Incredible Honey Cookies
Here’s a GREAT make-ahead Rosh Hashanah recipe that I made last year and taped up on my notice board then, specifically so that I wouldn’t forget to share it with all of you this year…
A very dear and special lady, Rebbetzin Sarah Meisels, gave me this recipe. She told me they are so good that even if your family doesn’t like honey cookies, these will not go uneaten, and boy, was she ever right. I made a huge batch of them last year and then had to hide them in the freezer so they wouldn’t be completely finished before I needed them. And this is from a baker (me!) who always shied away from honey cookies. I know this is a very big recipe — but, since it’s Erev Yom Tov now and many of our readers have large families to prepare for, I decided to leave the Rebbetzin’s amounts as they are. This makes over 100 cookies, but only if you don’t allow your fan club to snatch them off the trays as they are coming out of the oven…
Ingredients
1½ cups margarine (300 grams)
2 cups sugar (450 grams)
6 eggs
1 cup honey
7 cups flour (1 full kilo of flour)
1-2 teaspoons cinnamon
1¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon juice
¼teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
Method
Cream the margarine and the sugar. Add in the eggs. Mix again. Add in everything else. Mix until you have a nice soft dough and then turn off the mixer. It will be somewhat sticky — this is normal. Cover and place the cookie dough in the fridge to firm up for about 1–2 hours. If you forget to take it out until the next day, that’s okay too.
Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
Line the baking trays with parchment paper. Form small balls of cookie dough, roll each ball in a bit of flour and place them on parchment paper lined cookie trays. Press down each cookie very slightly with the tips of your fingers. Don’t press too hard! Bake the cookies until they are light golden brown, about 10–12 minutes. DO NOT bake them more than 15 minutes or they will be rock hard! When they are slightly crinkled and golden brown, they are done. Remove from the oven immediately. Let them sit on the tray for a few more minutes before you remove them to a platter to cool completely. I suggest making these on a morning when kids and hubbies are not home so that you will have something to put into the freezer after you are done!
