Pryaniki - Honey Cookies

Pryaniki are Honey Cookies (пряники медовые) made with sour cream, butter, flour and lots of honey, based on babushka's recipe. Easy to make, especially popular during the holidays, they're my New Years and Christmas cookies.

This honey cookie recipe uses a whopping ONE AND A HALF CUPS of honey, packing these cookies with flavor! Russians love honey, and it's been part of our food culture for centuries.

Ingredients You'll Need

• honey - try Wildflower Honey or Australian Eucalyptus Honey
• sugar - regular white sugar
• eggs - room temperature
• sour cream - or authentic Smetana
• butter - softened of melted
• flour - all purpose works great
• baking powder
• icing sugar glaze

Are Pryaniki like Gingerbread Cookies?

No, not always! There are many different Pryaniki recipes out there, and some are made them like Gingerbread. Adding ginger and spices are optional, and aren't always made that way. This is Babushka's traditional recipe, made with made with regular honey, without the addition of spices.

Honey Cookies with Spices

Spices in the old days were sometimes hard to find, but honey was always available! If you love spiced honey cookies, try adding these ground spices;

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon cardamom

How to Make Pryaniki - Honey Cookies

Although it's an easy recipe, you need to plan ahead when making Pryaniki. The honey cookie dough is so incredibly sticky and soft, it needs to firm up overnight in the fridge. I make the dough on a Friday night, refrigerate until Saturday, and spend the morning baking fresh cookies. If you are in a rush, then you can refrigerate the dough for 4-5 hours before using.

You can make this recipe using a whisk and a wooden spoon, however I use a KitchenAid Mixmaster. It's much easier to mix, especially after you add the flour. Hit the easy button!

Whisk and Mix

1. In a mixer, whisk together the eggs and the sugar.
2. Mix in sour cream, honey and softened butter.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour and baking powder together and mix the flour mixture slowly to the honey mixture until fully incorporated together.

Refrigerate

1. Refrigerate overnight to allow the dough to firm up together. If in a rush, refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours.

Roll

1. Using a tablespoon, spoon out a tablespoon size piece of dough into your lightly floured hands. Roll each piece into a ball and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F and bake for 13-15 minutes.
2. Finish baking and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before proceeding to the next step.

Glaze

1. In a bowl, whisk together the icing sugar and egg whites together. There are 3 ways to proceed, choose the one method which suits you best!

Pro Tips:

• Depending on the size of the cookie balls, I usually get 12 honey cookies on a large baking sheet.
• When you take them out of the oven, leave them on the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. You need these to completely cool before you add the glaze.

Pryaniki Glaze

There are a few different methods to ice these Honey Cookies. The key to a nice, even glaze is to use an electric mixer to make a silky consistency. Icing Sugar is the same thing as Powdered Sugar or Confectioners Sugar, depending on where you live in the world.

The egg whites will whip up beautifully with the icing sugar. When making extra glaze, it's a 1:1 ratio for 1 cup of icing sugar with 1 egg white. After icing them, set on a cooling rack so the extra glaze slides off and they dries neatly.

Dip Method

1. The first method is to fully dip them into the icing sugar mixture. This method uses the most icing glaze, and you might need to double glaze that you prepare. You can also just dip to top of the cookie into the glaze, but traditionally the whole cookie should be covered.

Brush Method

2. The second method is to use a pastry brush to paint each Honey Cookie, allow to dry and paint the underside. This obviously takes the longest, and I don't have that much patience! Sometimes I just paint the top of the cookie, and as it sets, by this time the kids are usually eating the cookies.

Bowl Method

3. Finally, the third method is to place all your cookies in a large bowl, pour the icing mixture over them and mix using your hands. This is the quickest and most practical way (although maybe not as pretty). This is how I remember my babushka making these cookies. She had 13 kids, and it was a fast and economical way to glaze the cookies.

Try all 3 methods to see which works best for you. Make a few 'pretty' Honey Cookies to serve for company. When you have enough and are tired, throw the rest into a bowl to finish quicker. The taste isn't affected in either method. I usually use the first method and dip them into a bowl of icing sugar mixture.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• Use Baking Paper - even if you have a non-stick pan. It's very sticky stuff!
• Australian Honey - adds fantastic flavor and depth
• Flour Your Hands - dough is super sticky and floured hands make rolling easier
• KitchenAid Mixmaster - saves time and your mixing muscles
• Cool - completely cool the cookies before cover with icing glaze
• Pasteurized Egg Whites - Don't use raw egg whites, buy pasteurized egg whites. 3 egg whites is about 3.5oz or 100 grams
• Space Them Out - Don't place the cookie balls too close to each other, so they don't touch each other as they bake. They will spread in the heat of the oven.

Can You Freeze Honey Cookies?

Yes. After the cookie glaze has set and dried, place in a Ziploc bag and freeze. Eat within 3-6 months. Alternatively, keep in an airtight container and enjoy in 1-2 weeks.

How to Prevent Dough from Sticking to Cookie Sheet

Line you baking sheet with baking paper or use a silicone baking mat to make it easy to removing cookies.

Desserts You'll Love

• Sugared Cranberries
• Sharlotka Apple Cake
• Spice Cookies
• Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch
• Honey Joys - Cornflake Cupcakes
• Oatmeal Monster Cookies

Pryaniki, the simple rustic Honey Cookies passed down from generation to generation. The hero of this recipe is honey, and the sweet glaze complements the flavor and seals in the freshness of the cookie. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!

©PetersFoodAdventures.com - originally published Sept 2015, updated 2022