Honey Bun Cookie Recipe
Honey Bun Cookies!
A soft and warm honey bun base is topped with a sweet honey glaze, creating a perfect combination for the most delicious, comforting cookie!
Background
A delicious spin to the nostalgic Little Debbie Honey Bun snack in cookie form that brings you comfort from the familiar flavor and the sweet-honey glaze and soft doughy cookie base. This cookie is perfect for baking for children if craving an even sweeter honey bun or for anyone who is craving a Little Debbie honey bun but homemade.
The cookie base is soft and perfectly melts in your mouth with every bite, serving them warm with vanilla ice cream is a game changer. The honey glaze is sweet and fresh making each bite so gooey clashing wonderfully with the softness of the cookie.
What makes it unique
What sets my recipe apart from the others is adding in a pinch of nutmeg into my cookie base to give the flavor or more nutty taste as well as enhance the cinnamon flavor. Adding in a little nutmeg gives the cookie a similar taste to the Little Debbie snack but it is completely optional as the cookie still tastes amazing without it. If allergic to nuts do not use!
What you will need:
Butter- Salted or unsalted will do just make sure to soften the butter either by leaving it on the counter until easily spreadable or (what I prefer) nuking my cold butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
Egg- Any eggs will do just make sure to leave them out for a bit so the eggs are room temperature (make sure to scoop out any egg shells that have fallen into the mixture!)
Vanilla- Two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract are needed for the cookies and one teaspoon for the frosting.
Brown Sugar- Dark or light brown sugar will do, I prefer using light to make the cookie extra chewy and fluffy.
Granulated Sugar- Regular granulated sugar is perfect if on a budget (like myself) opt for the great value brand granulated sugar from Walmart.
Flour- All-purpose flour is recommended for this recipe which I severely recommend for any cookie recipe for the least crumbly and most chewy cookies.
Cornstarch- Any cornstarch will do only 2 teaspoons are needed for this recipe.
Baking Soda- I recommend the Arm & Hammer brand.
Baking Powder- Any brand of baking powder will do just make sure not to mix up baking powder and baking soda measurements ( I have done that too many times to count).
Cinnamon- A dusting of cinnamon gives these cookies a comforting flavor, any ground cinnamon will do. If chunky I recommend sifting as to avoid major clumps in your batter.
Nutmeg- Similar to the cinnamon a dusting of nutmeg gives these a cookies an extra nutty flavor that pairs well with the oatmeal. Of course, if allergic to nuts of any kind leave this step out!
Salt- Any regular salt will do but I prefer kosher sea salt as it balances the sweetness of the cookies wonderfully. If using salted butter you can leave the extra salt out so as to avoid salt overload!
Powdered Sugar- Any brand of your trusty confectioner’s sugar will do.
Honey- 2 tbsps of your most favorite honey is needed for this recipe, make sure to choose a very sweet honey as it pairs well with the cookie.
Milk- Only 2 tbsps are needed, I use almond milk as that is all I have but any milk will do.
Q&A about these cookies:
How long do these cookies take to make?
Total time I would say about an hour including prep, cook, cool, and assembly time.
Can I store these cookies in the fridge/freezer?
Of course! I personally prefer my cookies chilled in the fridge. When storing in the freezer make sure to leave them at room temp for at least an hour before serving.
How many cookies does this recipe yield? Can I make smaller cookies?
This recipe makes 12 cookies when using a large cookie scooper (3 tbsp). Of course, you can! To make about 24 small cookies use a small cookie scooper and bake them for about 8 minutes or until crispy on the bottom and edges.
Recipe
Cookie Base
1 cup of softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
2 and 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of kosher sea salt
Honey Glaze
1/4 cup of softened unsalted butter
1 cup of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
2 tablespoons of milk
Notes:
*Let cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes or I prefer letting them cool for 5 mins then placing in the fridge to cool completely for another 5-10 min.
Prep time: 20 min Cook time: 10 min
Cool time: 20 min
Servings: 12
Instructions
Attach your stand mixer with the beater attachment and beat together the cup of butter, 3/4 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of brown sugar until lighter in color and fluffy.
Scrape the sides of the bowl and add in 2 eggs and 1 tbsp of vanilla until combined.
In a separate bowl whisk together the 2 and 3/4 cups of flour, 2 tsp of cornstarch, 1 tsp of baking powder, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, 1 tsp of cinnamon and nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp of salt. Whisk until fully incorporated and all thick clumps of flour are gone.
Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet in the stand mixer. Mix on low until just mixed to avoid overmixing.
Using a large cookie scooper scoop out 12 equally sized dough balls, roll into balls, and place on a prepared baking sheet. Space the cookies evenly apart as to avoid running together. Flatten out cookies using a flat surface like the bottom of a measuring cup. Using a toothpick or dull knife make a spiral swirl in your cookies resembling a honey bun. Retrace swirl until deep and noticebale.
Place coookies in the freezer for 15 minutes or in the fridge for an hour before baking.
Once cooled place cookies in a 350F preheated oven to bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom and edges. Allow them to cool for 30 minutes (see notes).
To make the glaze, in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl whisk together 1/4 cup of softened butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tbsp of honey, and 2 tbsp of milk until fully combined. The glaze will be liquid and light, which is correct just make sure to mix until any sugar or butter clumps are mixed in.
Once cookies are cool drizzle honey glaze over each cookies until fully coated.
Allow cookies to chill before serving.
