This recipe for spiced honey (speculoos) cookies is yet another one that I have flagged in my Set for the Holidays book by Anna Olson. It has also earned a spot in my Christmas cookie rotation.
Nothing against gingerbread, but I found these to be a lovely alternative!
Apparently the main difference between a speculoos and gingerbread cookie is the use of honey instead of molasses. There are very few recipes that I will not try with honey in the ingredients list!
Favourite Takeaways:
- Warm + lightly spiced
- Perfect for the holidays
- Easily made ahead of time
Like the Chocolate Coconut Oatmeal Cookies from the book, I also made this recipe in a half batch for the holidays.
alteration notes:
- Used AP gluten-free flour
- Replaced the spice mixture with ginger and all spice
- Increased cinnamon
approximate times:
- Prep: 15 minutes (+2 hours for chilling)
- Bake: 10-12 minutes
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ingredients
w e t
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 small egg
d r y
- 1 + 1/4 cups GF all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
royal icing
- 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
- 1 + 1/2 Tablespoons meringue powder
- 3 Tablespoons warm water
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cookie directions
- In a large bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) add butter, brown sugar and honey – beat until smooth
- Beat in the egg
- In a separate bowl sift in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, all spice, baking soda, salt and pepper
- Add the dry mixture, all at once, to the butter mixture – stir until evenly blended (the dough will be soft)
- Scrape batter onto a piece of plastic wrap – wrap and chill for at least 2 hours
- Preheat oven to 325 F.
- Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
- Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to just under 1/4 inch thick
- Use cookie cutters to cut out your shapes and transfer onto the baking sheet – about 1 inch apart
- Bake 1 sheet at a time for 10-12 mins – until lightly browned at the edges
- Transfer to wire racks to cool
- Cool completely before decorating
icing directions
- Place icing sugar, meringue powder and water in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Beat on low speed until icing sugar is incorporated
- Increase the speed to medium and beat until the icing comes together and is fluffy – about 2 1/2 minutes
- To get desired consistency you can always add more water or icing sugar
- Transfer into piping bags with desired tip
- Decorate as you please
further insights:
- serves about 2-3 dozen small/medium cookies
- chose a GF all purpose flour with Xanthan Gum
- can be made ahead and stored (iced or plain) in airtight container – about 10 days
- If cookies are iced, store at room temperature as the icing may crack if frozen
- Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel to prevent from drying up fast
If you have any questions about this recipe, for spiced honey cookies, feel free to leave a note in the comments section below or message me on Instagram.
JESSICA. xx
Disclosure:
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission. Products that are recommended are ones that I truly love or would purchase for a dear friend.
[…] which I keep with my Christmas baking boxes. It’s where I discovered the chocolate coconut and honey spiced […]