Honey Ginger Biscuits (Soft and Chewy)

These honey ginger biscuits are soft, chewy and properly spiced, and I have made them four times since the first tray came out the oven. Honey does something golden syrup cannot, giving you a softer crumb and a rounder, warmer flavour that carries the ginger instead of burying it in sweetness. A little lemon zest rubbed into the sugar lifts the whole thing so it never tastes heavy. The dough comes together in one bowl in about ten minutes, and you can take them either way depending on the bake, chewy at 13 minutes or crisp like a gingernut at 15. They keep for weeks in a tin, which is the real reason I keep making them.

I recently worked with the lovely duo behind the Waggle Honey brand to develop a new flavour in their range of flavoured craft honey: Lemon and ginger.

Playing around with the ratios of ground ginger and lemon extract to make a balanced honey was a lovely project. This would be perfect on toast or to sweeten a cup of tea. It’s also perfect in these ginger and honey biscuits.

To amplify the lemon slightly, I added the zest of a lemon, but the flavour is still very subtle. You can omit this if you prefer.

Waggle craft honey is creamed honey that has been sourced and made in small batches. They are 100% raw and infused with natural ingredients, free from preservatives or artificial flavours. The honey is unfiltered and unheated, thereby retaining its natural goodness.

Shop Waggle Honey online.

If you want the classic version without honey, here is my recipe for crunchy ginger biscuits.

How to Make These Honey and Ginger Biscuits Crunchy

I feel like there are two types of people in the world. Those who like their cookies or biscuits crunchy, and those who like them soft and chewy.

If you are the former, you can make these biscuits crunchy like a gingernut. Simply reduce the honey to 2 tablespoons and omit the lemon zest. Bake until golden brown for 14 – 15 minutes. Watch these biscuits carefully while baking, as they can go from golden to burnt VERY quickly.

Just a note on this recipe. Make sure the dough is quite dry, even borderline crumbly. If it is too sticky, the cookies will spread too much. Make sure you measure the water and honey correctly. Add a little flour if it is sticky.

Allow some space between each ginger biscuit on the baking tray, and see my notes in the recipe regarding cooling the biscuits.

Honey Ginger Biscuit FAQs

Are ginger biscuits healthy?

No, and I would not sell them to you that way. These are a treat made with butter, brown sugar and honey, and honey is still sugar. What it does bring is flavour and a softer texture, so a single biscuit gives you more than a plain sugar dough would.

Can I use honey instead of golden syrup in ginger biscuits?

Yes, and that is exactly what this recipe does. Swap it measure for measure. Honey holds more moisture than golden syrup, so your biscuits come out softer and chewier and spread a little more on the tray. For a crunchy biscuit, cut the honey back to 2 Tbsp and bake for 14 to 15 minutes.

Can I use plain honey instead of a flavoured one?

Yes. Increase the ground ginger to 3 tsp to make up for the lemon and ginger already in the Waggle honey, and keep the lemon zest in.

Soft and Chewy Honey Ginger Biscuits Recipe

Soft and chewy honey ginger biscuits with lemon zest and warm spice. Bake for 13 minutes for a chewy centre or 15 for a crunchy gingernut snap.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:10 minutes mins

Cook Time:14 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 240 grams / 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger (increase to 3 tsp if using plain honey)
• a pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 120 grams 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• Finely grated zest of one lemon
• 125 grams soft salted butter at room temp
• 1 tsp 5 ml bicarbonate of soda baking soda
• 3 Tbsp 45ml Waggle Lemon & Ginger honey
• 30 ml 2 Tbs hot water
• additional brown sugar to sprinkle over the biscuits (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 180 C (350 F)
• Add the sugar and lemon zest to a small bowl and rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils.
• Add the flour, spice, and salt and give it a good mix.
• Add the butter to the bowl and until you get a crumb-like texture.
• In a separate small bowl mix the honey, bicarb, and water and when it is mixed add it to the flour mixture. Mix until you have a soft dough ball and there are no loose bits of crumb. It should be quite dry and borderline crumbly. If it’s too sticky, add some more flour.
• Scoop out approximately 11/2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball. It should be the size of a walnut.
• Arrange the balls spaced out on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking sheet or baking paper. Press each dough ball down with a fork – you should get around 20 biscuits.
• Bake for 13 – 18 minutes until they are a nice caramel colour and then remove and cool on a rack. Keep a close eye after 13 minutes as they can burn quite easily. The oven times may vary and if necessary bake longer. For a crunchier biscuit bake for longer (around 14 – 15 minutes) and for a softer, chewier biscuit bake for 13 minutes.
• Remove and allow to cool on a cooling rack. If you would like them soft and chewy, remove them from the baking sheet as they come out the oven. Do this by sliding the baking paper onto the rack.
• If you would like them crispier, leave them to cool on the baking tray as they will carry over cooking for a bit.

Notes

For crunchy biscuits like a gingernut, reduce the honey to 2 Tbsp, leave out the lemon zest and bake for 14 to 15 minutes until golden brown.

Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 3 weeks. They soften over time, especially in a humid kitchen.

Freeze the raw dough balls on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen and add 2 to 3 minutes.

A few of my favourite biscuit recipes

My Best Biscuit Recipes: Easy Homemade Biscuits And Cookies

The classic and iconic vanilla snap biscuit recipe is perfect to decorate or serve with a cup of tea.

The best shortbread biscuit balls with chocolate middles might be one of my all-time favourite biscuits (cookies). Moreish and addictive. I like to use Cadbury’s Chocolate in the middle.

The best-whipped vanilla shortbread biscuits (perfect to make with or for kids).

Alison Roman’s best chocolate chip cookie (that is more of a biscuit) and easy to make and freeze for later. NB – You can freeze the uncooked dough and the baked biscuits.

The best cashew nut butter biscuits (or use a good quality peanut butter if you prefer)

Greek shortbread biscuits – covered in icing sugar, these almond-flecked beauties are addictive.

My best-ever baking recipes are where you will find a full list of all my favourite baking recipes of all time. I’ve been blogging for over 14 years, so there is a LOT.

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