Reminiscent of an animal cracker in taste, albeit softer, these honey “sugar cookies” are a delight to make and eat. I like that the recipe doesn't require large amounts of honey, so cost wise it's not an expensive refined-sugar-free treat.
A couple weeks ago, I sent this recipe to my friend Marissa asking if she wanted to try them gluten free, as her family eats fully gluten free due to a celiac in the family. She made them the next morning, and on the second try she had them figured out!
A friend asked me if they are more of a “chewy” or “crispy” sugar cookie and it could be either, depending on how long you bake them for. I also love to make gingerbread cut-outs for a fun option.
We enjoy these just on their own as little cracker cookies, not overly sweet but deliciously “more-ish” as my Grandma would say. I don't feel too guilty having these around for the kids to snack on. They are also perfect for freezing so you don't find yourself eating too many at once.
While we do enjoy them plain, if you need a vehicle for dressing up and decorating at Christmas, Valentines, Easter, etc…these are just the ticket! Just whip up your favorite frosting and go to town with the sprinkles. Both you and the kids will have a blast. (Okokok sometimes it makes me want to spike the eggnog too ?)
This is definitely an all day sort of recipe. You'll want to give the dough time to chill in the fridge so that it's easier to roll and cut. Do keep watch of the time though, as you don't want them in there too long. You can make it the night before, but then just let it rest on the counter a bit before rolling out so it isn't too firm.
Why You Need This Recipe
- Some cookie recipes just have so much sugar in them! I'm not against sugar in treats, but I know that my family just doesn't do well on too much refined sugar.
- These are easy to make, fun to decorate, and freeze well.
- Family fun!
Key Ingredients
Flour - Regular all-purpose here. I always pick up a bulk bag for easy baking like this.
Butter - Unsalted is best for baking, but if you have salted then omit the added salt in the recipe.
Honey - No need for super fancy kinds, just whatever honey your family loves!
How to Make Cut Out Cookies
***See recipe card below for precise measurements and instructions.***
Step 1: Cream honey and butter until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and salt and combine.
Step 2: Add flour and mix until a soft dough forms.
Step 3: Chill dough for 30 minutes and preheat the oven.
Step 4: Roll out the dough to desired thickness.
Step 5: Use cookie cutters, or simply use a glass or knife.
Step 6: Bake until golden. If you chilled it then they won't spread out and you can pack your baking sheet.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure and chill the dough for a minimum of 30 minutes - this way they won't spread when you bake them.
- Once you do chill the dough, you'll need to warm it up just enough to roll it smoothly. You can't do that straight out of the fridge.
- No cookie cutters, no problem! Use a jar or glass to make circles. Biscuit cutters will work, and worst case you can cut them into squares with a knife.
Substitutions
I haven't tested these with using any other fats, so I can't say for sure it would work. I'd say vegan buttery sticks would work, but these are a honey cookie so there's really no substitute there. But you can definitely sub in gluten-free flour.
FAQs
Use a one-to-one GF flour that's marketed as an all-purpose flour replacement. You shouldn't have any trouble doing that and still get some really great cookies!
We love to eat them as more of a cracker, or like animal crackers, just plain. But you can frost them with any sort of icing you prefer. Add sprinkles and candies for a great holiday treat.
Cookies are the perfect freezer food. Make them in advance of the holidays to get the baking done and out of the way. Freeze in containers once cooled so they don't get broken. If you want icing and such, don't do that until you thaw them out.
photos by Kiara Colebank
More Cookie Recipes
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If you like this recipe, I’d love if you reviewed it so others can find it easier. Sharing this recipe on Facebook or Pinterest is another way you can help us out at no cost to you. Thanks, xo Kate
Honey Sweetened Holiday Cut Out Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened/at room temp
- ½ cup honey
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat honey and butter until well combined, scraping the bowl a few times if needed. Add in egg, vanilla and salt, mix well. Mix in flour until well combined.
- It will still be a little sticky but scoop it into a container and chill for 30-60 minutes (If it ends up in fridge overnight, you may need to let it sit on counter a bit to warm up as it may be too firm…)
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Divide dough in half and roll dough out on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut out your desired shapes, and transfer to cookie sheets lined with parchment or silpats. Re-roll scraps and cut out some more!
- Bake for 8 minutes, turn trays around, and bake another 5 minutes, until edges are just getting gently browned. If you want them crispy and not chewy, bake a few more minutes.
- Cool, decorate to your hearts content, and enjoy!
Notes
- I fill 3 half-sheet pans with this batch of dough, which is approximately 5 dozen cookies for me. It depends on how big you make your shapes, but hopefully this gives you a good idea of yield.
Jayna
I cannot wait to try these! Weren't they going to have a gluten free option as well?
kateschat
A friend is working on it! I will link it when its up on her blog.
HollowayShalyn
These are so good! A perfect shortbread cookie. I baked them on the backs of muffin tins to make cookie cups for chocolate pudding pies!!
Rhoda
Would love to know if you have a great frosting recipe that is honey or maple syrup sweetened.
[email protected]
Kate said "they are big fans of making a ganache for frosting using low sugar chocolate chips (dark chocolate) like Kirkland brand."
Marissa
It’s there now!
Wendy
Any suggestions to make it dairy free? My brother has issues. I am going to attempt commercial lard as I don't have any good stuff at present.
Wendy
I turned out great, they have lots of vanilla taste. They are a cross between shortbread and sugar cookies in texture. We love them.
kateschat
I'm so glad you love them!
Rebekah
Coconut oil is a good one to one replacement for butter in baking.
Kate
So delcious and makes so many!
Ruth
Really enjoyed these cookies- we went with the gluten free adaptions. Perfect for snacking!
Candice
We made these this past weekend. They are so good. I haven't even decorated them yet as they taste so good!
Amanda
We love these! They hold their shape way better than any traditional recipe we’ve used. And I don’t mind the kiddos eating a bunch because they aren’t full of sugar.
Arreanna
Can i use salted butter instead of putting salt in?
Wendy
Yes, most recipes can be modified like that. I only use salted butter and if a recipe calls for unsalted I use a 1/4 tsp less salt in the recipe per cup of butter.
Leesif
These are great. They hold together well and are a great alternative to the sugar-filled holiday season without giving up traditions ?
J Cal
Can't wait to try these!
Cathie
These are amazing. Both my boys loved them
Wendy
This is totally a comment for the giveaway, as I already commented when I first made the cookies, but I love the cookies. I made them dairy free because my brother is coming next week and there aren't any left already... I have 5 kids who love cookies though so maybe I just need to make more...
Tisha
Put these on my to make list!
Stephanie M Wienert
I just tried these last week and they were absolutely delicious!
Rachel
They are so simple to whip up and a great alternative to my great grandma’s sugar cookies that we normally make. Thanks for sharing a healthier alternative!
Nathania R Norman
Made these yesterday and they were a hit with 2 of 3..the 3rd wanted more sugar...?. But I love that these are low sugar! We didn't get 5 dozen but will be making them again!
Krystine
A-MA-ZING holiday cookies! The list of ingredients is super clean, the dough is EASY TO ROLL and the whole family LOVED them!
mogrma
I will try cause I like animal crackers
HealthyLivingwithChristene
I was hesitant to try these because my family already has a cut out cookie we love but these were so good too. My husband preferred these to our normal.
Nicole
Excited to try these! Love that they are sweetened with honey, looks like a great recipe.
Leah
These look delicious! Hoping to try these sometime soon!
Amanda Mowery
Made these with a 1:1 GF flour, mixed up so easily! I did roll them a bit thin and then over cooked them so they were a bit tough but that didn’t stop us from eating them! I’ll make it again with GF flour and because they were so easy will probably make some with regular flour as well.
Mariah Babcock
Mmm, these sound so good! I love sugar cookies without frosting and these sound perfect for that. May give them a try this Christmas.
Melissa
I made these in the gingerbread version you shared on IG. They were delicious and a wonderful texture!
Lauren
Just made these. They exceeded my expectation! I like honey in my tea but I'm not an overly huge fan of it. The dough smelt and tasted very much like honey so I was a little sceptical. But once baked you can hardly taste the honey. They're delicious! Love them.
Crystelle
Just made these for the first time today. Can't wait to eat them!! ?
Mackenzie Norlander
Making these as we speak!
Had one off the first tray already and they are so good!
I made them gluten free using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 GF baking flour. Turned out great!
Amanda
These are SO awesome. Added a tsp of cinnamon to one of my batches (yes, we made many batches of these!) And they turned out so great! The regular ones are also delicious, but the cinnamon addes a holiday spice that my family loved! Gave these as a gift to my raw dairy farmer, who also loved them! As always, amazong recipe, Kate! Love that they are honey sweetened, too. I feel better about my kiddo eating these at will lol
Sheila
I was only searching for a recipe without refined sugar, but made other replacements as necessary for the person I was making them for. I used 3 cups of oat flour instead of wheat flour, 1 Tbs of chia seeds and 3 Tbs of water instead of an egg, and olive-oil-based dairy-free spread instead of butter. These are DELICIOUS!! And vegan (well, some vegans eat honey and some don’t, but anyway...) and gluten-free, too.
Rhonda
Sweetened with honey was the reason I tried these cookies.
They turned out great and I love that there’s only a few ingredients.
The time recommendations on how long to cook them were perfect too. Thanks Kate!
Melanie King
I made these last night and rolled all of the dough into a sheet tray to use as a crust for fruit pizza. It was SO GOOD! Several people commented that this was the best fruit pizza crust they had ever had! I am excited to make these as cookies in the future!
Sarah
SUPER impressed by this recipe, it is sooo good. It will definitely bring some holiday cheer to any sick kiddos that can’t have sugar during flu/cold season! My husband, toddlers and I all loved it.