Burnt Honey Shortbread Cookies with Whipped Sour Cream

Nibbles & Bites Issue #21: Finding inspiration through SNACKING

Woweee! It’s me again, and man, do I have a special treat to share with you. These Burnt Honey Shortbread cookies are inspired by two snacks that I’ve had in the last few weeks. The first is a box of black & white savory biscuits from Rustic Bakery that I picked up at Brooklyn Larder, which can be seen from my bedroom window. Although they’re labeled as “savory” biscuits (one might think they’re just ordinary crackers that would be featured on a charcuterie board) they’re verging on cookie territory, which was a welcome surprise. They’re fantastically buttery and rich, and we’ll be stocking up with more in the coming weeks. 

The other was a Russian Honey Cake I tried last week, from Bread’s Bakery. It has a fantastic amount of bitterness and a graham cracker stroopwafel-like flavor that comes from boiling honey until it reaches a dark shade and releases a rich caramel aroma. 

If you’re looking for a Russian Honey Cake recipe, my queen and weeknight dinner hero, Deb Perelman over at Smitten Kitchen has a fantastic one here if you have the time, patience and desire to tackle a challenging weekend project. My relatively short cookie recipe is perfect for someone who wants to enjoy the flavors of a traditional Russian Honey Cake without requiring the labor and elbow grease needed to make and assemble all the dainty little layers.

Chef’s tip: When making these cookies, be sure to boil the honey in a pot with high sides, because honey has the tendency to bubble vigorously when brought to a high temperature, and cleaning up sticky honey and hardened candy off of one’s stovetop is a form of personal torture that I’d rather not put anyone through.

Also, don’t sleep on the “optional” sour cream and burnt honey drizzle when making these cookies. The sour cream offers a subtle tang that is very traditional with Russian Honey Cake and heightens the overall flavor of the honey and gives these cookies a more finished look overall.

I couldn’t quite figure out the best way to both drizzle the molten caramelized honey all over the cookies and pipe on the sour cream cream without the texture of the two competing with one another (photographed above), so in the end, I decided to serve them piled high and over a bed of smeared whipped sour cream for dipping, dunking and playful eating.

Enjoy, and send me some pictures of your cookies! Happy baking!

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Burnt Honey Shortbread Cookies

Cookie Ingredients:

⅓ cup wildflower honey

1 tablespoon of cold water

¼ cup white sugar

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup unsalted butter, preferable high-fat European-style at room temperature

½ teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk 

2 cups all-purpose flour

Ingredients for decorating & serving:

2-3 tbsp heavy whipping cream

1 cup sour cream

⅓ honey

1 tbsp water

Instructions for making the cookies: 

1. Pour the wildflower honey into a deep saucepan over medium heat. Boil until a shade darker and very fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off of the heat and add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix carefully to combine. Allow to cool until the consistency is thick, but still loose enough to drizzle. 

2. Meanwhile, in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, mix the room temperature butter and salt until smooth and creamy (move quickly as you want to avoid getting air whipped into the butter), about 1 minute. 

3. Add the white sugar to the dough and mix on low for about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg yolk and cooled burnt honey. Continue mixing until just incorporated. On low speed, mix in the flour and baking soda until just incorporated. 

4. Turn the dough out onto the counter and knead it a few times until completely combined. Divide it in half and shape each piece into a 9-inch log.. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5. Position the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

6. Remove the log of dough from the refrigerator and trim the sides of the dough if they’re ragged (you can bake them off for a little chef’s treat!). Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into ½-inch thick rounds. Place them on a baking sheet, leaving about 2-inches between each round of dough.

7. Bake the cookies, rotating the baking sheet position halfway through, until the cookies are very slightly browned around the edges and golden on the bottom, 18 to 22 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes; then carefully transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before serving.

8. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 

Instructions for decorating the cookies (optional, but highly encouraged & fun!): 

1. Bring the additional honey to a boil in a deep saucepan over medium heat. Allow to boil  for about 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off of the heat and add 1 tablespoon of water. Mix carefully to combine. Allow to cool until the consistency is thick, but still loose enough to drizzle. 

2. Meanwhile, combine the sour cream and heavy cream in a bowl. Keep cool in the refrigerator while you decorate the cookies. 

3. Place all of the cooled cookies on a large work surface or plate. Carefully dip your spoon into the saucepan of honey - at this point the honey should be slightly warm, but not hot to the touch and should form a thin stream as you lift your spoon out of the saucepan. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon or two of water to the pot of honey and place over low heat for a few seconds until it loosens up slightly.

4. Dipping your spoon into the honey, slowly drizzle the caramelized burnt honey all over the tops of the cookies in a zig-zag motion to get a beautiful ribbon pattern. Work quickly to decorate the remaining cookies as the honey will harden within a few minutes. If the honey hardens and becomes too thick to drizzle, add a small splash of water (about 1-2 tsp) and place over the heat for a few seconds to loosen.

5. Continue decorating all of the cookies with a ribbon pattern and allow them all to cool completely so that the burnt honey has completely hardened.

6. Remove the sour cream mixture from the fridge and smear with the back of a spoon all over a serving platter. Assemble all of the decorated cookies on top of the sour cream mixture. Dip the cookies in sour cream before serving - it should be messy!