Honey Sugar Cookies

If you follow this blog, you know I have a tendency to go a little over the top. Complex recipes are a fun challenge for me, and decadent sweets set my heart aflutter. However, this doesn’t mean that I don’t appreciate the simple things. There are so many simple recipes that are just…perfection. One good example: these Honey Sugar Cookies.

These Honey Sugar Cookies are barely crisp, chewy, and sweet. Unlike a regular sugar cookie, the honey in these babies lends a floral, well-rounded flavor. These little gems are just perfection. I nearly–*nearly*–just left them alone. They were perfectly amazing all on their own, with no embellishments. They don’t need a frosting or a glaze or to be dipped in anything…but I couldn’t help myself. I gave them just the slightest little drizzle of honey vanilla bean glaze. I added the glaze more for garnish than anything, but it does punch up the flavor of the cookies ever so slightly.

What I’m saying is: the glaze isn’t necessary, but I kind of love it. <3 The delicate drizzle across the tops of the cookies just makes me smile. I know, I’m weird. *shrugs and eats another cookie*

Since these cookies are so simple, you likely have everything you need to make them in your pantry right now. I did use vanilla bean paste…you know me, it’s in everything! Delicious and more economical than whole vanilla beans, this ingredient is my go-to for an extra punch of flavor. You can find it online [here]. If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.

I bake my cookies on silpats because they’re reusable, nothing sticks to them, and the bottoms of the cookies brown more slowly. If you’d like to get some silpats for yourself, you can find them [here].

That’s it. Simple and delicious! 😀

You can also easily doll these babies up for the holidays with come cute cookie cutters (*heart eyes for daaaaays*):

Once I topped them with chocolate juuuuust because I could:

And, since you know I can never leave well enough alone, there’s also this option:

I’m not big on using food coloring, but the holidays are definitely an exception. All I did was split the dough into portions, the number depending on how many colors I want. Dye the dough the colors you want, trying to only work the dough as much as you have to to incorporate the color. It helps if you make sure all the colors colors are rolled out to the same thickness.

After rolling out all the colors, top the dyed dough with sanding sugar. Run the rolling pin over it to push the sugar into the dough a bit.

Then you can do crazy cut-outs to your heart’s desire. Placing some parchment or waxed paper on top, then lightly rolling with the rolling pin, helps to meld the two colors of dough together. then just chill and bake as directed in the recipe!

Other posts you may like:

Honey Lavender Cupcakes

Honey Pecan Bars

Honey Almond Butter Cheesecake

Cinnamon Honey Scones

Fall Dessert Charcuterie Board

Christmas Dessert Charcuterie Board

Recipes for Beginner Bakers

Recipe adapted from Phenomenal Phoods (link here).

Honey Sugar Cookies

Amee

These Honey Sugar Cookies are tender and chewy, with the floral flavor of honey! Drizzled with a honey vanilla bean glaze, these cuties are simple and delicious!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Dessert

Cuisine Cookies

Servings 48 2" x 2" cookies

Ingredients

  

Honey Sugar Cookies:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (see note)
• pinch salt
• 2½ cups flour

Honey Vanilla Bean Glaze:

• ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp milk (I used whole)
• ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste (see note)

Instructions

 

For Cookies:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Add honey, vanilla bean paste (see note), and salt. Mix to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Gradually add the flour, mixing just until the mixture starts to come together. Gently form dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.
• Preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with silpats (see note) or parchment. Set aside.
• After chilling, roll the dough out to about ¼" thickness on a well floured surface. Cut out desired shapes and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
• Chill the cut shapes in the refrigerator for 10 minutes prior to baking, to help them to retain their shape. Bake 7-10 minutes, or until bottoms are slightly golden. Allow to cool on the pan for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For Glaze:

• In a small bowl, combine all glaze ingredients and stir until smooth. Spread the glaze on the cookies, or drizzle over the top using a spoon or piping bag (I put mine in a zip-top bag and snipped the corner). Allow glaze to set before serving.

  Enjoy!

Notes

Note on vanilla bean paste:  You know me, it's in everything! Delicious and more economical than whole vanilla beans, this ingredient is my go-to for an extra punch of flavor. You can find it online [here]. If you prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract.

Note on silpats: I bake my cookies on silpats because they're reusable, nothing sticks to them, and the bottoms of the cookies brown more slowly. If you'd like to get some silpats for yourself, you can find them [here].

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