Glazed Honey Gingerbread Cookies
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Honey gingerbread cookies have all the warm spices of ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves with a soft, chewy texture, pale color, and a rich honey flavor that makes them extra special. This dough is ideal for using cookie cutters and stamps and makes the most wonderful cookies to gift during the holiday season (or any time of the year)!
Like many of you, I make gingerbread every year around the holidays, but I’m very particular about the type I make.
In fact, my friends and family might be shocked to see that I’m sharing a honey gingerbread recipe when I’m known for making a deep, dark, spiced gingerbread that’s almost too spicy.
But that’s precisely why I wanted to share this recipe.
I love making gingerbread, but my little nieces find it to be way too spicy for them. Meanwhile, many of the adults in my family love it and can’t get enough of it!
I wanted to have two versions: one for people who like the intensity of my go-to recipe and those who want a milder, less intense option without compromising on flavor or texture.
This honey gingerbread holds its shape really well, making it ideal for using a cookie cutter or stamp. The sugary glaze gives a wintry look, making it perfect for gingerbread men and all of your favorite holiday shapes. They’re just as pretty as they are delicious!
What is honey gingerbread?
Although we most commonly know of gingerbread with its rich molasses flavor and dark brown color, honey gingerbread is a lighter, milder version that still carries a long history.
Traditionally, there are several types of honey-sweetened gingerbread popular in Germany and Eastern Europe. These are often called lebkuchen, honigkuchen, or other regional variations.
Some are made with rye flour or ground nut meals, some are coated in chocolate and topped with whole almond pieces.
This recipe is not lebkuchen or honigkuchen or any of those traditional gingerbread variations, so if you’re looking for that, this isn’t for you!
This version is more of an American style gingerbread cookie: soft, chewy with lots of warm spices, but it’s been dialed down to be more palatable for younger kids, It’s still full of flavor, but I love how the honey adds an extra floral note that brings everything together!
Why you’ll love this honey gingerbread recipe
- Soft, chewy cookies with tons of warm flavor
- Easy to roll out and press with cookie cutters
- Holds shape and details well even after baking
- Requires chilling, which makes it easy to prep ahead of time for easy baking
- Can be used to make large gingerbread tiles or smaller cookies (just adjust the baking time!)
- Keeps well for gift-giving
- The flavor develops even more as the cookies rest
Ingredients
For the Honey Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- Unsalted butter – At room temperature. It needs to be fully softened for the best texture.
- Sugar – I actually tested two versions: one with white sugar and one with brown sugar. Regular white sugar is sweet without affecting the texture and chew, keeping these nice and soft.
- Egg
- Honey – It should be pourable liquid honey, not the thicker whipped honey or honeycomb.
- Flour – Scooped into your measuring cup and leveled flat.
- Baking soda
- Kosher salt – Please note that kosher salt has larger salt crystals. If you are substituting fine or table salt, consider using about half as much.
- Spices – I use a blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Freshly ground spices are always best and you can reduce the quantities as needed, if you prefer a milder flavor.
For the glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Water
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Equipment
To make this recipe, you’ll need:
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl and an electric mixer)
- Medium bowl (to whisk the dry ingredients together)
- Parchment paper
- Sheet pans
- Rolling pin
- Cookie cutters or cookie stamps
- Cooling rack
- Small bowl
- Whisk
- Pastry brush
Although I love the look of the cookie stamps from Nordicware, I find them slightly hard to use and inconsistent.
I get the best, clearest prints with the plastic cookie cutters you see in the pictures. I usually get these at Michael’s at the end of the holiday season for $1-2 each. The plunger makes sure the image is really vivid and also makes it easier to plop the cookies onto the trays. I found some similar ones on Amazon that would work well, too!
How to Make Honey Gingerbread Cookies
Prepare the dough
- Combine the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and whisk together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, and beat to incorporate. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the honey, then mix to incorporate. Scrape down the sides to blend in.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Press the dough into a ball shape and either wrap with parchment paper or store in a plastic bag. (You can also use plastic wrap.)
- Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4-5 hours.
Cut and Bake
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two pieces with a sharp knife. Set one piece to the side. Sprinkle top of dough with flour and roll until approximately 1/3 inch thick. It may take a minute while rolling the chilled dough, but it gets easier as it softens.
- Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 7-15 minutes (the time varies depending on the size of your cookies).
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 8-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Roll extra dough and continue cutting and baking until you use up all the dough. If it becomes too soft, place it back in the fridge to firm up.
Glaze and serve
- While baking, prepare the glaze by whisking the water and powdered sugar together. It can help to start with half of the sugar, whisk together, then add more. It should still be thick but spreadable. If too thick, feel free to add a very small amount of water.
- Brush the cookies with the glaze. It helps to place a spare piece of parchment paper or a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips. Less is more! It will spread as it sets and if you add too much, it will hide the image from your cookie stamp.
- Finish baking and glazing all of the cookies. Let them cool completely to room temperature then eat or package for gifts!
NOTE: This recipe is adapted from the most amazing gingerbread recipe ever – Tartine’s glazed gingerbread.
There’s truly nothing better, and they are my all-time favorite gingerbread cookies. It is notoriously spicy with a lovely soft bite and chewy texture and the sweet glaze balances everything out.
This recipe is milder with a pale color and honey flavor, but still has plenty of warm spices.
Storing Suggestions
Once cooled transfer the cookies to an airtight container and store approximately 1 week. Honestly, they never last longer than that for us! It’s important that it is airtight, or the cookies can dry out and become stale.
You can also freeze the baked cookies. Just pull them out of the freezer-safe bag and they’ll thaw at room temperature in just a few minutes. Great for a cold snack!
Tips & Variations
- Adjust the spices. This recipe still has a nice, warm, spicy flavor, although it’s certainly pared down from my usual recipe. If you’re really sensitive to spice or baking for kids, feel free to use half as many spices. The flavor won’t be quite intense, but that’s the point.
- Know your honey. There are so many different types of honey and each one has a different flavor profile. You can truly use any type since you’re replacing molasses, which has a very strong flavor. There’s not really any type of honey that will be as rich as molasses! I used orange blossom honey from Azure Standard, which is very mild, but just bear in mind that your cookies will taste differently from whichever honey you use.
- Use the least amount of flour possible. When rolling, it’s very tempting to add lots of flour. The more you use, the firmer your cookies will be. Instead of using lots of flour to roll, try to use the dough as cold as possible. You can also roll out the cookies with powdered sugar! It works well.
- Rest on the trays. Right out of the oven, the cookies are really soft and may seem like they’ll fall apart. This is why it’s so important to let them cool on the trays for 10 minutes! They’ll firm up just enough and keep a lovely chewy texture.
- Make a double batch. I usually make a giant batch of this cookie dough every winter. It doubles quite well!
How to Serve
Honestly, we snack on these cookies throughout the holiday season. They’re great with coffee, hot chocolate, as a little dessert after dinner, tucked into your holiday cookie trays, and more.
FAQs
I wouldn’t use it for that. It’s very soft and chewy and would probably break if used for three-dimensional structures. Stick with gingerbread cookies or tiles.
No! Honestly, I made several test batches of this recipe and decided not to glaze them to really study the dough. We ate a bunch of these without glaze and they were so good! The sweet glaze does add a nice bite and brings out the look, so I do recommend it for decorating, but it’s truly optional.
Related Recipes
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Soft & Chewy Honey Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or large bowl and hand mixer)
- medium bowl
- Parchment paper
- sheet pans
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutters or cookie stamps
- small bowl
Ingredients
Honey Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 2 TBS honey
- 4 cups all purpose flour, + extra to roll dough
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3 tsp ground ginger, this recipe still has a nice spicy heat to eat. Feel free to use 1 1/2 – 2 tsp if you’re sensitive to heat.
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves, feel free to use 1/2 tsp if you don’t like spice
Glaze Ingredients
- 2.5 cups powdered sugar
- 2.5 tbsp water
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Combine the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and whisk together.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, and beat to incorporate. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Add the honey, then mix to incorporate. Scrape down the sides to blend in.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Press the dough into a ball shape and either wrap with parchment paper or store in a plastic bag. (You can also use plastic wrap.)
- Refrigerate overnight or for at least 4-5 hours.
Cut and Bake
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F and line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into two pieces with a sharp knife. Set one piece to the side. Sprinkle top of dough with flour and roll until approximately 1/3 inch thick. It may take a minute while rolling the chilled dough, but it gets easier as it softens.
- Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and bake for 7-15 minutes (the time varies depending on the size of your cookies).
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 8-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- Roll extra dough and continue cutting and baking until you use up all the dough. If it becomes too soft, place it back in the fridge to firm up.
Glaze and serve
- While baking, prepare the glaze by whisking the water and powdered sugar together.
- Brush the cookies with the glaze. It helps to place a spare piece of parchment paper or a sheet pan underneath to catch any drips. Less is more! It will spread as it sets and if you add too much, it will hide the image from your cookie stamp.
- Finish baking and glazing all of the cookies. Let them cool completely to room temperature then eat or package for gifts!
Notes
Nutrition
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