Wild Honey Cakes

One of the gifts I received this holiday season is a delightful cookbook all about cookies! It was a 'hint' gift. (Don't think I didn't notice, Paul!) It is The Cookie Jar by Josephine Perry. Originally published as Around the World Making Cookies, it has a nice variety. Part I is American cookies from Virginia, New England, New York, Pennsylvania, New Orleans, and 'modern' cookies. That covers the entire nation, right? Part II gives use cookies from around the world including a few from Turkey, Japan, India, and Russia. Many of those look very different from the typical American cookie...should be fun!

 For my first cookie I decided to stay in my state of Virginia and go with the Wild Honey Cakes. Everyone is still recovering from the excesses of the holidays and this one didn't seem too sweet.

 Easy ingredients. Lots of honey!

 I didn't have time to head out to my favorite honey place but I was able to grab dark honey nearby. I have no idea if the ginger is Jamaican. It was what I had in my pantry.

 It was really fun to watch the foaming action after adding the soda.

 So easy to mix! I didn't even have to pull out the standing mixer.

This dough is weird! It feels like play dough. I may or may not have played with it a bit...

 I was not feeling too confident about these. The dough is so different and there is a ton of it! My hopes were not high.

The recipe did not give me a baking time so...8 minutes was a bit much. I found that 5-6 worked best. The 8-minute cookies were still great just firmer and crispier. And they spread! I tried to make them small and diet friendly but they decided not to stay that way.

These turned out good, a bit boring looking.

Wow! These were surprisingly good. Light with a delicate flavor, these are easy to snack on. The crispier 8-minute cookies would be great to keep in cookie jars! I didn't actually count how many I made but they filled 2 gallon-sized freezer bags. I would love to try them with a stronger flavored honey. 

My Rating: Pretty good. I would make them again for guests.

Friends and Family Rating: "Wow!" "I need this recipe!" "Personally, I think they were very good but I need milk with them."