Welsh Cookies (aka Welsh Cakes)

Cooked like a pancake instead of baked, Welsh Cookies are soft, buttery, lightly sweet, and a perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee!

My grandmother was Welsh. Her parents came here right from Wales, and she was the first generation born here in America. They brought with them some excellent recipes – and this recipe for Welsh Cookies is my absolute favorite!

I decided to make this recipe my very first post (!!!) in honor of my grandmother. Gram is the one who truly – more than anyone else – inspired me to get in the kitchen and cook. Her food was always so delicious! Every. Single. Thing. My grandfather always used to joke and say that she could probably make crap taste good.

For my entire life growing up, I spent just about every single Sunday in the kitchen watching and helping Gram cook Sunday dinner. She taught me so much! Her food was always made from scratch using simple ingredients, and nothing was complicated, but everything tasted soooo good. I’ve tried to follow closely in her footsteps!

Okay, now back to those Welsh Cookies…

I’ve also seen these called Welsh Cakes, but I have always known them as Welsh Cookies because that’s what Gram and everyone else who made them always called them. To me, they are kind of a hybrid between a pancake, a scone, and a cookie. Call them what you like. I’ll just call them delicious!

Welsh Cookies were always a special treat for me because they only seemed to make an appearance around the holidays or for special occasions – and I have no idea why! They are super easy and quick to make. You could be enjoying them in under an hour.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE WELSH COOKIES:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Nutmeg
• Salt
• Unsalted butter
• Sugar
• Zante currants
• Egg
• Milk

In case you aren’t familiar with Zante currants, they’re just extra-tiny raisins (Trivia: they are dried black Corinth grapes – originally from Greece – and are not actually true currants). I’ve never had any trouble finding them in the grocery store (right by the raisins). Here’s a photo showing the difference in size:

HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE WELSH COOKIES:

Here’s a tip to help you avoid overcooking your cookies: After you have flipped them over, when you think they are done, carefully (don’t touch the hot griddle/pan) feel the edges of the cookies (kind of give the cookies a light squeeze). The edges should be dry but have a little give to them. This will give you a soft, perfectly-cooked, not-dried-out cookie. If the edges are hard and have no give, the cookies are likely overdone.

And please, please, please don’t skip the step of sprinkling the cookies with some sugar right after they come off the griddle. It makes these cookies everything they are supposed to be!

You can eat these while still warm (Mmm, yes, please!), but they are still super delicious after they have cooled off. Some people like to put butter on them. Me, I like them just the way they are, warm or cold, with a cup of tea.

COMMON QUESTIONS:

• Can I use raisins instead of currants? Sure you can! The cookies will just be slightly different. Traditional Welsh Cookies are made with currants. Currants are a lot smaller than raisins, and so they distribute more evenly throughout the dough, and you will get more currants in every bite.
• What if I don’t have unsalted butter? You can use regular salted butter, but I would recommend eliminating the salt called for in the recipe. You don’t want your cookies to be too salty.
• What if I don’t have an electric griddle? No problem! Use a non-stick frying pan or a stove-top griddle. Watch carefully until you get the temperature just right. Since all stoves are different, I would suggest starting on medium-low or medium and make adjustments as needed from there.
• Can I bake these in the oven? Nope. Sorry!

Thanks, Gram for inspiring me to get in the kitchen and cook like you! Miss you!

I hope you try this recipe for Welsh Cookies and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!

Welsh Cookies (aka Welsh Cakes)

Cooked like a pancake instead of baked, Welsh Cookies are soft, buttery, lightly sweet, and a perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time For Each Additional Batch: 8 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

Servings: 14 (1 serving = 1 cookie)

Calories: 127

Author: Michelle | Now Cook This!

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• pinch salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup Zante currants
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 additional tablespoons sugar, for sprinkling on the cookies
• cooking spray, for greasing the griddle/pan

Instructions

• Preheat an electric griddle to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
• Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender, fork, or two butter knives, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Stir in the sugar and currants.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg and milk. Using a fork, mix until the dough comes together. It will be slightly sticky. If it is very, very sticky and too wet, add a little more flour.
• Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Sprinkle some flour over the top of the dough and shape it into a disc. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to a thickness of ¼ inch. 
• Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut out 14 cookies. You may have to re-roll the dough trimmings a few times.
• Lightly spray the griddle with cooking spray. Place as many cookies on the griddle as will fit without them touching each other.
• Cook on the first side until the bottom is lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
• Carefully flip over and cook until lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Remove cookies from the griddle and place on a wire cooling rack. Immediately sprinkle with some sugar while the cookies are still warm. 
• If you were not able to fit all of your cookies on the griddle at once, repeat the process with the remaining cookies.
• Serve warm or cooled.

Notes

• If you don't have an electric griddle, you can use a non-stick frying pan or stove-top griddle. Start at medium-low to medium heat, watch the cookies carefully, and adjust the heat as necessary.
• Raisins can be substituted for the currants, but I recommend using currants. They are smaller and will distribute more evenly throughout the dough. You can find them by the raisins in the grocery store.
• Tip to making sure these don't get overcooked: After you have flipped them over, when you think they are done, carefully (don't touch the hot griddle/pan) and gently feel the edges of the cookies (give the cookies a light squeeze). The edges should be dry but have a little give. This will give you a soft, not-dried-out cookie. If the edges are hard and there is no give, they are likely overdone.
• Total cooking time of 28 minutes is based on being able to cook these all in one batch. Please add about 8 minutes for cooking each additional batch.

Did you try this recipe? I'd love to see it!Mention @nowcookthis or tag #nowcookthisrecipes!

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