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.
