Honey cookies are something I come back to every few months, usually when the pantry is mostly bare and I want to bake something fast. These have a thin, crisp shell and a center that stays chewy even a day later. That contrast is what makes them. Seven ingredients, most of which you already have, and the dough takes about five minutes to mix before it goes into the fridge. Chill it at least an hour. Longer is better. The texture when you skip the chilling step is just not the same.
How to Make Crunchy Chewy Honey Cookies
The honey matters
Mild, golden honey keeps the flavor clean and sweet. A darker buckwheat or wildflower honey will give you something more intense and slightly bitter, which is worth trying if you want a more complex cookie. Both work, they just taste different.
Chill the dough properly
This dough is sticky and soft at room temperature. Refrigerating it firms it up enough to portion and roll without making a mess. Overnight chilling gives you a crispier edge. Two hours gets you somewhere in the middle, which is exactly where these cookies want to be. 
Watch the oven closely
These go from golden to burnt quickly at 325°F because of the sugar content. Pull them when the edges are just set and the centers still look underdone. They firm up as they cool. Overbaked honey cookies are brittle, not crunchy.
Crunchy Chewy Honey Cookies
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: Makes 24 cookies 1x
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
These honey cookies are perfectly crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A simple recipe for a delicious treat.
Ingredients
- 0.25 cups (59 ml) unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp golden brown sugar
- 3 tbsp cane sugar
- 0.5 cups (118 ml) honey
- 1 egg yolk
- 0.75 cups (177 ml) sifted all purpose flour
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugars in a mixing bowl until a soft paste forms, then add the egg yolk.
- Pour in the honey and mix well.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the dough is uniform.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Prepare two baking sheets for double panning (or one baking sheet, reducing baking time by 2-4 minutes) and line the top sheet with parchment paper.
- Form 1-tablespoon sized balls of cookie dough.
- Place dough balls onto the baking sheet, leaving space between them.
- Bake for 12 minutes (using double panning).
- Let the cookies cool slightly before transferring them to a cooling rack with a spatula.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use dark honey instead of golden honey.
- Chill the dough thoroughly for optimal texture; longer chilling times result in crispier cookies.
- If the dough is too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of additional flour, one tablespoon at a time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 15
- Sodium: 50
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 20
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 20
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the dough need to be wrapped and refrigerated before baking?
Chilling firms the butter in the dough, which helps the cookies hold their shape and produces a chewier center with crisper edges. Do not skip this step.
What makes these cookies both crunchy and chewy?
The combination of honey and two types of sugar creates varied textures: honey retains moisture for chewiness while the cane and brown sugars caramelize at the edges for crunch.
Can I use all-purpose honey instead of a specific variety?
Any standard liquid honey works here. Darker varieties like buckwheat honey will add a stronger, more robust flavor, while light clover honey keeps it mild.
How do I know when these cookies are done?
They should be golden at the edges and still look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them. They firm up considerably as they cool on the pan.
Missing a unit of measurement for the honey.
That’s absolutely correct – thank you for noticing and letting us know. It should read 1/2 Cup! Cheers
I’m pretty sure it is 1/2 a pint, but I ended up with honey everywhere !
These look nice!
They are pretty, tidy looking cookies. With our new love of local honey from the farmers’ market we wanted to try them. (Here from Bloglovin’ newsletter feature)
But, how much honey is used? The line-item for honey says “1/2 of honey (I used apple blossom from Intermiel)” The rest of the recipe instructions don’t give a hint on how much it might be, either.
Also, step 2 from the instructions says “Pour in the honey, mix well. Reserve”
Reserve how much? For what? It looks like the sentence is just cut off.
These seem like perhaps web formatting program makes a mistake type issues, but they prevent the recipe from being make-able. (Sorry to be a bit of bad news, but a quick fix and all should be well)
I second this! I would love to make them, but without the missing info, I can’t.
These look so delicious!
Izzy | Pinch of delight