The Best Honey Cookies
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Honey Cookies. I love you.
I’m talking soft and chewy, honey-sweetened, cinnamon-y, vanilla bean flavors and coated in sugary goodness.
Imagine your favorite sugar cookie, and then imagine it tasting 10 times better than anything you’ve ever had. Insert these honey cookies.
The honey, cinnamon and vanilla bean paste combination is an irresistible trio that makes these cookies extremely addicting.
If you’ve had my Chai Cookies or Cinnamon Roll Cookies you know how much I love a good sugar cookie base.
And unlike most of my cookie recipes, these cookies are more on the thin and chewy side, rather than huge and cake-y.
If you’re into that, then perfect. I’m glad you’re here! If you love the thick, big, ooey-gooey cookies I have tons of them on my site for you to explore too! ?
- First off, do we really need a reason?!
- They are perfectly soft and chewy.
- Honey sweetened but not overly honey-y.
- They bake beautifully and smell SO GOOD.
- They satisfy your sweet tooth no matter the occasion
- Easy to make & freezer friendly!
We hope you love these cookies!
Ingredient Notes
These cookies require some basic baking ingredients, plus a couple you might need to grab at the store. If you don’t have cake flour that’s OK! Just use more All-Purpose flour in it’s place. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.
- Honey: I’ve tested these cookies out with both clover honey and wildflower honey and love the flavors of both. Be sure to use a good quality honey.
- Butter: Just like all of my other cookie recipes, I use cold, unsalted butter.
- Cornstarch: I love adding cornstarch to make chewy cookies!
- Eggs: you’ll need 1 egg and 1 egg yolk. Use room temperature eggs to create a lighter, fluffier cookie.
- Granulated Sugar & Brown Sugar: Using a combination of both gives a good structure and enough moisture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Use the spoon and level method to measure the flour properly. 1 cup is ~125 grams if using a scale.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: I love using vanilla bean paste because it not only adds the classic vanilla flavor we love but also the visually appealing vanilla bean specks throughout the cookies! If you don’t have any vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract works well, sub 1:1 ratio.
- Other ingredients needed: cake flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder.
Step by Step Directions
Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe instructions.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Use a stand mixer or electric mixer of choice to thoroughly cream together the butters, sugar and honey.
- Add in the eggs and vanilla bean paste
- Gradually add in dry ingredients on low speed until combined.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Roll the dough into small balls, about 2 Tbsp. each.
- Roll each cookie dough ball generously in granulated sugar.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Bake the cookies in a preheated oven for 8-10 minutes (or until lightly golden)
- Let cool, transfer to cooling rack or wire rack and enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- You don’t want to add in too many spices or mix-ins to these cookies since it may distract from the honey flavor. BUT maybe adding in walnuts, chocolate chips, or additional spices like nutmeg or cardamom would be a lovely touch!
- You can make these cookies gluten free by replacing both the All-Purpose flour and cake flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Make sure to cream the butter, honey and sugars really well. The fluffier your butter and sugar mixture is, the fluffier and softer your cookie will be.
- Make sure not to over bake the cookies! You want to make sure that they stay ooey gooey and soft in the center. The cookies will keep cooking a little bit once you pull them out of the oven and let them cool, so it’s best to bake them for only 8-10 minutes.
FAQ
This recipe requires the cookie dough to be chilled, so yes! Making the cookie dough in advance also helps develop the flavors. Just make sure to keep the dough chilled in the fridge before baking. Once ready to bake, cookie dough may need 5-10 minutes at room temperature to soften before scooping and rolling into balls.
Yes, you can make the dough in advance and shape them before freezing the cookie dough. You can roll them in the granulated sugar right before you bake them. There’s no need to thaw the cookie dough before baking — just bake them for 2-3 minutes longer.
I recommend using a silicone baking mat (I love Silpat mats) or a sheet of parchment paper does the trick!
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste
Rolling
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar to roll cookies in prior to baking
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Whisk together the All-purpose flour, cake flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Set aside.1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 cup cake flour, 1 tsp. cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- Cream together the butter, sugars and honey using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until light and fluffy, ~3-4 minutes.8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes, 1/4 cup honey, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla bean paste until incorporated.1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 1 Tbsp. vanilla bean paste
- Add in dry ingredients, gradually until ingredients are incorporated. (Do not over mix).
- Chill cookie dough in the fridge for at least 1-2 hours (or longer, such as overnight). This is important to help the cookies from spreading and to look soft and pillowy like the cookies in the photos! ?
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Scoop ~2 tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into balls. Will make ~20 small cookies.
- Roll in granulated sugar in a shallow dish until coated.1/4 cup granulated sugar to roll cookies in prior to baking
- Place on prepared baking sheet & bake cookies for ~8-10 minutes. Ovens vary.
- Let cookies cool for ~10 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. They are very soft and pillowy when they first come out of the oven! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You don’t want to add in too many spices or mix-ins to these cookies since it may distract from the honey flavor. BUT maybe adding in walnuts, chocolate chips, or additional spices like nutmeg or cardamom would be a lovely touch!
- You can make these cookies gluten free by replacing both the All-Purpose flour and cake flour with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
- Make sure to cream the butter, honey and sugars really well. The fluffier your butter and sugar mixture is, the fluffier and softer your cookie will be.
- Make sure not to over bake the cookies! You want to make sure that they stay ooey gooey and soft in the center. The cookies will keep cooking a little bit once you pull them out of the oven and let them cool, so it’s best to bake them for only 8-10 minutes.
- Use 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract if you don’t have vanilla bean paste.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
I made these cookies for a honey-themed potluck and they turned out great!! Golden and fluffy! Simple and perfect with coffee. Thanks for the great recipe!
So glad they turned out well, thank you so much! 🙂
I made these for Rosh Hashanah – I tripled the recipe and used metric measurements and a food scale to make these. I used vanilla extract instead of bean paste and I used oil instead of butter. I baked at 350 for about 10 minutes. They came out perfect and delicious!
Hi, these look amazing and would love to make them for Jewish Holiday Rosh Hashana. Can I substitute vanilla bean paste for vanilla extract?
Thank you so much! Yes, same measurement will work!
The flavor was different than I expected, but after finishing one they left you wanting another. I would compare it to a snickerdoodle but more chewy and the honey flavor gives it a nice uniqueness. I probably should have skipped the salt, because I used salted butter, which caused it to be slightly too salty. I wonder how it would taste if this recipe was converted into a pumpkin spice cookie by omitting one egg yoke, and adding a bit of pumpkin purée and some nutmeg to the mix…
Thank you for making them and for the sweet review! I will be posting a brown butter pumpkin recipe very soon, but in the meantime I have this recipe: https://krollskorner.com/recipes/desserts/cookies/pumpkin-snickerdoodle-cookies/
What are your thoughts on adding diced crystallized ginger?
Ooooo I bet that would be delish!!
What a great recipe!!! Tastes like a soft and chewy graham cracker!!!!
such a perfect way to describe the flavor! thank you 🙂
I just made these today with my children. We followed the recipe exactly, except for one thing: after we pulled them out of the oven, we drizzled wildflower honey from a local beekeeper over the tops. Absolutely delicious! I love the flavor and smell of raw honey, and these were perfect pillows of honey goodness, perfect for a spring or summer day served with fresh mint tea. We will be making these again.
They look amazing! Love the local honey on top, great finishing touch. Thank you!!
This is a good recipe but I’m a little frustrated at the results. The first time I made it I was careful not to overcook the cookies but when I pulled them out of the oven the middle was undone. I put them back into the oven for a few more minutes and after they had cooled, they were delicious. Two days later they were hockey pucks! I tried a second batch and was super careful to cook them a full 10 minutes instead of eight so they wouldn’t be underdone… And they’re still under done even after resting for some time. Trying to find what the correct cooking time is without overcooking is proving a challenge. My oven is brand new, recently calibrated so I don’t think it’s the temperature. But now I’m thinking maybe they should be cooked at a higher temperature.
Hi there, so sorry you’re having issues. Maybe you could try adding a little more flour to your cookies. This recipe makes a really soft, chewy cookie so that’s probably why they look undone. I usually let the cookies rest for about 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet once they’re out of the oven to “finish baking” and then as they cool they’re perfect. When they first come out of the oven they’re super soft. I am sure your oven is fine 🙂 It’s just the nature of the cookie. I am sorry you had issues. I haven’t baked these at a higher temperature but maybe 400F would be OK.
Thank you for the recipe, Tawnie!
Can I also add unflavored whey protein powder to the recipe to make these cookies high in protein? I’ve been looking to have high protein in every meal I take and was trying to figure out a way to make these cookies high in protein.
Hi! You are welcome 🙂 I haven’t personally tested with whey protein so I cannot advise. If you try it out please let me know how it goes! – Tawnie
Good luck getting 20 cookies out of this recipe because if you’re anything like me, you’re gonna eat 3 cookies worth of dough and only end up with 17?. Seriously though, Tawnie does it again! These are to die for. It’s like a boujee sugar cookie ??
LOL!! That made me laugh. Thank you so much Taylor I’m so glad you love them! Boujee sugar cookie is my new favorite description of them! xo, Tawnie