How to Make Welsh Cookies for Dogs and People

Have you ever heard of Welsh Cookies? Until I met my wife of 20 years, I never heard of them either. I pride myself in my baked good abilities and the fact that I’d rather sit down with a box of fresh muffins than a meat and potatoes dish on any given day. So it was with a big “Welsh what” that I muttered when Darlene asked me to make Welsh Cookies many Christmases ago.

Part of her heritage is Welsh, and since her parents have passed away, I wanted to do something special for her and create our own holiday traditions. I would make Welsh Cookies, they would be scrumptious, and we’d create this fun cookie tradition year after year.

Ah, the best laid plans of mice and wanna-be cookie makers. There are SO many variations of the Welsh cookie recipe online and in cookbooks, that I ended up tossing out more cookies than I care to reveal. I am also not the most skilled person in the kitchen, so it was as if the heavens themselves parted clouds and shared this recipe with me. A friend of a friend has a mom who…. blah blah blah….and the recipe came my way.

This, my friends, is THE recipe you want to make when attempting Welsh cookies. They are a griddle cake sort of “cookie” and will never see the inside of an oven. You make the dough, refrigerate it overnight, and then griddle the dough into these small circles the following day. DO NOT FEED THESE COOKIES TO DOGS: THEY CONTAIN RAISINS. RAISINS ARE TOXIC TO DOGS.

This cookie is not dog-friendly, as it contains raisins and other ingredients that dogs should not consume (sugar, butter). We never forget the canine family members you all share your lives with, so we are also sharing a recipe for Welsh Cookies for dogs.

The first recipe below is the Welsh Cookie recipe for people and the second recipe is the Welsh Cookie recipe for dogs. Feel free to make these over the holidays, into the new year perhaps, and let us know how they turn out if you make one or both of these recipes.

Most of all, enjoy and make your own memories. Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a very paws-perous new year from the Fidose of Reality family!

Welsh Cookies for People

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1-¾ cup sugar

1 cup butter softened

3 eggs

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup raisins

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Put the raisins in hot water to soften them. Drain them.  Combine the flour, butter, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder with a mixer.  Add the raisins, eggs, milk, and vanilla to the mix.  At this point I am generally using my hands to knead the dough, as it becomes thick.

Roll it into 4 log rolls and chill it in the fridge overnight.

Cut the rolls in ½ inch slices. Fry them on griddle or in a pan that is slightly greased.  Turn them once. Remove and sprinkle them with sugar when warm.

Hints:

Use flour when rolling the dough out – and a rolling pin sure comes in handy. I am blessed with having a rolling pin that was hand carved by my wife’s grandfather, so I feel a sense of pride when making these homemade treats each year.

Add a teensy bit more vanilla than the recipe calls for – it adds more flavor.

Make these in small batches. Don’t try to do 20 or 30 cookies at a time unless you have eyes in the back of your head. They burn easily. They take a while to make, but the end result is oh so rewarding.

I double the above recipe so that I can store these cookies, which freeze well.

Add a few slices of bread to the Tupperware container when you store these; it keeps the cookies lasting longer and the bread will stale while the cookies do not.

 

NOW FOR THE DOGGIE VERSION OF WELSH COOKIES

 

Welsh Cookies for Dogs

Ingredients:

1 cup rice flour

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/3 cup dried cranberries

3 Tbsp water

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Large eggs

 

Directions:

Whisk together egg, milk and oil. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and blend well.

Add in the cranberries, pressing them into the dough with your hands.

Form mixture into a ball and return it to the bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough in refrigerator about 2 hours.

On floured board, roll dough to 1/4″ thickness.

Cut shapes with  1-1/2” floured cookie cutter. Heat lightly greased griddle or frying pan to medium heat.

Cook cakes, a few at a time, approx 1.5 –  2 minutes, or until golden brown.

Turn heat to low and turn cookies with pancake turner and cook another 1 minute, or until golden brown on second side.

Remove to wire rack. Let cool completely, then wrap in plastic bags to store.

You can also freeze them.