You’ll love these easy cut-out Honey Cookies. Made with honey and brown sugar, these lightly spiced cookies can be made into any shape or size. Dip them in white chocolate for a sweet homemade treat.
Quick Look Honey Cookies
- ⏱ Prep time: 45 minutes (plus 1 hour chill time)
- 🔥 Cook time: 14 minutes
- ⏳ Total time: 2 hours
- 🍪 Serving: 20-24 cookies
- 🍂 Flavour profile: Wonderfully soft and chewy cookies, lightly spiced and dipped in white chocolate.
- 👌 Difficulty: Easy
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Honey Cookies AKA my new favourite thing! ❤️ Thick cut-out cookies made with butter and honey and lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger. They’re soft and chewy and perfectly golden.
Just like Gingerbread Cookies, these buttery biscuits will be your new go-to because they are so easy to make and so much fun to cut out. You can make them into any shape or size or use them for celebrations like Christmas, birthday parties or Valentine’s Day.
I usually make these Honey Cookies or my Sugar Cookies with the kids when we need something fun to do. They are wonderful as they are or just dip them in chocolate for a festive treat.
Why you will love this recipe
- Easy to make: The cookie dough comes together in minutes, and while it does require a 1 hour chill time, it’s a very easy recipe to follow.
- Beautiful flavour: Filled with brown sugar and honey, these cookies also are lightly spiced with cinnamon and ginger. They’re homely, warm and autumnal.
- Fun for the kids: The kids will love making these Honey Cookies into any shape or size their heart desires.
I made these yesterday and served them to some friends and family. They loved them!! I love how autumnly they taste. I also gave some of them to my neighbors and they all asked for the recipe. The sweetest victory.
– Irene
Recipe testing
Inspiration can come from anywhere. Last week, I was in the cookie aisle of the supermarket and I saw a packet of honey cookies. Suddenly, I felt like I needed a honey cookie.
I love using honey in my baked goods like Honey Joys and Honey Cake. And I recently developed an amazing recipe for Honey Joy Slice for my new cookbook.
So I decided I wanted a classic cut-out cookie like my Easy Sugar Cookies, a little on the thicker side, perfectly spiced with sweet honey flavour.
For this recipe, I adapted my favourite Gingerbread Cookie recipe. Instead of using molasses or golden syrup, instead I substituted honey. Rich, golden, drippy honey. Brown sugar adds sweetness and a soft caramel-like flavour, only with a dash of ginger and a little cinnamon.
So what did I get? The perfect Honey Cookie. And because these are cut-out cookies, you can make them into any size, shape or thickness you like!
Ingredients
You only need a handful of basic pantry ingredients to make these Honey Cookies. If you have honey in the cupboard, you are off to a great start. Here’s a quick rundown on the key ingredients (including any substitutions you can make):
Brown sugar: This recipe uses all brown sugar (no white sugar or caster sugar). It makes for a chewier, softer cookie and also bumps up the honey flavour. I highly recommend using it.
Honey: Regular honey works wonderfully well in this recipe. If you are feeling adventurous, you can use golden syrup or molasses but your cookies will be more akin to gingerbread.
Spices: I’ve used a little ginger and cinnamon in these cookies to give them warmth but you can omit them, increase them or sub in your other favourite spices like nutmeg or cardamom.
White chocolate: I love to dip my Honey Cookies in white chocolate, but you can leave them plain or dip them in milk or dark chocolate. They also work well with a maple syrup drizzle like my Chewy Gingerbread Cookies.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to make Honey Cookies
Here you’ll find step-by-step photos showing how to make my Easy Honey Cookies from scratch. The full method is included in recipe card below.
Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, add butter and brown sugar. Mix on medium speed until combined.
Step 2: Add honey and egg yolk. Mix again on medium speed until combined.
Step 3: Add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
Step 4: Mix on low speed until a soft cookie dough forms.
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Step 5: Bring dough together into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge.
Step 6: Between two sheets of baking paper, roll out the cookie dough to 1/4 inch thick. Lightly dust with flour.
Step 7: Carefully cut out the cookies and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Re-roll twice.
Step 8: Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until golden around the edges. Leave to cool completely.
Step 9: Carefully dip each cookie in melted white chocolate.
Step 10: Leave cookies at room temperature to set before enjoying.
Storage and make-ahead instructions
Storage: You can keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Make-ahead: You can easily make this cookie dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge (for a few days) or the freezer (for longer). Simply let it thaw at room temperature and you can roll and cut the biscuits as per the instructions below.
Jess’s tips for perfect Honey Cookies
- Don’t skip the chilling: This dough does need to be chilled so it rests. This will ensure it can be easily rolled with being too sticky or cracking in the oven. You will need an electric mixer to make these Honey Cookies.
- Flour is your friend: If the dough is a bit sticky to roll and cut, lightly flour the dough, the rolling pin and even your cookie cutter. If it’s really sticky (which can happen from taking too long and handling it too much), pop it back in the fridge for 15-30 minutes before continuing.
- Monitor the cook time: I have given instructions for a soft and chewy cookie because that’s how I love these. But if you want a sturdier cookie with a snap, you might want to either roll them slightly thinner or bake them for a few extra minutes. Keep in mind they will firm up as they cool.
Honey Cookie Faqs
These cut-out Honey Cookies are designed to be soft and chewy, like my Sugar Cookies. The moisture from the honey and the brown sugar will mean they won’t ever be super crisp. But you can bake them for a few extra minutes to get a crunchier cookies.
An electric mixer is ideal for mixing together the butter and sugar – but you can absolutely do it by hand if you need to.
Make sure your give time for the cookie dough to chill. If your butter was very soft to begin with, it might need slightly longer in the fridge. If the dough gets stickier as you are cutting out your cookies, it might be because it’s been overworked. Simply pop it back in the fridge to chill and then try again.
More cookies to love
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Nutella Cookies
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Hungry for more? Join me on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest and TikTok for more amazing recipe ideas.
Let’s Bake
Honey Cookies
Buttery honey cut-out cookies made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 115 grams (1/2 cup or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 135 grams (3/4 cup) brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 160 grams (1/2 cup) honey
- 315 grams (2 and 1/4 cup) plain flour or all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 150 grams (1 cup) white chocolate, broken into pieces
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and brown sugar. Beat using an electric mixer on medium speed until creamy and combined.
- Add the egg yolk and honey. Beat again on medium speed until combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt. Beat on low briefly until dough starts to come together.
- Use your hands to gather the dough and form it into a large round disc. Wrap the dough in plastic and place in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.
- Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F) standard / 160 C (320 F) fan-forced. Line two or three large cookie or oven trays with baking or parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge. Unwrap it and cut it in half. Wrap one half of the cookie dough back up and place it in the fridge.
- Place one large sheet of baking paper on your bench. Place the remaining cookie dough half on top. Put another large sheet of baking paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thick.
- Use assorted cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Then carefully transfer the cookies onto the prepared trays using a spatula. If the cookie dough gets too sticky, you can lightly flour it, the rolling pin and the cookie cutters. Alternatively, you can pop it back in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to firm up.
- Repeat the process until you’ve used all the cookie dough. You can re-roll the dough twice, then discard any remaining dough.
- Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until just golden on the edges. Remove from the oven and carefully transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- In a medium heat-proof bowl, add white chocolate pieces. Heat in the microwave, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted and smooth.
- Gently dip each cookie in the melted chocolate and then place on a wire rack. Leave at room temperature for the chocolate to firm up.
Notes
Spices: I’ve used ginger and cinnamon in these cookies to give them warmth but you can omit them, increase them or sub in your other favourite spices like nutmeg or cardamom.
White chocolate: I love to dip my Honey Cookies in white chocolate, but you can leave them plain or dip them in milk or dark chocolate. They also work well with a maple syrup drizzle like my Chewy Gingerbread Cookies.
Storage: You can keep cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Make-ahead: You can easily make this cookie dough ahead of time and keep it in the fridge (for a few days) or the freezer (for longer). Simply let it thaw at room temperature and you can roll and cut the biscuits as per the instructions below.
Sticky dough: Make sure your give time for the cookie dough to chill. If your butter was very soft to begin with, it might need slightly longer in the fridge. If the dough gets stickier as you are cutting out your cookies, it might be because it’s been overworked. Simply pop it back in the fridge to chill and then try again.
Cook time: I have given instructions for a soft and chewy cookie because that’s how I love these. But if you want a sturdier cookie with a snap, you might want to either roll them slightly thinner or bake them for a few extra minutes. Keep in mind they will firm up as they cool.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size: 1 cookie Calories: 240 Sugar: 22 g Sodium: 127.9 mg Fat: 9.3 g Carbohydrates: 37.3 g Protein: 2.9 g Cholesterol: 29 mg
Annelise says
My neighbor keeps bees and gave me a jar of homemade honey, and I wanted to bake a sweet little treat with it. These were PERFECT. The flavors are subtle, but satisfying. The texture was nice and crispy on the outside, and chewy in the middle. Plus, my husband (who normally isn’t one for sweets or deserts) thought these were amazing. He asked me to save the recipe! These are the perfect cookies for Autumn … just enough ginger to hint at the coming holiday season, but not so much that you feel like it’s Christmas already. I LOVE these. My mom described them as “Winnie the Pooh cookies,” and my dad was sneaking seconds when no one was looking.
Jessica Holmes says
This is amazing! I’m so glad you loved the cookies – the Winnie the Pooh comment made me laugh!
Beth says
Delicious! I’m a beekeeper, so I love to find good recipes made with honey. I made one change and not to the recipe which I followed exactly (using my own raw wildflower honey). Instead of making a disk, I shaped the dough into a log. I wrapped the log in wax paper and put it into a ziplock bag in the fridge. The next day I sliced off cookies and baked them. So much easier than rolling and cutting. You can slice off as many or as French cookies as you need and keep the rest of the log in the fridge or freeze it for longer storage. Thanks for the great recipe!
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Beth! And love that you got to use your own honey – what a treat!
Beth says
Haha, weird autocorrect noticed when I re-read my comment above. Supposed to say: slice as many or as _few_ cookies as needed.
Katie says
My daughter made these, and they were absolutely delicious. Sweet, buttery and perfect with a cup of tea
Jessica Holmes says
Love hearing that Katie!
Ukti Patel says
Hey
How do you suggest replacing egg and egg yolk in your recipes to make it vegetarian
Jessica Holmes says
Hi, I haven’t tested this recipe without egg I’m sorry.
Avanti says
Hi, am eager to try this recipe. Could I use a food processor to blend the ingredients instead of a mixer?
Jessica Holmes says
I haven’t tried it myself but it would probably be ok – just try not to over mix it!
BellaSews says
Would adding liquid flavoring (I’m going for lavender) make the dough too wet? Would I just need more flour?
Jessica Holmes says
Hey Bella, I haven’t tried myself but if you are only adding a few drops it should be ok!
Shannon says
We are not big ginger fans. If I leave it out should I double the cinnamon, add something in place of the ginger, or simply omit the ginger and bake as otherwise directed?
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Shannon, you can definitely leave out the ginger and bake them as they are – or add a touch more cinnamon. Hope you enjoy them!
Chrissy says
Crazy good! Whole family loved ’em. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Jessica Holmes says
So happy to hear that Chrissy!
Tina says
Absolutely amazing recipe. Made these with a bee cookie cutter and decorated with some chocolate icing and everyone loved the cookies so much. The honey flavor is perfect
Jessica Holmes says
Aww thank you for so much for the lovely feedback Tina. And I love the idea of using a bee cookie cutter!
Soul Kitchen Cook says
We made heart shaped versions of these cookies at the Soul Food Kitchen for Kids to celebrate St Valentine’s day. Oh my word – so delicious we kept nibbling at the dough before it had time to bake!
Jessica Holmes says
Oh I love hearing that! So glad you enjoyed them – what a perfect Valentines treat!
Sr. C. D. M. Yaskiw says
hi there i made them – 27 dozen… terrific. now i seek to do something in the same direction in a vegan avenue so what non grain flour would you suggest and replacing honey and butter and indeed doing a vegan version. thank you. Sister Catherine
Jessica Holmes says
Hi Sister Catherine, I’m so glad you enjoyed these cookies! I’m sorry but I haven’t tested a vegan version so I can’t say.
Fay says
I made these last night. They are fantastic! I’m not sure if I measured incorrectly, but I had to add more flour. It’s the first time I tried one of your recipes. Can’t wait to try some of the others.
Jessica Holmes says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them Fay! And thank you for the feedback!
Sr. C. D. M. Yaskiw says
hi there before i make these which i really want to do i would like to know how well they freeze as i want to do variety of cookies to have for Christmas so i need cookies that freeze well.
Jessica Holmes says
Hello, yes they do freeze well!
Lyne S. says
OMG, These are soooo good. Easy to make , rolling a breeze. Made 2 batches in 1 week. My family and friends just loves them. Thank you.
Jessica Holmes says
Aw I love hearing that Lyne! I’m so glad you like them – they’re one of my favourite cookie at the moment!
Josh says
These were great! Especially dunked in my coffee!
Jessica Holmes says
Glad you liked them Josh!