These honey cookies are the perfect cookies! The cookies have such a delightfully sweet flavor to them without them being overly sweet. They are perfectly soft in the center, and when you take that first bite, notice how the slightly crisp edges add a fabulous texture to the cookie.
These cookies are fantastic for any occasion, from parties to potlucks, or just as a delicious after-school snack. They come together easily in a few steps, and you don’t need a ton of ingredients. The hardest part about this recipe is also the key to getting the perfect honey cookies. You have to be patient and let the dough chill in the fridge. However, the patience will pay off, and these cookies will disappear quickly. If you want another easy cookie recipe, then try my kitchen sink cookies, potato chip cookie recipe, and banana oatmeal cookies.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Flour — I use all-purpose flour to make these honey cookies. I don’t recommend changing the flour to another type, such as self-rising, cake, or bread flour.
Leavening agents — the baking soda and powder help keep the cookies from being dense, as they help lift the cookies.
Sugar — white sugar is neutral in flavor compared to brown sugar’s caramel notes, so this honey cookie recipe uses white sugar to prevent the honey flavor from being overpowered.
Honey — since most of the flavor in these cookies comes from honey, use good quality honey that you like. Any flavor, such as wildflower, orange blossom, or clover honey, will work wonderfully!
Vanilla extract — I recommend using real vanilla extract over artificial vanilla. The flavor is much better! I also have a wonderful homemade vanilla extract recipe if you’d like to make a large batch at home to have on hand.
How to Make Honey Cookies
1. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
2. Combine the butter, sugar, honey, and salt in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat together on medium speed until creamy and well combined
3. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.
4. While mixing on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down the bowl to make sure the dough is well-mixed
5. Cover the dough and chill for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
6. Working in batches, scoop the dough into 1½-tablespoon-sized balls and place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate the remaining dough while waiting to bake. Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer the honey cookies to a wire cooling rack.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- It’s best to use room temperature eggs so they mix easily into your cookie dough. If you have forgotten to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, then place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. This method will help to bring them to room temperature quickly.
- Just like the eggs, butter should be room temperature as well. Place your butter on your kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours to bring it to room temperature. The time needed may vary depending on your kitchen’s temperature. Alternatively, cube the butter for the butter to come to room temperature faster.
- I highly recommend using a triggered cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough. A cookie scoop ensures that all the cookies are the same size and bake evenly.
- It is essential to avoid adding too much flour to the batter, which is a common mistake. Using a scale is the easiest and most precise method to measure flour accurately. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. It’s important to avoid packing the flour into the measuring cup.
- To achieve a fluffy and soft cookie, it’s important to cream the butter, honey, and sugar thoroughly.
- Careful not to overbake these honey cookies, as they’ll continue to firm up as they cool and become dry and crumbly if they’re already firm when you take them out of the oven.
- Keep the dough chilled while waiting to bake. These cookies spread a bit in the oven already, and the warmer the dough, the more they will spread.
Frequently Asked Questions
The dough can be prepared and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Store the dough scooped or as is. Just make sure the dough is covered so it doesn’t take on any scents from the fridge. If the dough is too firm after a couple of days of refrigeration, let it sit on the counter for a couple of minutes so you can easily scoop the dough.
You can freeze the cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 1 month. Bake from frozen as directed, increasing the bake time by 2 to 3 minutes. I suggest flash freezing the scooped cookie dough on a lined sheet pan first, and then you can place them in a bag without them sticking together.
These honey cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Honey Cookies recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Honey Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour (360g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (227g)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- ½ cup honey (120ml)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, honey, and salt. Beat together on medium speed until creamy and well combined, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until well combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed.
- While mixing on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture until just combined. Scrape down the bowl to make sure the dough is well-mixed. Cover the dough and chill for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Working in batches, scoop the dough into 1½-tablespoon-sized balls and place them on one of the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate the remaining dough while waiting to bake.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges start to brown. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- It’s best to use room temperature eggs so they mix easily into your cookie dough. If you had forgotten to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, place them in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes. This method will help to bring them to room temperature quickly.
- Just like the eggs, butter should be room temperature as well. Place your butter on your kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours to bring it to room temperature. The time needed may vary depending on your kitchen’s temperature. Alternatively, cube the butter for the butter to come to room temperature faster.
- I highly recommend using a triggered cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough. A cookie scoop ensures that all the cookies are the same size and bake evenly.
- It is essential to avoid adding too much flour to the batter, which is a common mistake. Using a scale is the easiest and most precise method to measure flour accurately. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. It’s important to avoid packing the flour into the measuring cup.
- To achieve a fluffy and soft cookie, it’s important to cream the butter, honey, and sugar thoroughly.
- Careful not to overbake these honey cookies, as they’ll continue to firm up as they cool and become dry and crumbly if they’re already firm when you take them out of the oven.
- Keep the dough chilled while waiting to bake. These cookies spread a bit in the oven already, and the warmer the dough, the more they will spread.
