A twist on the traditional cut out cookie recipe – made with honey and topped with a sweet honey icing.
I’m sharing my favorite honey cut-out cookies today! And they are one of my best cookies. Everyone has their favorite sugar cookie recipe, which traditionally consists of flour, sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. But there are hundreds of variations too. Some recipes call for light or dark brown sugar. Some require cream cheese or sour cream for a twist of tang (like cream cheese cookies) (like cream cheese cookies) . Others add fresh citrus zest or additions like pumpkin, cocoa or molasses to the dough. All have flour of some kind – mostly white, but there are variations on that too!
Today’s Honey Cookie Cut-Out is yet another delicious variation. These cookies have a touch of cinnamon and clove spice and a nutty flavor by incorporating ground flax seed. The star ingredient, of course, is clover honey in place of half the sugar. I love cooking with honey! It adds a unique sweetness and bakes up golden in the oven. When finished, these Honey Cut-Out Cookies remind me of Old Christmas – like a platter of them is sitting next to Jo in 1865 “Little Women.””
Although these cookies are delightful on their own, they are simply over the top in honey goodness with a special glaze. Using Cleverly Simple’s sugar cookie icing recipe as a base, a little added honey works perfect!
You’ll need traditional sugar cookie essentials like flour, light brown sugar, unsalted butter, egg, pure vanilla extract, salt, baking powder and baking soda. You will also need some unique ingredients such as ground cloves and cinnamon, ground flax seed and honey.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using a mixer, cream 1 cup unsalted butter and 1/2 cup light brown sugar together. Beat in the 1/2 cup clover honey, one egg and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract.
In a larger bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients – 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 3/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. ground cloves and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Add this flour mixture to the mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until blended.
Now comes the fun part! Stir in 1/4 cup of ground flax seed to the batter. Most grocery stores carry ground flax seed. If, however, you only have whole flax seed, grind it down using a coffee grinder or small food processor.
It’s amazing how the flax seed completely transforms the look of the cookie dough to be more hearty. I love it!
Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.
Now preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Roll out the dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out shapes using your favorite Christmas cookie cutters. I love the simplicity of stars, but anything will do! The recipe will cut 36 medium sized shapes.
Bake your cut outs for 8 minutes or just until the edges are starting to gold and the dough is puffed in the middle.
Let them sit on the hot cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing.
Meanwhile, make your honey icing! Combine 3/4 cup powdered sugar (sifted) with 3 tsp. milk and 3 tsp. honey. Stir with a fork until drizzly. If you’d like it thicker, add more sugar – more runny, add more milk.
Spread the icing onto your cookies and let them dry before storing…if you can wait that long!
A delicious variation of the sugar cookie cut-out with Old Christmas style. If you like honey and homemade, you will love these!
Enjoy!
Honey Cut-Out Cookies with Honey Icing
Ingredients
Cookie Dough:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
Glaze:
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoon honey
- 3 teaspoon milk
Instructions
To Make The Cookies:
- Using a mixer, cream the butter and light brown sugar. Beat in the honey, egg, and vanilla.
- In a larger bowl, whisk together the remaining dough ingredients; add them gradually to the honey mixture. Stir in ¼ cup ground flax seed.
- Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚ F.
- Roll the dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut out.
- Bake at 375˚ F for 8 minutes or until edges are starting to golden
To Make Honey Icing:
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, honey, and milk with a fork. Spread icing onto each cooled cookie and let dry.
Comments & Reviews
I meant to say that I was wanting to know if you could tell me how to make it so it would not be so sticky. I wish you would reply to my question.
Hi Valerie!
I’m sorry you are having trouble with the dough being too sticky. I would suggest adding 1/4 – 1/2 cup of flour to the dough to remove the stickiness. I have found that some honeys cause the dough to be more sticky. Hope this helps!
Thank you I will give that a try
Can you please tell me how to make it spit is not too sticky. I followed your recipe and they were very sticky. I had to keep putting the dough in the freezer.
These won’t roll for me. Super sticky. Even after being in the fridge overnight.
Super sticky, don’t know what to do. Keep adding flour.I would like to try the recipe.
In your write up of the recipe the one with pictures, for the icing you say 2 teaspoons of honey and milk. Then in the recipe below you say 3 teaspoons of honey and milk. These cookies are so good, I like the flax seed in them.
Hi Nancy!
Thanks for pointing that out! I just changed the write up under the picture to match the recipe card. – needs 3 tsp. of each. Thanks again 🙂
The ingredient list does not include fax seed however you do mention it in the instructions.
Hi Mary!
Good catch! Sorry about that… We just added the flax seed to the ingredient list.
Thanks!
Meredith