These cookies are slightly crisp on the outside, soft inside and smell of honey and cinnamon. They work even without baking experience and are ready in just over an hour – ideal for Advent or as a homemade gift.
Ingredients (about 30 cookies)
- 250 g plain wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 125 g soft butter
- 100 g honey – e.g. buckwheat honey or acacia honey
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 egg (medium)
- 100 g chopped walnut kernels
- 30 walnut halves for decoration
For around 160 g of kernels in total you need about 350 g of walnuts in shell.
Method
- Crack the walnuts. Set aside 30 nice halves and finely chop the rest.
- Beat the butter, honey and sugar with a hand mixer until creamy. Add the egg and mix briefly.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon and stir into the butter mixture. Finally fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Cover the dough and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C (conventional) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls, place them on the trays with some space in between, press them down slightly and press a walnut half into each one.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Let them cool briefly on the tray, then cool completely on a wire rack.
Tips
- Which honey? Buckwheat honey gives a strong, slightly spicy flavour – almost like gingerbread. Acacia honey makes the cookies mild and light.
- Keep an eye on them: Baking with honey browns faster than with sugar alone. Better check a minute early.
- Variation: Roasted, chopped hazelnuts work just as well instead of walnuts.
Storage
Kept in a tin, the cookies last about two weeks. They get a little softer over time – a slice of apple in the tin keeps them extra moist.