I “virtually” attended a cookie baking extravaganza during the holidays with talented food stylist and recipe developer, Susan Spungen. Almost immediately after the class, I baked her cashew cookies and I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. It was time to make another batch and share the recipe. My all time favorite cookie is the sesame tahini cookie (see recipe in zesty archives), but these delicious cookies come in at a very close second. The combination of the cashew butter and honey is just addictive.

For mostly decorative purposes, peanut butter cookies usually have fork tine marks or criss-cross marks made with a fork. Nut butter doughs are thick and pressing down on the raw dough helps flatten the cookies for even baking. Funny enough, I used a meat mallet to get the little squares on my cookies. You certainly can use a fork or just your hand to flatten your cookies. Yum!

Cashew Butter and Honey Cookies

Print Recipe

Servings

2 dozen

Servings 2 dozen

Cashew Butter and Honey Cookies Print Recipe Servings 2 dozen Servings 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup cashew butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• granulated sugar for coating the dough
• Flakey sea salt for sprinkling, optional

Servings: dozen

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine the dry ingredients and set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cashew butter and beat until well combined. Add the honey, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat again until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the mixer off. Beat on low speed until the flour is fully incorporated. Add the chopped cashews and beat briefly to combine. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill until firm, for at least 2 hours. The dough can be refrigerated for couple of days ahead of baking.
2. When you're ready to bake the cookies, pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon pads (Silpat). Pinch off about two tablespoons or a small (cookie) scoop of dough and roll into a ball. With a lightly floured fork, meat mallet or your hand, press down on the ball to flatten it to about a ¼ inch. Dip each cookie in bowl of granulated sugar and coat both sides, placing cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle the tops with flaky salt, if desired. Chill the dough for about 15 minutes before baking.
3. Bake the cookies for about 12-14 minutes or until they're golden brown on the bottom. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.