Spiced Vanilla Honey Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does honey do to cookies? ›

Honey results in a moister, fluffier texture.

Cookies and cakes made with sugar tend to be more dry and to crumble more easily. Meanwhile, goods made with honey are deliciously moist and have a tighter crumb that does not disintegrate as easily.

Vanilla does offer more than just a bit of floral flavor. Sometimes it's a flavor enhancer and sometimes it's a flavor balancer. But to be honest, unless it's a vanilla cookie, it's not a true dealbreaker. Especially if you're making cookies that have lots of other flavors going on, like coconut or dark chocolate.

Maple Syrup

Extracted from the sap of maple trees, maple syrup has a woodsy caramel flavor but lacks honey's floral or fruity notes. But, yes, maple syrup is an excellent honey substitute in recipes because the taste won't be noticeable once you mix it with other ingredients.

But when it comes to using honey in a recipe instead of sugar, it's not as simple as a one-for-one swap. Honey is sweeter than sugar, so if the incorrect ratio is used, your baking will be too sweet, can have a strange chewy texture, and the cooking time will be different.

While clover honey will work, wildflower honey, orange blossom honey, and even lavender honey are all great options that impart their own subtle, distinct taste. Flour. All-purose flour is your best bet for today's recipe.

If you don't have any on hand, you can almost always omit the vanilla without impacting the final texture of your baked goods; although the rich flavor extract—or any form of vanilla—brings will certainly be altered. Just remember one thing: flavor comes first.

If you don't put vanilla extract in a cake without any other flavoring, it will taste of butter, of sugar and a bit like sweetened eggs. If you don't use butter it will just taste sweet and a bit eggy.

Honey. Honey adds a bright, floral sweetness to desserts. Like maple syrup, it can also enhance the texture of baked goods. Use 1 tablespoon of honey to replace 1 teaspoon (tsp) of vanilla extract.

Honey is sweeter than granulated sugar, so you might use a smaller amount of honey for sugar in some recipes. But honey actually has slightly more carbohydrates and more calories a teaspoon than does granulated sugar. So any calories and carbohydrates you save will be minimal.

What Does Honey do in Baking? Honey is a 'humectant'. This means that it retains moisture- great news for baking as it helps keep biscuits and cake moist. Honey compared with traditional refined sugar, also means you gain a richer colour and fuller flavour.

Can honey go bad? ›

“Honey does not spoil, however for best quality, the USDA recommends storing honey for up to 12 months,” Amidor says. “After that time, it remains safe but the quality may not be as good. If the honey becomes cloudy, crystallized or solidified this is not a food safety concern.”

“Heating up raw honey will change the makeup of the honey, and potentially weaken or destroy enzymes, vitamins, minerals, etc. … Heating the honey can damage its nutritional benefits; however, it depends on how much the honey is heated and for how long.

Butter is key for most cookies. Not only does it provide flavor, it's the main reason your cookies will spread. As the butter warms in the oven, the dough slackens and gradually spreads out over the baking sheet. It's important to mix your butter well to ensure it's evenly mixed throughout the dough.

"Honey's advantages over sugar include a slightly lower glycemic index (i.e. it doesn't affect your blood-sugar levels as much)," Dr. Dixon says. 10 "It also contains more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C, zinc, phenolic acids, and flavonoids."