Cinnamon Honey Bears with Jam Filling (My Favorite Christmas Cookies)
These cinnamon honey bears are my favorite childhood cookies. They are very sentimental to me. I still remember how I helped my mom to cut out the faces of the bears. Then I couldn’t wait for them to cool off so we can spread some homemade jam on them. She always baked these honey sandwich cookies before the winter holidays and now I bake them for my family.
The cinnamon and honey aromas always put me in a Christmas mood. As a child I was so impatient to eat those cookies. I had to have one right out of the oven. I didn’t care that I’m going to burn my little fingers. My mom always reminded me to wait because they are so much better on the next day when they soften. She was right but I never had the patience to wait.
My mom wasn’t a very experienced cook when she married my dad, but she was happy to learn. She had this old brown journal where she collected recipes from friends and colleagues. She also wrote down her plans for the week, to do and shopping lists. Every time I saw the brown journal at the table, I knew she is going to make something delicious. The recipe for the cinnamon honey bears came from the journal. When my mom passed away, I was fortunate to find and save it. It is one of the few material things I have left from her. Every time I open it I see the yellow pages and the stains from spilled ingredients, and I remember how much fun we had in the kitchen together.
How to measure ingredients
Correct measuring is very important for baking. Make sure that you use measuring cups and spoons for the dry ingredients and measuring pitchers for the liquids.
How to measure flour? Always scoop more flour than you need in your cup and use a knife to level it off. If you have a scale, use it, because measuring ingredients by weigh is always more accurate. One cup of flour contains exactly 4 oz or 120 grams of all-purpose flour.
Helpful Tips about making the Cinnamon Honey Bears
You can use a mixer to combine the wet ingredients. I use a whisk but I make sure that the sugar is dissolved before I add the dry ingredients.
Do not over-mix your batter! If you start kneading for too long you going to get tough cookies with a consistency like a bread.
I usually use a wine glass to cut out the cookies. The dough is sticky, so I dip my wine glass in some flour to help cut out the circle.
If you can’t roll your dough because it is too soft refrigerate it for an hour before rolling.
These sandwich cookies are so fun to make and the whole family can participate. If you prefer you can make different shapes. You can use some chocolate spread or buttercream as a filling.
Do not bake for longer than 10-12 minutes. The cookies might not look like they are baked, but they are. If you bake for longer than recommended cooking time, they might get too hard.
At first the cookies are hard, but they will soften on the next day. Store them for a few hours in a food container with a lid for up to two weeks. They have a long shelf life. No need to refrigerate them.
Cinnamon Honey Bears with Jam Filling
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sugar I used ½ cup white and ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup oil I used sunflower oil
- ½ cup honey
- 2 Tbsp yogurt whole, plain
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 4 cups all purpose flour or about 500g
- 1 jar favorite jam or jelly I used strawberry and blueberry jam
- more flour for dusting
Instructions
- Crack two eggs and add a cup of sugar in a bowl.Start mixing them with a hand or stand mixer until the sugar is dissolved.
- Then add the oil and the honey to the same bowl. In another small bowl add two tablespoons of plain yogurt and a teaspoon of baking soda. Stir them well and add the mixture to the big bowl with the other ingredients. Start mixing again until all the ingredients are incorporated.
- Lastly add the cinnamon and the flour. At the flour one cup at the time. Do not mix for too long, because you will make a bread rather than a cookie. You can use a wooden spoon to stir in all the flour in.
- As soon as the dough comes together transfer it to a floured surface shape it into a log and cut it in two.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Roll half of the dough directly on the parchment paper. Since the dough is hard to transfer I prefer roll and cut it directly on the parchment paper. Use a glass or a round cookie cutter to cut out circles.
- To make the bear faces cut two holes for the eyes. I use a pen's cap to cut out the eyes. Stick some dough on the circle to make a bear nose and ears.
- Move the parchment paper with the shapes you cut out to a baking sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes.
- While the first batch of cookies bakes roll out the rest of the dough and cut out the bear heads. Make sure you have the same number of bear faces and circles.You can also cut out other shapes with the rest of the dough.
- Once the first batch of cookies are baked transfer them on cooling rack. And bake the second batch for 10 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool off on a cooling rack. Then spread about a two teaspoons of jam on the circle cookie and stick the bear face cookie to it. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.
- Store the cookies in a cookie jar or food storage container with a lid. When the cookies are freshly baked they are crunchy but they get softer over time.
Notes
Other Cookie Recipes You might like
Easy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with a Hint of Orange