These honey-sweetened chocolate chip cookies have the perfect textured, a delicious flavor, and a generous amount of chocolate.
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I noticed the other day that the main page on my blog is sadly lacking all trace of chocolate and I realized I must work to change that immediately. My efforts were partly out of guilt for misrepresenting reality because there is definitely not a shortage of chocolate consumption going on around here, especially during this time. But mostly my efforts were because you just need these cookies in your life my friends, ASAP.
So here I am with a bit of chocolate heaven for you.
I’ve had a few people tell me how much they’ve enjoyed these big fat chocolate chip cookies I posted for my birthday last year. If you haven’t made them yet, don’t worry I’m giving you another chance. Because today I’m sharing a honey-sweetened version of those amazing chocolate chip cookies.
I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect honey-sweetened chocolate chip cookies for a while now. I’ve tried several recipes that were good, but just not want I was looking for. On a whim I tried subbing honey in those big fat ccc’s (a.k.a. Big Fats, my favorite ccc’s eva). I was actually expecting to be somewhat disappointed, but was totally shocked at how amazing they were.
So are they as good as the original?
I haven’t pitted them side by side yet, but I am not missing the sugar version when I eat these honey-sweetened cookies. And that’s saying a lot for me. I’m super particular about these things especially when it comes to my favorite chocolate chip cookies.
They are so good, my friends. The texture is surprisingly only very slightly cakier than the original recipe which is super unusual considering they are sweetened with honey.
Yes they are by far the best textured honey-sweetened chocolate chip cookie I have ever had.
What size of cookie is the best?
Oh I just love questions like that, don’t you? It means taste testing is in order. And I am always happy to oblige. 🙂
As you may have noticed, the original recipe is called Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies. And for good reason. They are big and they are fat and messy and absolutely delicious.
But I decided that I wanted to give you options.
We all like options, don’t we?
I won’t tell you how many batches total because I’ve lost count, but this last batch I baked three different sizes: the original big fat (4-ounces), the medium fat (#20 cookie scoop), and the mini (#40 cookie scoop).
And then of course I had to taste each one in the name of science of course.
And here’s the verdict.
They’re all good.
But more of a good thing can be a better thing.
And in this case, it definitely is. The bigger the better. So there you go.
Oh and just as a side note on the original size. If you don’t have a kitchen scale I discovered that a barely heaping 1/3 cup works out to be just the right amount of dough for these. Make sure you grease the cup first before you measure it out.
A quick funny story.
Last week I was making these amazing chocolate chip cookies, carefully weighing them into 4 ounces blobs. Yes I actually do that. Even when I’m not taking pictures. Haha.
Well we found out my oldest son had pneumonia a few days earlier (I shared some of the story in this post). Anyway, at the last minute I ended up having to run him to the doctor right in the middle of making the cookies.
So I left my husband with baking instructions (turns out I had preheated the oven wrong in the process of being flustered) and a batch of weighed out cookies he needed to bake and the rest of the dough to make into cookies.
I wish I had a picture of what I came back to. The first batch (the ones I had weighed out) got overcooked because of my mistake in the oven temp. The second batch were perfectly cooked but wow they were ginormous. How did it happen? Well he just had (and I quote) “just a little bit of dough” left after making the 6 cookies that fit on the baking sheet. So guess what he did? Just added that little bit (which was really 3 4-ounce cookies worth) to the 6 cookies on the baking sheet of course. What came out of the oven were the most delicious monstrosities anyone ever tasted. So yeah, they definitely weren’t winning any beauty contests, but looks are not everything my friends. YUM.
A few baking tips…
Like the original recipe, I’ve only made these with a high powered mixer (I use the cookie dough paddles on my Bosch). It works amazing.
Update (4/20/22): The original recipe I posted used cold butter. I have since discovered that the Bosch cookie paddles do not hold up well mixing cold butter (even if it is sliced). So I am adapting the recipe to use room temperature butter. If you want the texture similar to the original recipe I posted, you can chill the dough after forming the dough balls and before baking (about 30 to 60 minutes).
As I’m sure you can imagine, baking time will vary depending on the size of cookie (and don’t set your oven temperature wrong like me). The honey version of these cookies is slightly darker than the original. I experimented with turning down the oven temperature to compensate but I found that I liked the texture of better at the original temp.
I do still press down the big fat cookies ever so slightly with a damp hand so they cook a little more evenly, but I found that the smaller cookies (#40 and #20 cookie scoop size) didn’t need it.
Can I make these without nuts or less chocolate chips?
Yes. My husband and kid prefer these chocolate chip cookies (and the original Big Fats) without nuts and less chocolate chips (about half that the recipe calls for).
I think the amount of nuts in the recipe is just perfect and adds to the amazing texture of the cookies that I love.
Although they definitely border on luxurious (especially when it comes to the chocolate), I like them exactly as they are.
We’ve found that the no-nut cookies bake up a little better if you don’t flatten them before baking.
In case you want to be particular…
Yes I realize there is some processed sugar in the chocolate chips. We usually go with dark chips because there is less sugar. At this point in my life I’m trying not to fuss too much about those things.
But if you are trying to go 100% sugar free using honey as a sweetener, I’m working on a recipe for homemade honey sweetened chocolate chips that a friend of mine gave me. She let me try them and they are amazing. So I just wanted you to know that they will be coming and I can’t wait to try them in these cookies.
Okay, my friends. I really hope you make these amazing chocolate chip cookies ASAP. They will definitely be made on repeat around here. Thanks for helping us get through quarantine and beyond, my dear amazing ccc’s.
Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies {Honey-Sweetened}
The most amazing honey-sweetened chocolate chip cookies ever.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 cubes) butter room temperature
- 1 cup (12 ounces) raw honey see note
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract see note
- 3 cups (15 ounces) all-purpose white flour see note
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 cups (18 ounces) chocolate chips see note
- 1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (350 degrees convection bake). Line 2 half sheet baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer using cookie paddles, combine softened butter and honey and whip 1-2 minutes until lightened, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
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Add flour, salt, and baking soda and pulse until just a few streaks of flour remain. Add chocolate chips and nuts and pulse a few more times just until barely mixed.
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Scoop giant 4-ounce portions of cookie dough (you can use a greased ⅓ cup measuring cup and fill it slightly heaping). Then roll them gently until they start to form a ball. I like to roll it just barely so the cookie still has some rustic character. Place dough balls onto prepared cookie sheets in 2 columns of 3, allowing for 6 cookies per sheet, evenly spaced. Flatten each ball just slightly with a damp hand. See note for size variations.
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Bake each pan in preheated 375 degree oven (350 convection) for 14-15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on edges and slightly crackly on top.
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Remove from oven and let cookies rest for 2 to 3 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
1. As with all honey-sweetened recipes on this blog, I use raw honey that I buy in bulk from a local source. If you use regular honey from the store keep in mind that it is not always the same. Often honey from the store has been watered down or mixed with corn syrup and recipes made with it (especially baked goods) will turn out very different.
2. For best results, use a good quality vanilla extract rather than an imitation vanilla. We love this white Mexican vanilla that you can order on Amazon.
2. I’ve found that the amount of flour needed for this recipe can vary by ¼ cup either way, depending on your elevation. This recipe was created at about 4,000 feet. If you are lower elevation you may want to use up to ¼ cup less flour. If you are higher elevation, you may need up to a ¼ cup more flour. If you are wondering about how the elevation will affect your cookies, always start with the smallest amount of flour from the guidelines above. You can start out by baking 1 cookie as a test. If the cookies spread too much while baking, you need to add a little more flour. If the cookies don’t spread enough, you need to use less flour.
3. I prefer dark chocolate chips in this recipe – Ghirardelli or Guitard brand.
4. The recipe works with no nuts and fewer chocolate chips too (even though I like the recipe as it is–my family prefers half the chocolate chips so that’s what we’ve been making recently). We’ve found that the no-nut version cookies taste better if you don’t flatten the dough balls before baking.
5. This recipe still works with smaller cookies. For medium cookies (I used a #20 cookie scoop) they baked about 11-13 minutes. For mini cookies (a #40 cookie scoop) they baked in about 8-10 minutes.
Update (4/20/22): The original recipe I posted used cold butter. I have since discovered that the Bosch cookie paddles do not hold up well mixing cold butter (even if it is sliced). So I am adapting the recipe to use room temperature butter. If you want the texture similar to the original recipe I posted, you can chill the dough after forming the dough balls and before baking (about 30 to 60 minutes).
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat
Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.
Are we supposed to use salted or unsalted butter?
I always use only Costco brand salted butter. Not sure how it would affect the recipe to use unsalted butter
I buy Aunt Sue’s Raw Unfilterd Wildflower Honey from my local grocer. Do you know if it is truly 100% honey? I occasionally buy from a local, but it costs twice as much.
Hi Becky, I don’t know specifically on that one but I suspect it’s not. Even if it claims to be, they can add water and corn syrup and still call it 100% honey. Raw local honey is the safest bet
It took me a few tries to get it perfect. On the last attempt I finally remembered to account for the elevation. After my made the text cookie, my mom tried it and said they were lovely. She cussed me out because she wanted to eat every last one which is when I knew I finally nailed it. Thank you so much for this recipe.
You’re welcome Julia! Now I’m curious what elevation you are at and what you ended up adjusting the recipe to. 😊
I’m under 4000 feet. So I adjusted the flour to 2 3/4 cups.
Awesome! Thank you!
Hi
I made these cookies twice and they are very tasty.
The problem is that they are slightly cakey and i thought it was because of overmixing, but today i made it and very carefully, still soft. Would it be because of the honey instead of sugar? I also tried adding less flour but then they ended up flatter.
Thank you!
I suspect it is the type of honey you are using. Anything other than raw honey will have additives which will change the texture!
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I have severe inflammation with sugar and I’ve been looking for honey sweetened desserts. Thank you for sharing, I’m so glad I found you.
Thanks Bonnie! I’m glad you found me too. 😃
Heather,
My husband loves these cookies! My problem is that don’t puff up like they did with sugar. I followed the recipe, actually this happens with peanut butter cookies too (my favorite). Thank you Rose Mary Good
Hi Rose, glad you like them. That’s interesting they don’t puff up for you. It may have to do with the kind of honey you are using. Any honey you buy from the store will not have the same consistency as pure raw honey.
Made these tonight. I was out of eggs so I substituted with a mashed banana and I only used one cup of chocolate chips which was plenty. Turned out excellent
Good to know these subs Jessica! Thanks
Do these freeze well? I’m trying to hunt down a decent chocolate chip cookie that I can bake ahead and freeze, that won’t get super crumbly after defrosting.
(I won’t be able to re-heat before eating, as I specifically am trying to perfect something to bring to a camping event.)
Hi Pam,
Have you or anyone you know used Gluten-free flour with these? Outcome?
Are your honey chocolate chips ready yet!!!!?
I absolutely loved the recipe only thing I did was add about a tablespoon of molasses to give it the chocolate chip cookie flavor you get from the brown sugar if that makes sense ♡
These turned out so bland and dry for me. It should be stated more obvious that the recipe is for high elevation areas. Also no brown sugar? That’s probably a big reason why they don’t taste good
Great recipe! I’ve always sworn by brown sugar in a chocolate chip cookie recipe. But I recently stopped eating processed sugar, so when I found this recipe using honey I was ready to give it a try. I’m so glad I did! I have made many cookies before that didn’t turn out, but these sure did! Thank you!
Thanks Bonnie!! 😊😊😊
I made them with 1/4 cup less flour, I’m in Florida where elevation is low.. also used local Florida raw unfiltered honey they we get delivered weekly. Made 2 different batches – batch #1 with 1 cup macadamia/1cup stevia sweetened white chocolate chips & batch #2 with 1cup graham crackers/1cup stevia sweetened milk chocolate chip/1 cup marshmallows. Baked both batches for 15 mins. Came out a little cakey and a bit dry for me, almost scone-like texture and not as sweet as I thought. I maybe should’ve used for chocolate chips for sure, maybe more honey? My honey or organic, raw, unfiltered, comes straight from the beekeeper so dunno why it came out so cakey. My kids still ate them tho.
Hi Geri, love your innovative ideas. I haven’t experimented with any of the combos you tried. Nor have I tried stevia sweetened chocolate chips! I would definitely try adding more chocolate chips and bake them a couple of minutes less. They will be the best texture when you pull them out at just barely set and starting to brown on the edges. Don’t wait until they look are all the way done or they will be cakey and crumbly. Hope that helps!
Fantastic!!!! Followed the recipe exactly except for used 1 cup chocolate chips instead of 3 cups. I thought 3 cups was a bit extreme, but ideally should have done 1.5-2 cups. I also omitted the nuts. I should have squished the cookies more as my first batch of 6 cookies were a bit too puffy (12 giant cookies total). Either way, the flavour was perfect – the honey butter combo is phenomenal and you can really taste it. I do have to agree with the other commenters that the texture is closer to a cake or a dense muffin top, but that’s not an issue for me as I love the softer fluffy texture. Finally, I live at quite a higher elevation but still went with 3 cups flour and the texture was perfect (to be honest, I didn’t measure the 1 cup honey perfectly – just eyeballed it, so maybe I got the perfect ratio magically haha). Anyway, thanks again! It was my first time making chocolate chip cookies ever and I’m happy I chose your recipe to do so 🙂 I shared these cookies with my neighbors and everyone loved them. Thank you.
Thanks Cx glad you liked the recipe! The texture really will be dependent on the type of honey you use. My guess is that the cakier texture is from honey from the store that has a higher percentage of water in it. I use raw honey and underbake them just slightly and they are perfect. We have been using half the chocolate chips and no nuts in ours (my kids don’t like them). They aren’t quite as decadent as the original recipe, but still super good.
4 stars – So I didn’t have a fancy mixer and twerked the recipe this way: 2 cups of flour, used spatula since don’t have specialty mixer, butter and honey first, added one egg at a time, lol spooned too much matter, and gigantic cookies, then had batter left over and spooned into mini muffin pan, lowered temp to 350 degrees cooked them just long enough to not overcook them, “eye-balled” the timing, guessing 6 min. They are soo sweet and the flavor is delicious 😋!! I really wish u could show you all my blooper and the mini muffins.
Thanks Sharon, glad you liked the flavor! Save up for that “fancy mixer!” It really makes these cookies amazing. 🙂
Yes, it’s on my list.
Thx
Just made this recipe for the first time and they are DELICIOUS! I used unsalted vegan butter (www.Miyoko.com brand) and they came out cake-like but perfect for me!! I added about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and used a combo of Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet chips. THANK YOU so much for posting recipes without cane sugar and using HONEY!! Truly so helpful to my life:)
I love hearing about the variations you tried Tracey. Thanks for your comment!
They came out really good! My daughters didn’t notice that cookies were sugarfree. I made 22 pieces and baked them for 10 minutes. Thank you!
Thanks for your comment Nancy!
Hi Heather, I exchanged the chocolate chips for sugar free m&m’s. I used 2 3/4 cups flour as my altitude level is 1000 ft. I used tablespoons to portion out the dough(without chilling) and baked 9 minutes. The cookies are delicious! Soft, with a slight cake-like texture. They are great with a cold glass of milk! Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing your modifications Michael. I agree that they are even better with a glass of milk! Glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Amazing!! And felt a little less guilty giving them to my kids:)
Hey Kyleigh, glad you liked them!
I was wondering if I pulsed walnuts to a flour consistency would I use same amount of flour or adjust.
These sound like my kind of ccc’s but would like extra flavor of nuts if possible.
Hi Paula, I have never tried subbing in walnut flour in cookies so I can’t really comment on how that would work, but I do think I would probably cut down some of the flour in the recipe if I was trying it. Let me know how it goes!
OMG SO DELICIOUS!! Substituted butter with coconut oil and used half of the honey and they still turned out delicous!
Thanks Kiamich! Love hearing abt the substitutions you tried.
I was very excited to try this recipe when my boss sent It to me! I have been cutting out sugar and looking for sweet treats that are honey sweetened. This recipe was fantastic and the texture of my dough came out great. I made it into two cookie pizzas. I used no sugar added chocolate chips and chopped almonds since there’s a walnut allergy in my house. I also used half the honey called for just because I personally wanted to, but they were just right for my liking. Instead of ice cream for the cookie pizza I made my own whipped cream without any sugar. Tasted great and will make again!
Thanks for sharing your variations Valerie! So glad you liked the recipe.
It is known darling that honey cookies bake faster than sugar cookies. So you did right about baking them under same temprature but must keep in mind to set the dial to shorter time. 😉👍🏻 Regards 🖐🏻
Hi heather! Wondering if I can substitute maple syrup for honey? Thanks!
Hi Rebecca, I’ve never tried it but in my experience maple syrup is a lot runnier than honey and I’m guessing you will get cakier cookies. If you try it, let me know!
What is your process to buy local honey in bulk? There are local honey producers, but I’m not sure how to go about bulk pricing around. Excited to try the recipe!
Good question Courtney. I’ve used the same local beekeeper for several years. We found him through asking around. You can see if there is a facebook page for beekeepers in your area which may give you a place to start. Just ask for their prices for a 5 gallon bucket of honey. Some beekeepers won’t have a large enough production that they can sell it in that quantity. But we buy around 2 five gallon buckets a year but we use it A LOT! One may be sufficient for you, depending on how much you use it. But it will last a long time (indefinitely as long as you keep it in ideal conditions – out of direct sunlight, not too hot or cold, etc). Hope that helps. Good luck.
My family loved these! I’ve tried the original recipe, as well as tried it with 1/2 M&Ms and 1/2 chocolate chips. But my family’s favorite was actually when I rolled the dough balls in cinnamon sugar instead of adding in any chocolate chips or nuts.
Thanks for sharing Maggie. Your variations sound delicious!
Cookies taste great!! Just like regular cookies. But they are suuuper cakey. Maybe because I beat the dough too much and used room temp butter instead of the listed cold temp?
I suggest using less flour regardless of the elevation and despite the dough being sticky. It’s going to be sticky no matter what because the honey is not adhesive like sugar is! So use less flour, and you’ll be good to go!
Yes the temp of butter will matter to the texture. Also did you use raw honey? That will make a difference. Honey from the store does not work the same and it will make cakier cookies. I’ve found the amount of flour in the recipe is perfect for my elevation. We make these all the time and I wouldn’t change a thing. My husband likes to double the vanilla, with no nuts, and half the chocolate chips. That’s his perfect cookie. Find what works for you, my friends! 🙂
I just bought some really great local honey and wanted to try a cookie with honey (trying to eat less sugar ). This is a fantastic recipe. Both my picky husband and I loved them. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I will be making this one again for sure.
So glad you loved them Nina!
Hi, I have made these twice now and for some reason mine are very puffy. I decreased the flour this time, but still very puffy. Any idea what am I doing wrong?
Thank you for this great recipe. I’m 6 weeks plus of no white sugar. I can’t wait to make honey sweetened chips that you mentioned in the recipe. I’ll keep checking back for the recipe. Thank you again, I can’t to try some of your other recipes!
Hi Trish! Glad you liked the recipe and congrats on your no white sugar success! I am still working on perfecting the chips but getting close. 😊
Hi, I have made these twice now and for some reason mine are very puffy. I decreased the flour this time, but still very puffy. Any idea what am I doing wrong?
Hi Trish, have you tried weighing the ingredients? Since everyone measures things slightly differently, weighing can really help. Also are you using raw honey? Regular honey from the store contains water that can mess up the texture. Good luck!
I am using raw honey that I purchase locally. I will try to weigh the flour. Thank you for your quick response.
Awesome. Also what elevation do you live at? Sometimes that can also affect cookies. The recipe was created at 4500 so if you are much different that could be affecting things. 😊
You’re very good at saying what not to use as far as honey can you please give a better example of what to use regarding raw honey thank you
Are you talking about the very pasty type of raw honey is very thick can you please explain
Hi Stephen, it’s hard to give you an exact description of the honey you need to look for because it may look like raw honey and actually not be. Most of the honey that is packaged to sell in the store contains filler ingredients (like water and corn syrup). It’s tricky because it can contain them even if it doesn’t say on the package that it does. If you use that kind of honey in this recipe. You will get a different texture of cookies. So rather than buying the honey from a grocery store I suggest going to a farmers market or a beekeeper directly and buying the unprocessed honey from them. It will be very thick yes. It will also likely crystallize at cooler temperatures. The most important thing for this recipe being that it is pure honey with no water or corn syrup fillers.
I have to try the chocolate chip cookies with my honey sweetened chocolate and my gluten free flour substitute. I bet they will be really yummy! I am off to make chocolate now….
Catherine YES! I think they will be amazing too. Let me know how it goes. We’ve been making an embarrassing amount of these haha 🙂