State Fair Holiday Cookies

These honey cut-out cookies are built for decorating. The dough uses ⅔ cup of honey alongside sugar and shortening, giving the cookies a warm, floral sweetness and a firm texture that holds clean edges through cookie cutters and baking.

Lemon extract is the flavoring here instead of vanilla, and it pairs beautifully with the honey. That citrus note keeps the cookies tasting bright rather than one-note sweet.

Roll the dough ¼ inch thick for cookies that are sturdy enough to frost and handle without snapping. At just 6 minutes in the oven, these bake fast, so watch them closely. Pull them when they’re barely golden on the edges. The honey continues to darken the cookies as they cool on the rack.

Pro Tips

• Chill the dough for 30 minutes before rolling if it’s too soft to handle. Honey-based doughs run warm and sticky.
• Use minimal flour on your rolling surface. Too much flour makes the cookies tough and dry.
• Let cookies cool completely before frosting. A simple glaze of powdered sugar and milk works best and sets to a smooth, hard finish for stacking and gifting.
• These ship and store well. The honey keeps them moist for days in an airtight container.

Variations

• Replace lemon extract with almond extract for a nuttier, more fragrant cookie.
• Add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger and a pinch of cloves to the flour for a spiced holiday version.
• Tint the powdered sugar glaze with food coloring and use sprinkles for festive state-fair-style decoration.