Sweetly spiced biscuits, made with oats and topped with an almond. Perkins biscuits are the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa.
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I do love Perkins biscuits.
Crisp, oaty, warmly spiced cookies topped with a blanched almond – simple but oh-so delicious. Over the years, they’ve slipped under many people’s radar, but I’m here today to tell you that you should absolutely make a batch of them. I can promise they will become a firm favourite of yours too.
Perkins are traditional Scottish biscuits made with oats, flour, golden syrup, butter, sugar, and warming spices. The texture is crisp but with a bit of chew from the oats, and the finishing almond gives them a signature look and a little extra bite.
Not to be confused with Parkin, which is a cake, not a biscuit.
It’s not clear exactly where Perkins originated, but they often pop up when searching for Scottish recipes – including in my debut self-published cookbook, Scottish Bakes. But it is one of those recipes that is handed down through generations, usually on a scrap of paper, with very few clear instructions. You know what I’m talking about! And like many great Scottish recipes, these biscuits make use of one of our very best exports – oats!
The flavours of Perkin cookies are very distinctive of Autumn and Fall, like Gingerbread Loaf and Treacle Scones, with the warming spices like ginger and cinnamon, and, of course, golden syrup. But I think they are great at any time of year, too. Just be careful though – they are so moreish that it’s basically impossible to have just one.
Free-from & Vegan
Gluten-Free: To make these gluten-free Perkins, use a gluten-free plain flour blend and certified gluten-free oats. The biscuits may be slightly more delicate, but they’ll still bake up crisp and golden.
Dairy-Free: To make these dairy-free Perkins, simply use a block margarine (such as Stork or Flora Plant Butter) instead of butter.
Egg-Free: Perkins are naturally egg-free, making them a great choice of biscuit for those avoiding eggs, without needing any adjustments.
Vegan: This recipe is easily made vegan – just stick with a dairy-free block margarine.
Nut-Free: The blanched almond on top is technically optional, so you can simply leave it off or replace it with a raisin or half a glacé cherry instead.
N.B. Any advice or suggestions to make recipes “free-from” or vegan are purely that – suggestions. Please be careful to double-check all ingredients individually, taking extra caution when serving to those with allergies & intolerances.
For more info on common food allergies, please see food.gov.uk | For more info on coeliac disease, please see coeliac.org.uk | For more info on a vegan diet, please see vegansociety.com
What is Golden Syrup?
Golden Syrup is a popular baking ingredient in the UK… But what is it? Where can you get it? And what can you use as a substitute?
My in-depth Golden Syrup Ingredient Guide has all the answers to your questions!
Top Tips for Perkin Biscuits:
- Mind the Melt: When melting the margarine/butter, sugar, and golden syrup, keep the heat low and stir often. You want the sugar just starting to dissolve – not bubbling or boiling – otherwise the syrup can crystallise and make your biscuits gritty.
- Just a Spoonful: Each biscuit starts as a heaped teaspoon of dough. Don’t be tempted to make them too big – Perkins spread quite a bit in the oven, and smaller portions help them bake evenly and stay crisp.
- Space Matters: Leave plenty of room between each dough ball on the baking sheet- at least 5 cm apart. They flatten as they bake, and overcrowding the baking sheet will lead to spreading and merging into one giant biscuit.
- Watch the Bake Time: Perkins can go from golden to overdone in a flash. Take them out when they’re just starting to turn deep golden brown around the edges. They’ll continue to crisp up as they cool.
- Almond Swaps: The blanched almond on top gives that classic Perkins look, but you can swap it for half a glacé cherry, a pecan half, or even leave it plain for simple nut-free baking.
Perkins Biscuits FAQs
Perkins are traditional Scottish oat biscuits – crisp, golden, and lightly spiced, with a blanched almond on top. They’re similar in ingredients to an oat cookie but have a distinctive crunch and warm flavour from the golden syrup and spices.
No, but it is a common mix-up! Parkin is a sticky ginger cake from Northern England, made with treacle and oats, while Perkins are thin, crisp oat biscuits from Scotland. Same comforting flavours, completely different texture.
Golden syrup gives Perkins their signature flavour and chewy crispness, so I’d always recommend using it if you can. That said, if you’re outside the UK or don’t have any to hand, you can experiment with honey or maple syrup instead. Just keep in mind they’ll alter the flavour slightly; honey can add a floral note, while maple syrup gives a deeper caramel taste.
Mixed spice is a traditional British blend of warming spices, often used in cakes and biscuits. It usually includes cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and coriander seed, giving a sweet and slightly earthy flavour. If you’re outside the UK, pumpkin spice makes a great alternative – it’s very similar, just a little heavier on the cinnamon. Either will give your Perkins that lovely warm, aromatic flavour.
That can happen if the syrup mixture is too warm when you add it to the dry ingredients. Let it cool for a few minutes first, and make sure you’re using porridge or rolled oats (not jumbo oats) for a better texture and even bake.
More Scottish Biscuits
If you loved these Perkins biscuits, here are some more of my favourite Scottish biscuit recipes for you to try next:
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Perkins
INGREDIENTS
- 60 g Block Margarine or Butter
- 60 g Caster Sugar
- 100 g Golden Syrup (see Golden Syrup note below)
- 115 g Plain Flour
- ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Mixed Spice
- 100 g Porridge Oats
- Blanched Almonds
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C for fan-assisted ovens, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F) and line a couple of
baking tray withgreaseproof paper . Set aside. - In a small pan, melt the margarine/butter, sugar, and golden syrup over low heat until fully combined and the sugar granules begin to dissolve.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour,
bicarbonate of soda , ginger, cinnamon, andmixed spice . Stir in the oats. - Pour the melted mixture into the dry ingredients and stir together to create a sticky, paste-like dough.
- Take a heaped teaspoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball, then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture, leaving space between each ball, as they will spread while baking.
- Place a blanched almond on top of each ball, pressing it down gently to slightly flatten the dough.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until the biscuits have spread and turned golden brown. Be careful not to overbake.
- Leave to cool on the
baking tray until cool enough to touch, then transfer to a wire cooling 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:
Substitutions:
- Spices: The traditional blend of ginger, cinnamon, and mixed spice gives these biscuits their lovely warmth. If you’re outside the UK and can’t get mixed spice, pumpkin spice makes a great substitute – similar in flavour, just a little heavier on the cinnamon, so maybe dial back on that a bit.
- Oats: Stick with porridge oats (rolled oats) rather than jumbo oats. The finer texture helps the biscuits hold together and spread evenly while baking.
- Almond Topping: A single blanched almond on each biscuit is traditional, but optional. You can leave it off or replace it with a raisin, half a glacé cherry, or a pecan for a different twist.
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Leave a comment and rating below!Originally published in January 2018.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amy Beth Reid
Amy Beth Reid is an award-winning food blogger, mother, wife and cookbook author. Inspired by her childhood in the kitchen with her Mum – a professional baker and her children’s Granny – Amy now shares her tried-and-tested traditional home baking recipes with bakers of all abilities around the world. She lives in Scotland with her husband, two sons and her small pack of Siberian huskies.