Welsh Cookies are the most popular cookies in Wales; sometimes they call them Welsh Cakes and Bakestones, but it is commonly known as Welsh cookies.
Welsh Cakes have been popular since the late 19th century. They are made from flour, currants, butter/lard, milk, eggs, and some spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg. Welsh Cookies can be served cold or hot, and sometimes dusted with cinnamon sugar, caster sugar, or any other preferred toppings.
These Welsh Cookies are made from an authentic, traditional Welsh recipe. Their name in Welsh is 'pice doary maen' which literally means 'cakes on the stone'. This makes sense because these Welsh Cakes were traditionally cooked on the bakestone. They taste like a cross between a pancake, cookie, and scone.
Now, let me tell you in detail my experience with Welsh Cookies, how I made them and how they turned out.
These Welsh Cookies are cooked in a skillet or pan like pancakes. They have a soft and fluffy texture and a sweet taste. They are usually served warm with some butter on top. These Welsh cookies are perfect for breakfast with a cup of tea or eat them as a dessert.
Welsh Cookie Ingredients:
All-purpose flour
Nutmeg
Pinch of salt
Baking powder
Unsalted butter, cold, cubed
Granulated sugar
An egg
Dried currants or cranberries
Milk
Sugar, for sprinkling on the cookies
Cooking spray, to grease the pan
How to make Welsh Cookies?
In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder. Add the butter cubes by using a fork to cut the butter. The mixture will look like coarse crumbs. Next, stir in the cranberries and granulated sugar. After that, add the egg and milk. Mix it well until the dough comes together. (the dough will be a bit sticky).
Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Then place the dough on top of the flour. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough. Next, use the rolling pin to roll the dough out. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into 16 cookies. (You will need to re-roll the dough trimmings).
Grease a large skillet with some oil or butter. Cook the first patch of the cookies. They will take about 2 minutes on one side and 2 more minutes on the other. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Once you take the cookies out of the skillet, sprinkle them immediately with sugar and serve.
Top Tips:
- Traditionally, these cookies are made with currant not cranberries, but they are so delicious with cranberries. Feel free to use any of them, or you can even use raisins instead.
- Make sure to use a well-greased, non-stick frying pan or skillet. You can also use a cast-iron pan if you want.
- If you are going to use plain or all-purpose flour, make sure to add a little bit of baking powder (not too much) about ½ teaspoon.
- Don't use granulated sugar instead of caster sugar. It is important to the texture of these cookies.
- Use nutmeg, don't skip it because it gives the cookies a lovely aroma and flavour.
- The most important thing about making these Welsh Cookies is getting your pan temperature right. These cookies will need 2 minutes to cook well on each side, so make sure the pan is not too hot.
- You can dust these cookies with granulated sugar, powder sugar, or cinnamon sugar. They are delicious with any of these.
- Don't overcook the cookies, or they will turn out dry.
- If you have an electric griddle, you can use it in cooking these cookies instead of using a skillet.
Recipe FAQs
Can I substitute cranberries?
Yes, you can substitute cranberries with raisins or currant.
How to store and freeze these Welsh Cookies?
You can leave these cookies for a whole day in room temperature or put in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
These cookies are better warm, so if you like to freeze them, you can do that while they are raw. After you cut them, place parchment paper between the cookies, then wrap in plastic wrap or put in a well-sealed container and freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw them in room temperature before cooking.
How to reheat them?
The best way to reheat these Welsh Cookies is put in the oven for 4-5 minutes.
What to serve with Welsh cookies?
You can top these cookies with butter, jam, honey, or maple syrup.
Are these cookies sweet?
They are sweet but not overly so.
Can I bake Welsh Cookies in the oven?
No, you can't; the texture and taste of these Welsh cookies will be very different if you baked them.
Why are my cookies turn out dry?
I think the reason for that is your cookies were too thin (less than 1 cm thick), which will make them cook to fast and become dry. So, when you roll out the dough, make sure it is about 1 cm thick to get the perfect Welsh cookies.
More recipes you may like
No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies
Eggnog cookies
Sweet potato cookies
Peanut butter pancakes
Welsh Cookies - Welsh Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup dried currants or cranberries
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 2 tablespoon sugar, for sprinkling on the cookies
- cooking spray to grease the pan
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter cubes by using a fork to cut the butter. The mixture will look like coarse crumbs. Next, stir in the cranberries and granulated sugar. After that, add the egg and milk. Mix it well until the dough comes together. (the dough will be a bit sticky).
- Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface. Then place the dough on top of the flour. Sprinkle some more flour on top of the dough. Next, use the rolling pin to roll the dough out. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into 16 cookies. (You will need to re-roll the dough trimmings).
- Grease a large skillet with some oil or butter. Cook the first patch of the cookies. They will take about 2 minutes on one side and 2 more minutes on the other. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Once you take the cookies out of the skillet, sprinkle them immediately with sugar and serve.
Nutrition
These Welsh cookies are amazing; my young son loves them so much.
We all love Welsh Cookies in our house, I tried this recipe, and it was amazing. The cookies didn’t last long 🙂
I made these Welsh cake this morning for brunch, and they were excellent! By the way, they are more cake-like than cookies. Everyone loved them. I topped them with powdered sugar, and they were amazing.
The first patch I cooked burned a little because the heat was too high, but the second and third patches were amazing. These welsh cakes are so delicious when eaten warm.
I learned to make Welsh cookies from my mother who learned from her mother (who immigrated to the US at age 6 from Wales). I have grandmothers hand written recipe framed on the kitchen wall. (Her recipe calls for 1/2 lb of oleo. ) Mom made them (as I do now) in an electric skillet. Set at 275 degrees its 8 mins flip 5 mins. This makes for a long day. This year was my first deviation from currants to cranberries and I added some chopped and toasted pecans. These were a hit. Will try sugaring the tops next time.
We loved them growing up with raisins.
Welsh cookies are an amazing treat for Christmas. I top them with cinnamon sugar and serve them with a cup of milk or tea. So delicious!!
Welsh Cakes is my family's old recipe; I used to serve them warm with a little butter on the tops!