Cardamom-Honey Cutouts

These cookies are more than a mere canvas for decorating, with the honey's haunting sweetness and a subtle spiciness from the cardamom. 
 
 Watch our Virtual Cookie Exchange to see how food stylist and associate food editor, Samantha Seneviratne, uses a flooding technique to decorate these cut-outs.

• 
  
  13-1/2 oz. (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
  
  


• 
  
  1 tsp. ground cardamom
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 tsp. table salt
  
  


• 
  
  1/4 tsp. baking soda
  
  


• 
  
  8 oz. (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  
  


• 
  
  3/4 cup granulated sugar
  
  


• 
  
  1/4 cup honey
  
  


• 
  
  1 large egg
  
  


• 
  
  1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  
  

Tip:

For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cardamom, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until well blended.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well blended and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and the beater. Add the honey, egg, and vanilla. Continue mixing on medium speed until well blended, about 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough is well blended and comes together in moist clumps, 30 to 60 seconds.

Divide the dough roughly in half. On a piece of plastic wrap, shape each dough half into a smooth 5-inch disk. Wrap well in the plastic. Refrigerate until chilled and firm enough to roll out, 1 to 1-1/2 hours.

Bake the cookies:

Tip:

If you cut the cookies into larger or smaller shapes, you’ll need to adjust the baking time. Just be sure to bake until the edges turn light brown.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two or more cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners. Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough on a floured work surface to about 3/16 inch thick. Dust with additional flour as needed. Choose one or more cookie cutters of any shape that are about 2-1/2 inches wide and cut out shapes. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the lined cookie sheets. Gather the scraps and gently press together. Re-roll and cut. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies’ edges develop a 1/4-inchwide light-brown rim, 11 to 13 minutes (rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning). Let the cookies cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Decorating Suggestion: Try decorating these cookies with Royal Icing.  Check out Abby Dodge's How to Decorate Cookies with Royal Icing for tips.