Cooked on a griddle instead of baked, Welsh Cookies are soft, buttery, lightly sweet, studded with currants, and a perfect treat to enjoy with a cup of your favorite tea or coffee!
Michelle's Recipe Rundown
I'm half Welsh, thanks to my grandma on my father's side and my grandpa on my mom's side. And one of the best things about that has always been the Welsh cookies!
Traditionally, these are known as Welsh cakes. But where I was born and raised, in Pennsylvania's Wyoming Valley where many from Wales settled, almost everyone calls them Welsh cookies. Call them what you like. Either way, there's no debate that they're absolutely delicious.
Unlike most cookies that we're familiar with here in the States, the dough for Welsh cookies is rolled out, cut into circles and cooked on a griddle (or in a pan) rather than baked in the oven. It's an easy process that you do all by hand.
The result is a not-too-sweet treat that's soft, light, buttery and cake-like on the inside and golden brown and sprinkled with sugar on the outside. To me, they're sort of like a hybrid between a pancake, a scone or biscuit, and a cookie.
Ready to enjoy in about 30 minutes, you can eat these while still warm or after they have cooled off. Some people like to put butter on them. I like them just the way they are with a cup of tea.
Growing up, these were a special treat that only made an appearance around the holidays. But ever since I learned how to make them, I make them all year long because they're just too good to not to!
Featured Review:
These were excellent! The only downside is that they disappeared too fast!!
~ Dana ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Ingredients & Notes
This photo shows all of the ingredients you'll need to make Welsh cookies. I've also included a few notes on making the best selections, preparation and some easy substitutes.
Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Zante Currants - These are extra-tiny raisins made from black Corinth grapes. Look for them near the raisins in the grocery store. These days, they are usually easy to find, but if you can't get them, you can use regular raisins. I prefer the smaller currants, though, because they distribute more evenly throughout the dough, and you get more in every bite.
- Unsalted Butter - Cubed and cold to achieve that light texture. You can use salted butter instead, but if you do, I recommend omitting or reducing the salt called for in the recipe. Or you can go the more traditional route and use lard instead of butter.
- Nutmeg - I use and recommend whole nutmeg that you grate fresh; it has better flavor. You can substitute pre-ground nutmeg.
Special Equipment Needed
- Pastry Cutter/Blender - A hand-held tool used for cutting the butter into the flour. If you don't have one, you can use a fork, two butter knives, or your fingers.
- Electric Griddle - For cooking the cookies. Alternately, you can use a stove-top griddle or a non-stick frying pan. Since all stoves and pans are different, I suggest starting on medium-low or medium heat, watching carefully and making adjustments, as needed, until you get the temperature just right.
How to Make Welsh Cookies
This is a brief overview of the steps. The full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions is in the recipe card below.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes, then combine with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the sugar and currants. Make a well in the center and add the egg and milk. Use a fork to lightly beat the egg and milk, then combine everything until a dough forms.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle the top with flour and shape into a disk. Roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Cut the dough into 14 rounds with a 2½-inch biscuit cutter (re-roll the scraps as needed).
Place the dough rounds onto a pre-heated to 350°F electric griddle that has been greased. Cook until lightly golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes.
Flip and cook until lightly golden on the other side and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.
Remove the cookies to a wire rack and immediately sprinkle both sides with sugar.
Recipe Tips
- For perfectly-cooked, soft cookies that aren't dried-out, here's how I test them: I feel the edges of the cookies and given them just a very light squeeze in from the sides (being very careful not to touch the hot griddle while doing this; alternately, you can remove one to a plate first and then test it). The edges should be dry but still have a little give. If the edges are hard and have no give, the cookies are likely overdone.
- Don't skip the final sugar sprinkle. It makes these cookies everything they are supposed to be!
Storage
Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 to 3 days. The fresher they are, the better they are, so enjoy them sooner rather than later!
If needed, you can freeze Welsh cookies. Once cooled completely, for best results, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, then put the wrapped cookies in a freezer bag or airtight freezer container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw completely at room temperature and enjoy.
I hope you try this Welsh Cookies recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
If you make this recipe, I'd love to know how it went! Please leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
📋Recipe
Welsh Cookies (aka Welsh Cakes)
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, freshly-grated (recommended) or pre-ground
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- ¼ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the cookies
- ⅓ cup Zante currants
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- cooking spray, for greasing the griddle/pan
Instructions
- Preheat an electric griddle to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt.
- Add the cold butter cubes to the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter/blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the ¼ cup sugar and currants.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg and milk. Using a fork, lightly beat the egg and milk until combined, then mix everything in 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 out the dough scraps 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 golden brown, about 4 minutes.
- Carefully flip over and cook until lightly golden brown on the other side and cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove cookies from the griddle and place on a wire cooling rack. Immediately sprinkle the cookies with some sugar on both sides while they are still warm.
- If you were not able to fit all of your cookies on the griddle at once, repeat the cooking process with the remaining cookies.
- Serve the cookies warm or cooled.
Notes
- For perfectly-cooked, soft cookies that aren't dried-out, test them like this: When you think they are done, carefully feel the edges of the cookies and given them just a very light squeeze in from the sides (be careful not to touch the hot griddle while doing this). The edges should be dry but still have a little give. If the edges are hard and have no give, the cookies are likely overdone.
- If you don't have an electric griddle, you can use a stove-top griddle or a non-stick frying pan. Since all stoves and pans are different, start at medium-low to medium heat, watch the cookies carefully, and adjust the heat as necessary.
- Raisins can be substituted for the currants in a pinch, but I recommend using currants. Not only are they traditional, but they are smaller and will distribute more evenly throughout the dough. Look for them by the raisins in the grocery store.
- If you need to substitute salted butter, omit or reduce the salt called for in the ingredients.
- 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.
This post was updated on 4/7/26 with new step-by-step and ingredient photos, ingredient notes, and storage instructions. The recipe itself hasn't changed!
JC Allen says
My Aunt Helen Cerep would save her coins and once a month she would go to the neighborhood bakery and buy a dozen Welsh Cakes and share them with her nieces and nephews. I loved them. I love and miss my Aunt Helen Cerep...she was the best.
Michelle says
Thanks so much for sharing this, JC. I love how food can create such cherished memories for us!
Judith Baker says
My MIL was Welsh and she used lard instead of the butter!! My kids loved them with a glass of milk after school.
Barbara says
I live in Australia and had a Welsh dad. We knew them as a cakes but “what’s in a name “ as Shakespeare said “ that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet “ and these taste as good. Thank you for the delicious recipe. Incidentally I cooked on an electric crepe maker which gave a great result and is great for reheating if you happen to have some leftovers.
Michelle says
Thank you, Barbara...I'm so happy you enjoyed them, and I appreciate your kind words. Great tip on using the crepe maker!