These French Honey Butter Cookies are soft in the middle with irresistibly crispy edges. They are so easy to make, and you only need a handful of ingredients.
After baking, the cookies are frosted with a sweet simple glaze that dries to a solid matte finish. This makes the cookies stackable and easy to pack so they're perfect for gifting or serving on a platter.
These cookies are a variation of my French Butter Cookies, just as delicious yet, incredibly easy to make.
The dough can also to be made in advance if you like, ready for you to simply slice and bake.
If you're new to this recipe, I've got you covered with a handy shopping list that includes ingredient substitutes, plus visual instructions, frequently asked questions and helpful tips.Or, if you're in a hurry, you can jump straight to the recipe card for all the measurements and instructions.
Shopping List For Ingredients And Substitutes If Needed
- This is just an ingredient overview, the full printable recipe card with amounts and recipe instructions are at the end of this post
For the cookies
½ cup (113g) Butter: Use what you have, either salted or unsalted. If you are using unsalted butter, then add a pinch of salt to your flour. Salted butter will not require adding salt to the recipe. Make sure that you are using room temperature butter.
¼ cup (25g) Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar, it mixes easily with the butter to form a smooth creamy consistency.
1 medium Egg yolk: Just one egg yolk is needed to help bind the dough together. It also contributes to the flavor and texture of the cookies. Its best to let the egg yolk come to room temperature before mixing in.
1 Tablespoon (22g) Honey: You can use thick or runny honey for these cookies. Whatever honey you go for, make sure it’s got nothing added to it and is just 100% pure honey! Maple syrup can be used as a substitute for honey. It will add a similar sweetness and a hint of maple flavor to your cookies.
1 ⅛ cup (140g) All purpose (same as plain flour -UK) OR cake flour. Do not use self rising flour. Self raising flour is not recommended as it changes the flavor and texture, making it dense instead of crisp and light.
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the Glaze
¾ cup (95g) Powdered sugar: Ensure that you sift the powdered sugar for a smooth glaze consistency.
1 teaspoon honey
1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
How to make French Honey Butter Cookies
This is just the overview so you can see the process. When you are baking, you’ll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
All you need to mix the dough is a bowl and spatula. That is why its best if your butter is softened to room temperature. It makes it much easier to work with when combining with a spatula.
Steps 1 and 2: Cream the butter and sugar: Use a spatula to mix the butter and sugar until it turns pale in color and light in texture.
Step 3: Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and honey
Step 4: Mix in until well combined.
Steps 5 and 6: Add the flour and salt and mix to form a soft dough.
Steps 7 and 8: Refrigerate the dough - Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes
Step 9: Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in 2 pieces
Step 10: Roll each piece into a cylinder shape of approximately 4 inches (10cm) long and 1 inch (3cm) thickness.
Step 11: Wrap the cylinder shapes separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes OR freeze for 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 12: Slice into 0.4 inches (1 cm) thick disks, and place on baking sheet.
Step 13: Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden.
Step 14: Remove the tray from the oven but leave the cookies on the baking tray for 5 minutes. The baked cookies will be soft when you take it out of the oven but crisp as they cool. After 5 minutes on the baking tray, the cookies will be firm and crisp enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Steps 15 to 16: Make the glaze - In a bowl, whisk powdered sugar, honey and milk together until thick and smooth.
Spread the glaze over the cooled cookies and leave to dry and set for at least 10 minutes before storing in an airtight container.
Frequently asked questions
How long in advance can the cookie dough be prepared?
- The cookie dough can be prepared up to 2 months in advance! Make the dough, refrigerate for 20 minutes then shape into a cylinder (according to the recipe size suggestions).
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
- When ready to use, remove from the freezer and as soon as you are able to, slice the dough into disks while still cold.
- Don't allow it to get too warm, as the dough will be soft making it difficult to handle and slice.
Can the dough be cut into shapes?
- Yes, sure, simply roll the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Then refrigerate for 45 minutes before cutting into shapes with a cookie cutter.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes if cut thinner than 1 inch (3cm) thickness.
Tips To Make The Best French Honey Butter Cookies
- Ensure that your butter is softened to room temperature. Get it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before baking. All the ingredients are incorporated much easier and quicker in soft butter. This also prevents overworking the dough, which produces dense instead of crispy cookies.
- Refrigerate the dough if it becomes difficult to handle: The dough has a high ratio of butter and can get difficult to work with if it gets too warm. If the dough gets too warm, simply put it back into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. This helps to cool the butter, making the dough much easier to work with.
- Do not skip the steps of chilling the dough. First after mixing (refrigerated for 20 minutes) and, second after dividing and shaping into a cylinder (refrigerating for 45 minutes or freezing for 25 to 30 minutes) These are important steps. The first refrigeration firms the dough, making it easy to roll into a cylinder. The second time (freezing) cools and firms the cylinder shapes making it easy to slice into disks.
- Adjust the baking time if cutting the cookies thinner or thicker than specified in the recipe
French Honey Butter Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies
- ½ cup butter softened to room temperature (see note 1)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar (sift the powdered before measuring)
- 1 egg yolk (at room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon honey (see note 2)
- 1 ⅛ cups All purpose flour (same as plain flour -UK) OR cake flour (see note 3)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the glaze
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon honey
Instructions
Make the dough
- Cream the butter and sugar: Use a spatula to mix the butter and sugar until it turns pale in color and light in texture.
- Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract and honey: Mix in until combined.
- Sift in the flour and salt, and mix to form a soft dough.
Refrigerate the dough
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes. (see note 4)
Divide and roll the dough
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide it in 2 equal portions.
- Roll each piece into a cylinder shape of approximately 4 inches (10cm) long and 1 inch (3cm) thickness. (See note 5)
Freeze the cylinder-shaped dough
- Wrap the cylinder shapes separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 45 minutes OR freeze for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 356° F / 180° C (160° C fan). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking silicone mat
- Remove from the freezer or fridge and unwrap the shaped dough
- Slice into 0.4 inches (1 cm) thick disks, and place on a baking sheet. (See note 6)
- Optional: If the cookie slices become soft while slicing, refrigerate the cookie sheet with the slices for about 10 minutes. Chilling the cut cookie disks will prevent spreading during baking.
Bake
- Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden.
- Remove from the oven but leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. The baked cookies will be soft when you take it out of the oven but crisp as they cool.
- After 5 minutes on the baking tray, the cookies will be firm and crisp enough to transfer to a cooling rack.
Make the glaze
- In a bowl, whisk powdered sugar, honey and milk together until thick and smooth.
- Spread the glaze over the cooled cookies.To glaze the cookies, you have two options: use a spatula to spread the glaze or use a piping bag (without a nozzle) to pipe it evenly onto the cooled cookies.
- Leave the glaze to dry and set for at least 10 minutes. Once the glaze is dry and set,the cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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