A festive almond sugar cookie topped with a thin almond glaze and red, white, and blue jimmies — these cookies are made for summer celebrations.
These Honey Almond Glazed Cookies are everything I love in a summer cookie — soft, sweet, and full of almond flavor with just a little sparkle on top. The dough comes together quickly, and the glaze adds a light finish that isn’t overly sweet. I couldn’t resist dressing them up with red, white, and blue jimmies for the 4th of July. I did a similar cookie last year — if you’re a lemon fan, check out my 4th of July Lemon Sugar Cookies. But honestly, these cookies are good any time you want a no-fuss almond treat with a little flair.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- Buttery and soft with just the right almond flavor
- Naturally sweetened with honey
- Perfect for kids to help decorate
- Great for the 4th of July or summer parties
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Ingredients
Honey Almond Cookies
- Butter unsalted
- Sugar white
- Egg
- Honey
- Almond extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Kosher Salt
Almond Glaze
- Powdered sugar
- Milk (I used skim but 1% will work also)
- Almond extract
Ingredients Tip!
- Almond extract – use sparingly; it’s strong and I have it in both the dough and the glaze.
- Honey – I used what I had in my cabinet.
- Milk – I used skim milk for a thin glaze, but 1% works too.
- I found red, white, and blue jimmies at my grocery store, but stars or sprinkles work beautifully too.
How to Make These Honey Almond Cookies (Step by Step)
This is a quick and easy cookie to make and decorate. Great Saturday morning baking sharing time with the kids.
Prep Your Ingredients First
1. Weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Next, in another bowl weigh or measure the flour. Add to the flour the baking powder and the salt. Set this bowl aside and now time to mix the cookie dough.
Mix the Dough & Let It Chill
2. Cube the butter into the mixer bowl.
3. On a medium mixer speed cream the butter until you have soft peaks.
4. Add the almond extract, honey and egg mixing until incorporated.
5. Scrape down the bowl and add the flour mixture about a third at a time. Don't over mix, if you still have bits of flour especially at the bottom of the bowl, don't worry it will be fixed in the next step.
6. Place the cookie dough and all the crumbs onto a pastry mat. With one cup of butter you can easily knead the dough and the flour bits will be absorbed. It took me about 3 minutes to bring it together and I had a lot bits and crumbs.
7. I made a log shape and let it rest for a minute. Then I divided it in half and flattened each piece into a disk, wrapping them in plastic wrap. Starting with a flat disk makes it easier to roll out later.
8. Do both halves and chill for 30 minutes. The chilling helps to meld the flour and butter together.
Roll Out, Cut Stars & Bake
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and line 2 cookie sheet pans with parchment paper.
I used a dowel rolling pin with rolling pin bands on the ends. I used the ¼" thickness yellow band. The star cookie cutter I used was Wilton Stars Nesting Metal Cutter Set. I choose the small star which measured 3 ¼ inches from point to point. Grab 2 cookie sheet pans and line them with a sheet of parchment paper.
Cookie Cutter Star Tip!
I’ve found that with cookie cutters that have points (like stars), the larger the cutter, the more likely the tips are to break — either while transferring to the baking sheet or after baking. Smaller cutters are sturdier, and the glaze helps reinforce the star points.
9. I let the flat cookie dough disks warm for about 5 minutes. It helps to roll out the dough easier. I lightly dust the pastry mat with powdered sugar. I tear the disk in half and roll out the half disk.
10. Roll out and cut as many stars as you can. Move the cutouts to a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Gather the excess cookie dough and ball it up and roll it out and continue to cut out more stars. Continue until most of the dough is used. Then move on to the next half of the disk.
11. I got 15 stars to a sheet pan. Bake for 6-8 minutes for the small stars. These do not take long to bake. If they are brown on the bottom when doing the first batch, bake for a minute less the next batch.
Leave the cookies on the sheet pan for a minute or two before carefully moving the cookies to a cooling rack.
Glaze the Cookies and Add Sprinkles
Add the powdered sugar, milk and almond extract to a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. The thickness of the glaze is up to you. You can start with 4 tablespoons of milk and if it is too thick add another tablespoon. Dip the top of the cookie in the glaze and set it back on the rack.
I glazed about 10 cookies at a time then stopped and sprinkled some of the red, white, and blue jimmies (sprinkles) right on the glaze. They will stick to the glaze as it hardens. The glaze also helps to strengthen the star points from breaking off.
Wait for the glaze to dry and harden before storing them in a container. This takes a couple of hours.
Quick Tips for Picture-Perfect Cookies
- Add the sprinkles right after glazing.
The glaze sets quickly, so have your jimmies ready to go — they’ll stick best while it’s still wet. - Let the glaze dry completely before storing.
Give them at least 30 minutes to an hour at room temp so the tops don’t smudge when stacked. - Use a light touch with almond extract.
A little goes a long way. Too much can overpower the honey, which adds a mellow sweetness underneath. - Want a stronger almond bite?
Try adding a few tablespoons of finely chopped toasted almonds to the dough. - Don’t overbake.
These cookies are meant to stay soft and pale — the bottoms should just barely start turning golden.
Enjoy!
FAQ's
“Jimmies” is a term commonly used in the Philadelphia and New England areas to describe rod-shaped sprinkles, which can be chocolate or colored. “Sprinkles” is the more general term and includes a variety of shapes and colors. Either one works for decorating cookies.
Once the glaze has hardened, you can stack the cookies in a container (like a Glad container) or place parchment paper between the layers. I keep mine right on the counter — though in my house, that’s risky! I eat way to many.
In the Mood for More Almond Cookies
Recipe
Honey Almond Glazed Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
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Ingredients
HONEY ALMOND COOKIES
- 1 cup Butter unsalted
- 1 cup Sugar white
- 1 Egg
- ½ Tablespoon Honey
- ½ teaspoon Almond extract
- 3 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
ALMOND GLAZE
- 2 cups Powdered sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Skim or 1% milk
- ¼ teaspoon Almond extract
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the sugar into a bowl and set it aside. In a separate bowl, weigh or measure the flour, then add the baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Cube the butter into the mixer bowl and cream it on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue mixing for 3 minutes on medium speed. Next, add the egg, honey, and almond extract, blending until fully incorporated. Scrape down the bowl, then add about a third of the flour mixture at a time, mixing just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Transfer the contents of the mixer bowl to a pastry mat or your countertop, and knead the dough until all the flour bits are fully incorporated. Shape the dough into a log and cut it in half. Flatten each half into a round disk and wrap them in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175–180°C) and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. I used a dowel rolling pin with rolling pin bands on the ends, choosing the ¼" thick yellow band for these cookies. The star cookie cutter is from the Wilton Stars Nesting Cookie Cutter Set — I used the small one, which measures 3 ¼ inches from point to point.
- Remove the cookie dough from the fridge about 5 minutes before rolling — this helps make it easier to work with. Lightly dust your pastry mat with powdered sugar and place half of one dough disk on the mat. Roll it out and cut as many stars as you can, then transfer them to your prepared cookie sheet. Gather the scraps, re-roll them, and cut more cookies. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
- Bake for 6–8 minutes, or until the bottoms are just barely golden and the tops still look pale. Let the cookies sit on the sheet pan for a minute to firm up, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Wait until they’ve completely cooled before starting the almond glaze.
- In a bowl, combine the powdered sugar, milk, and almond extract. Use a small whisk to blend until smooth. Dip the top of each star cookie into the glaze, then turn it right side up and place it back on the rack. I glaze about 8 to 10 cookies at a time, then sprinkle the jimmies onto the wet glaze so they stick. Let the glaze dry for about 2 hours before storing the cookies in a container.
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NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
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