Honey Spice Cookies

The New York Times Cookbook

Something about Thanksgiving and the coming of the holiday season makes me think of cookies.

I love giving a stack of treats to friends, and I equally love receiving them. I went to a cookie exchange as a child with my grandma. We baked a plate of Bon Bons (oh don?t worry, recipe coming soon) laid them out on the table of equally delicious sweet bites and sat down in a circle with friends to sing carols and enjoy each other?s company.

I?ll never forget the feeling of sharing our cookies with others and getting to carefully pick out which treats to take home with us. I actually remember that moment better than I remember that year?s Christmas morning with it?s mound of glowing presents and my name on them.

Cookies feel true.

Since today is Turkey-Day, marking the beginning of the holidays I thought I?d share a cookie with you.

Happy Holidays!

Honey Spice Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
8oz (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup mild honey, clover or orange blossom
1 large egg
sea salt or raw sugar for topping

Directions

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
Beat the butter in a large bowl until soft. Beat in the honey. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture, mixing until blended.
Chill for at least 3 hrs. I prefer over night, which allows time for the spices to have a stronger flavor.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 baking sheets, or use nonstick sheets.
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to about 1/16 inch thick. Cut out cookies with a 2 inch round cutter and place on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt or sugar.
Bake until lightly browned on the bottom, 6-8 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

The flavor of these cookies increases with age, so enjoy them at least 2 days after baking. I promise, you will try them right out of them oven and you will be less than impressed. But trust me. Put them in a ziploc bag, and don?t try them again for 48 hrs. You will enjoy them the second time around.

These are my first Happy Holidays Cookies! Happy Holidays.