Honey Oat Cookies

If you use honey in your kitchen, at one time or another you’ve probably had the experience of a jar of it going cloudy or even turning white and granular. Honey tends to crystallize because it’s a “supersaturated solution” which really just means that it’s a lot of sugar suspended in a small amount of water. Over time, all honey will crystallize; how fast that happens depends on the type of honey (some kinds are higher in glucose—a type of sugar—than others), the temperature at which it’s stored (both very warm and very cool temperatures speed crystallization; 65 to 70 degrees is best), and other storage conditions (dust or other foreign particles can encourage crystallization). It’s not harmful to eat crystallized honey, but to return it to its liquid state, you can warm it gently. Repeating warming and cooling will degrade the flavor of the honey, however.  

The best—and only—way to prevent honey from crystallizing is to use it, and I have a recipe that’s perfect for the purpose; it’s sweetened solely with honey. These delicious cookies feature the complementary pair of honey and oats, accented with just a hint of nutmeg. For rolled cookies, they’re slightly soft, and the honey keeps them fresh for days. Enjoy them with a cup of tea.

Ann
Ann Clark, Ltd

Honey Oat Cookies
The small amount of baking soda in these cookies gives them a little lift, but not so much that they lose their shape. You can grind the oats in a food processor for 20 to 30 seconds.

Cream together:
 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
 3/4 cup honey

Add and beat until incorporated:
 1 large egg yolk

Whisk together, then beat in until incorporated:
 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
 1 cup ground oats
 3/4 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Preheat oven to 350º.  Roll dough out on a lightly floured counter to 1/4-inch thickness and cut with your favorite Ann Clark cookie cutters, then transfer cookies onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone liners. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until lightly colored. Let cookies cool slightly on cookie sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with royal icing or frost with honey frosting (below).

Honey Frosting

Melt 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter and stir in 4 tablespoons honey. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar and beat until smooth. Spread on cookies.

My favorite shapes for Honey Oat cookies include the Beehive cookie cutter, the Watering Can cookie cutter, and the Acorn cookie cutter.