Beautiful Nut Biscuits in 6 Easy Steps!

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Craving a homemade treat that’s crunchy, nutty, and utterly satisfying? These nut biscuits are simple to make, crisp on the outside, chewy in the middle, and perfect for sharing or enjoying with a cuppa. Follow my easy step by step recipe, and you’ll have perfect biscuits every time!

Several nut biscuits stacked on a plate, with whole hazelnuts scattered around it.

Why you’ll love this recipe

I make these beauties every year. One bite of a nut biscuit, and you’re instantly transported to those cold Autumnal nights – snuggled up on the sofa with a blanket and hot drink. These tasty treats make those chilly days feel much more cosy! Move over chocolate chip cookies, there’s a new biscuit in town!

Not a confident baker yet? Want to brush up on your skills first? Check out baking for beginners and bag my Top 5 Tips to Guarantee Baking Success, plus a pretty cool FREEBIE!

A small stack of nut biscuits on a little flower patterned plate, set on a tea towel.

Ingredients

Confused about what ingredients to buy? Not sure about a substitution? Here’s everything you might need to know…

Butter – I recommend unsalted butter in baking, as it gives you full control of the salt content. Salted butter will work if that’s what you have/prefer though.
Salt – Don’t leave this out. It helps with both flavour and crumb structure.
Sugar – Muscovado sugar works really well alongside the nuts and spice in these biscuits. Light brown sugar would also work, but avoid white sugars if possible.
Nuts – I use a combination of pecans and hazelnuts, but feel free to swap them for your favourites!
Egg – Large free range are my standard. So long as yours aren’t really small or large, they will work.
Golden Syrup – There is no substitute for this really (sorry America!). It has a unique flavour that really carries through. Any brand is perfect.
Flour – Plain/all purpose flour is needed here. Don’t swap for self raising or others, as it will alter the balance of ingredients.
Baking Powder – Make sure you don’t swap this for bicarbonate of soda, they both react differently in baking.
Spices – I opt for mixed spice as I really like the blend. You could use any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground clove or all spice.

A glass of milk with a straw next to a plate of several nut biscuits.

Emma’s top tips

Here are tips you’ll find helpful when making nut biscuits.

Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature. Bakes result in a better crumb when all ingredients are blended together at the same temperature.
Butter still cold but you still want to bake nut biscuits? Here’s how to soften butter quickly.
Don’t want them all now? Flatten your nut biscuit dough balls into biscuit shapes, and freeze them. Then bake straight from the freezer! Just add a few minutes onto the time, and keep an eye on them towards the end.
These would be beautiful with a little milk or dark chocolate drizzled over the top!

Timings

Have limited time? Struggle with recipe timings? Or juggling around other things? Here’s some time managing info to make your life easier!

Making the nut biscuit dough should only take about 15 minutes.
Shaping your nut biscuits is a around a 5 min task.
Baking your biscuits will take between 8-12 mins, depending on your oven.

A grey and white striped tea towel topped with a plate of nut biscuits and a glass of milk.

Easy Nut Biscuits – Step by Step Picture Recipe

(For a printer friendly version, see the recipe card at the end of this post)

Please note, this recipe includes both UK metric and US Cup measurements.

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to make 24 biscuits.

150g (2/3 Cup) Unsalted Butter, room temp
Pinch of Salt
150g (3/4 Cup) Light Brown Muscovado Sugar
80g (2/3 Cup) Pecans, chopped
80g (2/3 Cup) Hazelnuts, chopped
1 Egg
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
200g (1 + 1/2 Cups) Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Mixed Spice

Essential equipment

Electric Stand Mixer or Large Bowl with Electric Hand Whisk
1 or 2 Large Baking Sheets
Sieve
Wire Cooling Rack

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 190°C/Fan 180°C/374ºF and line your baking sheet(s) with a silicone baking mat or baking paper.

In either an electric stand mixer with the beater attachment, or a large bowl with an electric hand whisk, cream together the butter (150g | 2/3 Cup), salt (pinch) and muscovado sugar (150g | 3/4 Cup) until light and fluffy. You may need to scrape down the sides once or twice.

Creamed butter, salt and sugar in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.

Next, add in the chopped pecans (80g | 2/3 Cup), chopped hazelnuts (80g | 2/3 Cup), egg (x 1) and golden syrup (1 tbsp), and mix until everything is blended well.

Creamed butter, salt, sugar, mixed nuts, egg and golden syrup in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.

Then sift in the flour (200g 1 + 1/2 Cups), baking powder (1 tsp) and mixed spice (1 tsp), and mix just until there are no more streaks of flour. It will be quite a stiff dough.

Nut biscuit dough in the bowl of an electric stand mixer.

Now divide the dough into 24 equally sized balls. (If you’re being picky, they’ll be about 30g each.)

Nut biscuit dough balls on a chopping board.

Next, space those dough balls apart on your prepared baking sheets. Leave a little room for spreading. If you’re using one baking sheet, you will likely need to bake them in batches.

Then press the balls down firmly to flatten into a biscuit shape, and bake in the preheated oven for 8-12 minutes. Until the edges are a nice golden brown.

Unbaked nut biscuits flattened slightly on a large lined baking tray.

Freshly baked nut biscuits on a lined baking tray.

Leave to cool for a few minutes on the tray, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

A plate of nut biscuits next to a glass of milk.

How to store nut biscuits

Store your tasty nut biscuits in an airtight container at room temperature, (I prefer metal containers as they keep their texture for longer.) and consume within 5 days.

5 nut biscuits on a small flower patterned plate set over a white and grey striped tea towel.

FAQs

Can I use different types of nuts?

Yes, absolutely! I had pecans and hazelnuts in, which worked wonderfully. But you could use walnuts, almonds, pistachios – whatever takes your fancy!

Should I chill the dough before baking?

No need to chill the dough before baking these nut biscuits. They won’t spread very much when baked.

Can I freeze the nut biscuits dough?

Yes, you can. Complete the recipe up to the point where you flatten the dough balls into discs, then freeze them. If stored properly, they should keep for 3 months. To bake from frozen, simply add a few minutes onto the cooking time.

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A stack of 5 nut biscuits on a plate with a flower design. A text overlay says "Easy peasy nut biscuits".