One of my most favourite cookie recipes, which are equally as easy to make, as they are easy to eat. Walnut Biscuits are sure to be a hit with any nutty lovers.
I’ve mentioned Granny’s little book of recipes before; filled to the brim with all her classic recipes – from shortbread, to pancakes; it houses all Granny’s biggest crowd pleasers. Walnut Biscuits are no exception.
Lovely little biscuits with a nice wee bit of nostalgic history behind them.
Granny first started making Walnut Biscuits as a teenager when she worked in a local coffee shop – her first full time job, circa 1976. They were always a favourite with the cafe-goers, particularly with a cuppa. Sweet, buttery and melt-in-the-mouth – it’s really is no wonder they were such a crowd pleaser.
As well as being truly scrumptious, Granny’s Walnut Biscuits are also incredibly easy to make. They’re the perfect recipe to bake with kids, and they’re also very versatile, and lend themselves to all different kinds of nuts.
Walnuts happen to be my favourite nut but why not give them a try with almonds, pecans, peanuts, or even pistachios?
How to make Walnut Biscuits?
Walnut Biscuits are so incredibly simple to make. All you have to do is cream together the butter/margarine & sugar, add an egg yolk & a little vanilla, stir in the walnuts, then add your flour. You place your dough into balls on a baking sheet, and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. And before you know it, you have a batch of some of the more delicious walnut cookies you will ever taste.
Can I use different nuts?
Walnut’s are my favourite nut, but if you’re not as keen or prefer something else, you can easily swap them out for your nut of choice. Peanuts, pistachios, almonds and pecans are all good alternatives.
Of course this would make them peanut biscuits. Or pistachio biscuits. Or almond biscuits. Or pecan biscuits… I don’t think they qualify as Walnut Biscuits without the walnuts!
Ingredients:
Butter or Block Margarine
As these Walnut Biscuits are loaded with flavour – from the sugar, vanilla & walnuts – the choice of butter or margarine purely comes down to personal preference, as neither will really enhance or effect the overall taste. I like margarine as a way to omit the dairy and because it is less expensive.
If using margarine, just be sure to use a block margarine, as opposed to a spreadable one. The latter will change the over all texture of your cookies due to having a higher water content.
Caster Sugar
When it comes to sugar, you can definitely do a bit of experimenting to find which sugar fits your taste. However, it is caster sugar that Granny has always used in these walnut cookies.
If you do prefer your biscuits to be a little less sweet, simply swap it out for a golden caster sugar.
Egg Yolk
Egg isn’t always used in biscuits but in this instance it provides an extra binding to the dough, as well as an extra richness to the over all flavour.
Don’t just bin the unused egg white though – use it towards some Meringues instead.
Vanilla Extract
One thing that Granny and I agree on is that vanilla is massively overused in baking these days. That being said, I do think that these walnut biscuits benefit from a smidgen of vanilla. Why? Because these are a sweet biscuit and in this instance, vanilla helps balance that out a little. You’ll see it’s only a small amount but that is all that is needed.
Self-raising Flour
Raising agents aren’t always required in biscuits but for Walnut Biscuits, we want them to rise a little whilst they bake, but fall again once they cool. This helps create the perfect balance of crunch and chew, as well as that iconic crinkled appearance.
Corn Flour
Like Shortbread, we add a little bit of cornflour to enhance the texture of these walnut biscuits. It works by making the dough a little “shorter” and gives the biscuits an nice bit of bite.
Granny's Top Tips
• Had your walnuts for a while? In that case, I’d always recommend getting some fresh ones. There’s nothing worse than going to the effort of making your delicious Walnut Cookies, only to find your walnuts have gone rancid and actually ruin the entire batch.
• On that note, did you know you should store your walnuts in the fridge to help prolong their freshness?
• Don’t over-chop your walnuts – you want them to give a bit of bite to your biscuits.
• If you choose to mix things up a little and use an alternative nut, depending on their size you may not need to chop them. Pistachios & peanuts will be fine as they are (shelled, of course). Almonds might be fine, depending on personal preference in terms of the mount of crunch you like. But I would still chop up pecans, if they’re your nut of choice.
Love this? Try this:
Walnut Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
- 115 g Caster Sugar
- 115 g Butter or Block Margarine at room temperature
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 60 g Walnuts roughly chopped
- ¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
- 115 g Self Raising Flour
- 1 tsp Cornflour
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (or 160°c for a fan-assisted oven or Gas Mark 4). Line a couple of sheets with some grease-proof paper. Set aside
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter & sugar, until light and creamy.
- Add the egg yolk, walnuts & vanilla, and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the flour and cornflour to the mixture, a little at a time, mixing until it forms a soft dough.
- Roll a small amount of dough into balls (between a teaspoon-tablespoon is ideal, depending on how big you want your biscuits to be) and place onto your pre-lined baking sheets with a bit of space between each ball. Flatten each ball a little with your fingers.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 15 minutes, until golden and spread.
- Leave on trays until cool enough to touch, before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
All my recipes are developed using a digital scale and the metric system (grams and millilitres). Cup measurements are available as a conversion but these, unfortunately, won't always be as accurate. For best results, I always recommend baking with a digital scale.
RECIPE NOTES:
- For full ingredient explanations, including substitutions, please see the Ingredients information above.
- For hints and hacks for success, please see Granny's Top Tips above.
- Once baked & cooled, Walnut Biscuits will be good for a few days, kept in an airtight container. As with most biscuits, they texture may change slightly over time.
Originally published in February 2017. Updated in December 2024.
Updated photos created by Naomi Seiler.
9 responses
What is your favourite nut or which are your favourite nuts
thank you …our book circle loved them
I thought they were going to be dry but no, just right!
Everyone loves them! I can’t make batches fast enough! Luckily I have 2 huge black walnut trees which often give me large quantities of nuts.
Made these today with my mum. I made them gluten free with gluten free self-raising flour & left out the cornflour. I had 2 biscuits to eat tonight because they were that good. I would definitely recommend to anyone.
Yum – made these for my girlfriend, she loved them!
Simple recipe with good ingredients, easy to make absolutely scrumptious.
Made a batch on Saturday , used a soft butter which was a good idea as I forgot to flatten them , when I remembered.They had already gone flat. Came out lovelyxx
I used cashews and added cardamom instead of vanilla essence,good option if you like a bit of spice. I also omitted the corn flour.
Brilliant and simple recipe, thank you.