Walnut Biscuits
These Walnut Biscuits are buttery, lightly sweet and filled with crunchy walnuts for the perfect tea-time treat. An easy homemade biscuit recipe made with simple ingredients, they’re quick to prepare and bake in just 15 minutes. Ideal for walnut lovers and anyone who enjoys a good biscuit.
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. These easy 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 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?
Top Tips for Walnut Biscuits:
• Use Fresh Walnuts: 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 keep them fresh longer?
• Don’t Over-chop the Walnuts: You want them to give a bit of bite to your biscuits. Not too big, not too small, and try and keep them chopped to a similar size, so they distribute evenly though the dough.
• Mix Up Your Nuts: 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 amount of crunch you like. But I would still chop up pecans if they’re your nut of choice.
• Leave Space Between Biscuits: These walnut cookies will spread slightly as they bake, so leave a little space between them on the baking sheet.
• Bake Until Lightly Golden: Keep an eye on your biscuits towards the end of baking. You’re looking for them to be lightly golden on the edges – they will firm up as they cool.
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Walnut Biscuits
INGREDIENTS
- 115 g Caster Sugar (Superfine 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 (Corn Starch)
EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 180°c (or 160°c for a fan-assisted oven, Gas Mark 4 or 350°F). Line a couple of sheets with some greaseproof 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 12-15 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.
NOTES:
Storage:
Store your Walnut Biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The texture will change slightly over time – this is normal.Freezing the Dough:
The biscuit dough can also be frozen. Portion the dough into balls, freeze on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before baking as normal.Substitutions:
- Nuts: If you don’t have walnuts, you could use pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios or almonds instead. The flavour will change slightly, but they work well in this style of biscuit.
- Butter or Margarine: Either works well in this recipe, but if you choose to use margarine, make sure it is block margarine, not the soft spreadable kind.
- Cornflour: If you don’t have any cornflour (corn starch), simply add an extra tablespoon of self-raising flour. Cornflour gives the biscuits a slightly snappier texture but can be swapped like-for-like with extra flour.
Walnut Biscuits are simple homemade biscuits (cookies) made with butter, sugar, flour and chopped walnuts. They bake into crisp, lightly sweet biscuits with a nutty crunch, making them perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee.
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 them in the oven for 15 minutes. And before you know it, you have a batch of some of the most delicious walnut cookies you will ever taste.
Walnuts 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!
If your biscuits turn out soft rather than crisp, they may simply need a little longer in the oven. Bake until the edges are lightly golden, and the biscuits will continue to firm up as they cool.
Free-from & Vegan:
Gluten-Free: To make these gluten-free Walnut Biscuits, you can try replacing the plain flour with a gluten-free plain flour blend. As gluten-free flours behave differently, the texture of the biscuits may vary slightly.
Dairy-Free: To make these dairy-free Walnut Biscuits, simply use a dairy-free block margarine. Avoid soft spreads, as they can make the biscuit dough too soft and cause the biscuits to spread too much while baking.
Egg-Free: To make these egg- free Walnut Biscuits, simply add 1 tablespoon of dairy-free milk to replace the egg yolk.
Vegan: To make these vegan Walnut Biscuits, use a dairy-free block margarine in place of the butter/margarine, and add 1 tablespoon of dairy-free milk to replace the egg yolk.
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
Originally published in February 2017. Updated in December 2024.
Updated photos created by Naomi Seiler.
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.
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.
I thought they were going to be dry but no, just right!
thank you …our book circle loved them
What is your favourite nut or which are your favourite nuts