Soft, chewy Honey Cookies (Duvshaniyot) are made with honey and warm spices. These one-bowl cookies have a tender, cake-like texture and are topped with a thin lemon icing. Easy to make and long lasting, these spiced honey cookies stay soft for weeks.
Why you'll love this recipe
- This one-bowl cookie recipe is mixed together with just a spoon or spatula.
- These delicious cookies have spiced flavor that continues to deepen over time.
- Honey Cookies keep their soft and chewy texture for weeks, making them an ideal care package cookie as well as a wonderful tea time treat.
Honey spice cookies are a baked treat that's found in many cultures. Versions of this cookie are especially popular in Eastern Europe at Christmas.
When the Jews of Eastern Europe made their way to Israel, they brought their adaptation of honey cookies, Duvshaniyot, with them. Packaged Duvshaniyot can be found in Israeli supermarkets year round.
It's traditional to serve foods made with honey for the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) to symbolize the hope for sweetness in the year to come. These honey cookies make a great addition to Honey Cake, Rosh Hashanah Patterned Cookies, and Apples and Honey Chocolate Bars at your holiday table or in a Rosh Hashanah Care Package.
The long lasting freshness, soft texture, and sweet, spicy flavor make Honey Cookies the perfect treat to keep on hand in the cookie jar, or to share as gifts, or in care packages.
Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. The full measurements and detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to make Soft Honey Cookies (Israeli Duvshaniyot)
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then mix in the honey, brown sugar, and spices.
- Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine into a loose batter. Chill the batter overnight.
- When ready to bake, scoop the dough and place dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Cool completely.
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- Stir the icing ingredients until smooth and fluid.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the icing, tap off extra, and place on a wire rack to dry.
Storage
Store Honey Cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.
Tips for perfect chewy Honey Cookies
- Be sure to let the hot melted butter cool slightly before adding the eggs, so that the eggs don't cook.
- Honey Cookies can be made with orange zest and orange juice as a substitute for the lemon in this recipe. Lemon brings out the ginger flavor of the cookies. Orange makes the cookies a little sweeter.
- Chilling the batter is essential to this recipe. While chilling, the batter firms as some of the moisture is absorbed by the dry ingredients and the spiced flavor has time to develop.
- Over baking the cookies can make them dry. Start checking for doneness at around 10 minutes of baking. Oven temperature variations, baking pan material, and size of cookies can effect baking time.
More honey recipes
Toasty sesame and sweet, rich sprouted wheat flour make soft Honey Sesame Cookies a cozy, flavorful treat.
Enjoy homemade Honey Lollipops as candy, to sooth a sore throat, or to stir sweetness into a hot cup of tea.
Chewy, spiced Honey Jumbles are topped with a crunchy icing. One bite of these cookies and you will know why they are an Australian favorite!
Honey Sesame Brittle is toasty, crunchy, and easy to make.
Gorgeous, stamped Honey Gingerbread are a delicious holiday treat and a perfect homemade gift.
Coated in crunchy, buttery, honey caramel and tiny bits of apple chips, Apples and Honey Caramel Popcorn is an addictive fall snack.
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Honey Cookies (Israeli Duvshaniyot)
Ingredients
Cookies
Icing
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
Instructions
Cookies
- Add the butter, honey, brown sugar, and spices to a medium mixing bowl. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until the butter is melted.
- Stir until the ingredients are combined. Set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
- Mix the eggs and the lemon zest into the butter mixture.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until smooth. The batter will be loose like brownie batter.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- When ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon) to portion the dough (about 20 grams each). Roll into a ball and place 2" apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Icing
- When the cookies are completely cooled, mix the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and water in a small bowl until the icing is smooth and pours easily off the mixing spoon. If the icing is too thick, add teaspoons of water until the icing is the desired consistency
- Place wax paper under the wire cooling racks to catch icing drips.
- Dip the top of each cookie into the icing, gently shake of excess, then place the cookie back onto the cooling rack.
- Allow the icing to dry completely (about 2 hours) before storing.
- Store Honey Cookies between layers of wax paper in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 weeks.
Notes
- Chilling the dough overnight is recommended for the best flavor and for a firmer dough texture for rolling the dough balls.
- The flavor of these cookies deepens over time.
- Wrap pairs of cookies, with bottoms together, in plastic wrap.
- Stack wrapped cookie bundles in airtight containers or freezer weight ziplock bags.
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