I burned the first batch. Left them in maybe two minutes too long, and they came out hard as rocks. But that second batch? Golden brown, still soft in the middle, with edges that snap just right when you bite down.
My neighbor Mia had dropped off a jar of honey from her cousin's farm, and I didn't want to just drizzle it on toast. These honey cookies turned out better than I expected chewy, with cinnamon and nutmeg that smells like someone's grandmother lives in your oven. The dough takes about ten minutes to mix up, then it sits in the fridge while you do whatever else you need to do.
They remind me a little of these Delicious Cinnamon Roll Cookies I made last month, or those Healthy Chocolate Marshmallow Swirl Cookies Emma won't stop asking for.
Why You'll Love This Honey Cookies
These homemade honey cookies have a chewy center and crispy edges that make them totally addictive. The honey keeps them soft and tender, while the cinnamon and nutmeg add just enough warmth without being overpowering. They're easy enough for beginners but impressive enough to share with friends.
You don't need any fancy equipment, and the dough comes together fast. The hardest part is waiting for them to chill.
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Honey Cookies Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make these soft honey cookies.
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities
Dry Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base structure and keeps the cookies tender and chewy. Measure it by spooning into the cup and leveling off for the best results.
- Cornstarch: Helps create that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Fine sea salt: Balances the sweetness from the honey and sugar.
- Baking soda: Gives the cookies a slight lift and helps them spread just enough.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warm, cozy spice that pairs beautifully with honey.
- Ground nutmeg: Brings a subtle earthiness and depth to the flavor.
Wet Ingredients:
- Unsalted butter or margarine: Adds richness and helps the cookies bake up tender. Make sure it's at room temperature so it creams properly with the sugar.
- Granulated white sugar: Sweetens the dough and helps create those crispy edges.
- Large egg: Binds everything together and adds moisture. Room temperature eggs mix in more easily.
- Honey: The star ingredient that gives these cookies their signature flavor and keeps them soft for days.
- Real vanilla extract: Enhances all the other flavors and adds warmth.
Optional Garnish:
- Turbinado sugar: Gives the cookies a sparkly, crunchy coating that looks beautiful and adds texture.
How To Make Honey Cookies
Let me walk you through making these easy honey cookies step by step.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg until everything's evenly combined. Set this aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
Cream the butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter (or margarine) and granulated sugar with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium-high speed for 1 to 2 minutes. You want it light and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. If you don't have a mixer, you can mix by hand with a silicone spatula, it just takes a bit more elbow grease.
Add the wet ingredients: Add the egg, honey, and vanilla extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed for about 30 seconds, just until everything comes together smoothly.
Combine wet and dry: Add half of your dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed for a few seconds until some of the flour starts to disappear. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix briefly on low until you don't see any visible flour. Stop mixing as soon as it comes together so you don't end up with tough cookies.
Chill the dough: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. You can also chill it overnight if you want to bake them the next day. Chilling helps the flavors develop and keeps the cookies from spreading too much.
Preheat and prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the cookies: Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough for large cookies (you'll get 12 to 15) or 1 tablespoon for smaller ones (20 to 25 cookies). Roll each scoop into a ball between your palms.
Add sugar coating: If you're using turbinado sugar, roll each dough ball in it until it's coated. This step is optional but it makes them look really pretty and adds a nice crunch.
Arrange and flatten: Place the dough balls on your prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Gently press down on the top of each ball with your palm to flatten it slightly.
Bake: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes for large cookies or 7 to 9 minutes for smaller ones. They're done when the edges are golden brown and the centers still look a bit soft. They'll firm up as they cool.
Cool: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. This gives them time to set up without breaking. Continue baking the rest of the dough in batches.
Substitutions and Variations
Butter alternatives: You can use margarine (as noted in the recipe) or even coconut oil if you want a dairy-free version. The texture will be slightly different but still delicious.
Flour: If you need gluten-free honey cookies, try a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. The texture might be a bit more delicate.
Honey: You can swap in maple syrup or agave, but the flavor won't be quite the same. Honey really makes these special.
Spices: Feel free to adjust the cinnamon and nutmeg to your taste, or add a pinch of ginger or cardamom for extra warmth.
Mix-ins: Fold in ½ cup of chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried cranberries after you mix in the dry ingredients.
Equipment For Honey Cookies
- Stand mixer or handheld mixer: Makes creaming the butter and sugar super easy. You can also mix by hand if you don't have one.
- Baking sheets: Two sheets let you bake multiple batches faster.
- Parchment paper: Keeps the cookies from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- Mixing bowls: One medium, one large.
- Whisk: For combining the dry ingredients.
- Silicone spatula: Helpful for scraping down the bowl and folding in ingredients.
- Measuring cups and spoons: For accurate measurements.
- Cookie scoop or spoon: A 2-tablespoon scoop makes portioning easy and keeps the cookies uniform.
- Cooling rack: Lets air circulate so the cookies cool evenly.
Storage Your Honey Cookies
These chewy honey cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The honey keeps them soft and moist, so they actually taste better on day two or three.
You can also freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Just let them cool completely, then stack them in a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between the layers. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
If you want to freeze the dough, shape it into balls and freeze them on a baking sheet until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the baking time.
Expert Tips
Don't skip the chill time. Cold dough spreads less in the oven, which gives you thicker, chewier cookies with better texture.
Use room temperature ingredients. Softened butter and a room-temperature egg mix more evenly into the dough.
Don't overbake. The cookies should look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out. They'll continue cooking on the hot baking sheet.
Measure your flour correctly. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag packs in too much flour and makes dry cookies.
If you're looking for more baked honey cookies inspiration, check out my Easy Homemade Baked Oatmeal Recipe for another cozy breakfast or snack idea.
FAQ
What are 5 facts about Honey Cookies?
Cookies have been around for centuries and came from the Dutch word "koekje" meaning little cake. They were originally used as test cakes to check oven temperature. The chocolate chip cookie was invented by accident in the 1930s. Cookies can be soft, chewy, crispy, or crunchy depending on the recipe. Different cultures have their own versions, from Italian biscotti to French macarons. My favorite fact? Homemade cookies always taste better than store-bought, and they make your house smell amazing.
What happens when you replace sugar with Honey Cookies?
Honey makes cookies softer and chewier because it's a liquid sweetener that adds moisture. It also gives them a deeper, more complex flavor than regular sugar. You'll notice the cookies brown faster because honey caramelizes more quickly. They stay fresh longer too, which is one of the reasons I love using honey in this recipe. If you're swapping honey for sugar in other recipes, use about ¾ cup honey for every 1 cup sugar and reduce the liquid slightly.
Are Honeydome cookies real?
I'm not familiar with a specific brand called Honeydome cookies, but there are lots of honey-flavored cookies out there in different cultures. German honey cookies (like Lebkuchen) and Korean honey cookies are both traditional treats. If you're looking for a great homemade honey cookie recipe, the one here will give you bakery-quality results at home.
How long do millies cookies take to make?
I'm not sure about the exact timing for Millie's Cookies specifically, but these honey cookies take about 25 minutes of active prep time, 30 minutes to chill, and 10 to 12 minutes to bake. So from start to finish, you're looking at just over an hour, and most of that is hands-off time. Emma always asks if they're done yet about five times during the chill period.
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Honey Cookies
Honey Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer or hand-held mixer For mixing the dough quickly and easily.
- 2 Baking sheet Two sheets let you bake multiple batches faster.
- 1 Parchment paper Keeps the cookies from sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- 1 Digital food scale For precise measurement of dry ingredients.
- 1 Measuring Cups For accurately measuring flour and sugar.
- 1 Measuring spoons For precise amounts of spices and other ingredients.
- 1 Mixing bowls One medium, one large.
- 1 Whisk For combining the dry ingredients.
- 1 Silicone spatula Helpful for scraping down the bowl and folding in ingredients.
- 1 Cookie scoop or spoon A 2-tablespoon scoop makes portioning easy and keeps the cookies uniform.
- 1 Cooling rack Lets air circulate so the cookies cool evenly.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour Measured with a food scale or spooned and leveled for accuracy
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch For a light, tender cookie texture
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt Enhances the overall flavor
- 1 teaspoon baking soda Helps the cookies rise and spread
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Adds warm, aromatic flavor
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg For a subtle spice note
- ½ cup unsalted butter or margarine at room temperature (1 stick, for a rich and smooth dough)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150g, for sweetness and texture
- 1 large egg at room temperature (For binding the dough together)
- ⅓ cup honey 113g, adds moisture and sweetness
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract For a warm, aromatic flavor
- ½ cup turbinado sugar For sprinkling, optional, gives a crunchy, caramelized finish
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
- Beat the softened butter and sugar together until creamy using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on medium-high speed for about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the egg, honey, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat for 30 seconds on medium speed until combined.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix briefly until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop heaping 2-tablespoonfuls of dough and roll into balls (for 16 cookies). Optionally, roll the dough balls in turbinado sugar for extra sparkle.
- Place the dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Slightly press down on each ball.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Bake smaller cookies for 7-9 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely.
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