Welsh cookies are cooked on a griddle instead of baked in the oven. They’re a little like a pancake, somewhat like a biscuit, and yet they’re called cookies. This traditional treat doesn’t fit neatly into any one category, but one thing is certain — it’s delicious!

Welsh cookies with lightly crisp, golden surfaces arranged on a black wire cooling rack.

Traditional welsh cookies made in a skillet

I grew up watching my grandma make Welsh cookies for community events and fundraisers for the local Lioness Club. I can’t even begin to guess how many of these cookies came out of her kitchen over the years. But I do know that I flipped a whole lot of them on that hot griddle! These not-too-sweet treats are buttery, with a tender, cake-like texture on the inside and a lightly crisp, golden brown outside.

I never knew much about their origins until I started researching them for this post. Now that I do, their popularity in the countryside surrounding Scranton, Pennsylvania, where I grew up, makes perfect sense. The region has a long history of coal mining, and Welsh cookies have ties to both the Welsh immigrants who settled there and the mining industry. The recipes came with the settlers, and the cookies were well suited to miners who needed food that traveled well and could be eaten quickly by hand.

As the coal mining industry declined, Welsh cookies became associated with holiday baking in the region. At least, that’s what my research suggests. That wasn’t my experience growing up. Grandma made them all year long for fundraisers, always making sure a few were squirreled away for the family at home. But this year, I’m making them for the holidays in honor of tradition — even if that particular tradition isn’t my own.

If you love bringing homemade cookies to the table as much as I do, be sure to try my chocolate dipped sugar cookies, homemade jam thumbprint cookies, and old-fashioned Italian almond cookies next.

Recipe ingredients

Butter: Gives Welsh cookies their rich flavor and contributes to their tender, cake-like interior. Good-quality butter makes a noticeable difference in a simple recipe like this one. For the very best results make your own from scratch butter.
All-purpose flour: Provides enough structure for the cookies to hold their shape on the griddle while maintaining a soft, tender center. Standard all-purpose flour is the best choice for this traditional recipe.
Nutmeg: Adds a warm, subtly sweet spice flavor that complements the butter and raisins. Freshly grated nutmeg has a fuller, more pronounced flavor than pre-ground nutmeg, but either works well.
Raisins: Provides little pockets of sweetness and a chewy contrast to the tender dough. Currants are the traditional choice because they’re smaller and distribute more evenly throughout the cookies. However, raisins are easier to find and became the customary addition in the coal-mining region of Pennsylvania where I grew up.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make Welsh cookies

Step 1: Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure they’re thoroughly combined.

Step 2: Add the eggs and half and half to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, making sure the leavening agents are evenly distributed so the cookies rise consistently as they cook.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until no dry flour remains. Avoid overworking the dough to preserve the cookies tender, cake-like texture.

Step 5: Fold the raisins into the dough, distributing them as evenly as possible without excessive mixing.

Step 6: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. This firms the dough, making it easier to roll without adding too much flour.

Step 7: Lightly flour your work surface and roll the chilled dough to an even 1/4-inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or the rim of a drinking glass to cut the dough into rounds, pressing straight down for clean edges. Gently gather and reroll the scraps, using as little additional flour as possible.

Step 8: Heat a griddle over medium-low to medium heat and lightly coat it with oil. Arrange the cookies in a single layer, leaving room to turn them. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, then flip and cook the opposite sides. Keep the heat moderate so the centers have time to cook through before the outsides become too dark. The finished cookies should be lightly crisp on the outside and soft and cake-like inside.

Top tips

Keep the dough refrigerated: When making a large batch, work with a portion of the dough at a time so the butter doesn’t soften too much while you’re rolling and cutting.
Watch for hot spots: Griddles don’t always heat evenly, particularly larger ones. Rotate the cookies or adjust their positions if some are browning faster than others.
Cool on a wire rack: Transfer them to a wire rack after cooking so steam can escape and the lightly crisp exteriors don’t become damp.
Sprinkle with sugar while hot: Many traditional Welsh cookie recipes call for a light sprinkling of granulated sugar after cooking. Add it while the cookies are still hot so the sugar adheres to their surfaces.
Store properly: Keep completely cooled Welsh cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to help preserve their soft, cake-like centers.
Freeze for longer storage: Arrange the completely cooled cookies in a single layer and freeze until firm. Transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Serve

Welsh cookies are delicious served warm from the griddle or at room temperature. Enjoy them plain, with a traditional sprinkling of sugar, or with a little butter. For a breakfast or brunch spread, serve them alongside fresh berries, eggs, and breakfast sausage patties. You can also offer homemade cranberry compote, blueberry compote from scratch, or sweet and spicy strawberry jam for those who enjoy a little fruit topping.

These buttery cookies are a natural companion to a hot cup of tea, freshly brewed coffee, or homemade chai spiced cacao. Their lightly sweet flavor pairs particularly well with coffee made with peppermint chocolate creamer, brown sugar creamer from scratch, or natural cinnamon roll creamer.

Welsh cookies also make a lovely addition to a holiday cookie tray. Arrange them alongside old-fashioned butterball cookies, double chocolate chip cookies from scratch, chocolate hazelnut stuffed cookies, and homemade peanut butter and jelly cookies for a tempting assortment.