Butter cookies for cutting out with spelt flour and honey

Cut-out butter cookies made with spelt flour, butter, egg and honey instead of refined sugar, with lemon zest and vanilla. Classic Christmas cookies, 176 kcal per four cookies.

At a glance

• Serves 12
• Prep time: 30 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 40 min
• Calories: 176 kcal per serving
• Protein: 3 g
• Fat: 9 g
• Carbs: 20 g

Ingredients

• 250g spelt flour
• 125g butter
• 80g honey
• 1 egg
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 1 vanilla pod
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · baking tray · grater · cookie cutters

1. Grate the lemon zest and scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod.
2. Quickly knead the spelt flour, pieces of cold butter, honey, egg, lemon zest, vanilla seeds and salt into a smooth dough. Wrap it in cling film and leave it to rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
3. Roll the dough out in batches between two sheets of baking paper to 3 to 4 mm thick and cut out around 50 cookies.
4. Place the cookies on a baking tray lined with baking paper and chill the tray for 10 minutes so the shapes stay sharp.
5. Bake them in a preheated oven at 170 °C (150 °C fan) for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are pale golden.
6. Leave the cookies to cool on a wire rack and decorate them with a little warmed honey and chopped nuts, if you like.

Good to know

Cut-out cookies are the baking project everyone wants to join in with. This dough rolls out well, holds its shape and tastes of butter, lemon and a little honey.

Swaps

Spelt flour → plain flour (paler, a little more crumbly). Honey → maple syrup (milder). Butter → coconut oil, solid (dairy-free). Lemon zest → orange zest (more Christmassy).

Cooking tips

Honey dough is softer than shortcrust made with sugar. So roll it out well chilled between baking paper and dip the cutter in flour now and then.

Storage

Keeps for 3 weeks in a cookie tin somewhere cool and dry.

Allergens

Contains gluten, milk and egg; honey is not suitable for children under one year old, fine during pregnancy.