Cups
- Piping Bag for Icing
If you don’t have a stand mixer you can do this the old fashioned way and knead the dough mixture as you would for a basic bread recipe.
However, if you really enjoy baking they I highly recommend you invest in a stand mixer. Kitchen Aid is the very best and even though the initial investment might give you sticker shock, it is well worth the investment.
Empire Biscuit Ingredients
- 1 Package of Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 Cup of Warm Whole Milk
- 5 Tbsp of Bread Flour
- 1/4 Cup of Granulated Sugar
- 8 Whole Eggs
- 3 Cups plus 1 Tbsp Bread Flour
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter at Room Temperature
- Eggwash (1 egg + 1 tsp water)
- Rich and Creamy Vanilla Frosting
- Maraschino Cherries, halved
Maraschino Cherries, halved
Make sure that you use bread flour and don’t substitute it out. Also use the best unsalted butter that you can find. It makes a difference to the taste of the Empire Biscuit.
Directions To Make Brave Empire Biscuits
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the packed yeast, warm milk and add 5 Tbsp of the bread flour.
Cover and set he mixture aside for 10 minutes.
Put the eggs and granulated sugar in your stand mixer and whisk until smooth.
Change the attachment on the stand mixer to the dough hook attachment and add in 2 cups bread flour on low speed.
Mix and then add the salt and remaining bread flour. Be patient and ensure all the bread flour is mixed in.
Cut the butter into chunks and add in to the mixture. Knead the dough for 2 minutes in the mixing bowl.
Remove from the bowl. The dough is very sticky at this point.
Use a bench scraper if you need to and add some extra flour to make it easier to work with.
Shape the dough into a ball. Cover with a towel and leave it to rise for 90 minutes in a warm place.
Punch down the dough and form 12 small rolls. Or if you want smaller biscuits divide them into 24 rolls.
Place on a parchment-lined baking tray, cover, and leave to prove in a warm place covered with a towel for 30 mins.
Brush with the egg wash. I so much prefer to use a silicone pastry brush as they are much easier to clean than the traditional ones with bristles.
Bake for 22-25 mins until golden brown. Make sure you watch them closely as you do not want them to burn!
While you are waiting for the Empire Biscuits to bake, you can cut the cherries in half.
Remove the biscuits from the oven and cool before icing.
You can make your own vanilla icing but it is fine to use store bought frosting.
Pipe creamy vanilla icing over each roll. The ones in the movie Brave have a four point flower design so we did this too! Top off with half a maraschino cherry on each biscuit.
Now you have a biscuit fit for a Disney Pixar Princess and her royal family!
Optional Orange Glaze
If you want to add a delicious orange flavor to your Brave Empire Biscuits you can easily make this glaze.
Add one 1 tsp orange flavoring to 1 cup of store-bought vanilla frosting. Make sure you mix it well to evenly distribute the flavor.
If you need the mixture to be looser to make it easier to pipe with then just put it into the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds.
Then pour into your piping bag and pipe your design onto your rolls. Add the cherry on the top and leave to set for around 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
More Disney Copycat Recipes
If you enjoy making Disney recipes at home we have an ever-growing collection for you!. Here are some Disney Copycat recipes for you to try:
Princess Tiana’s Beignet Recipe
Disney Frozen Hot Chocolate Bomb
Disney Cruise Cocktail Recipes
Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.