Hot Honey Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm back with another holiday cookie recipe! This was the most successful, popular, and delicious cookie I've made so far this year. It turned out so well that my family even asked me to make a second batch!

These are my hot honey peanut butter cookies. They are sweet, salty, and a little bit spicy.

The cookies use hot honey, which I made myself using jalapenos from my dad's garden cooked for half an hour in fresh local honey. They are also rolled in a mixture of sugar, honey peanuts, and chili flakes to give an extra spicy kick. They aren't too hot though, and the flavors end up melding together really nicely.

Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes (includes cooling time) Active: 25 minutes

Yield: 16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (see Cook's Note)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup hot honey (see below)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons chili flakes
• 3/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped

Hot Honey

To make your own hot honey, heat 1 cup honey with 1 tablespoon chili flakes (or several fresh chili peppers as per your preference) over low heat for 30 minutes. Let sit for 1 hour at room temperature, then strain.

Instructions

1. Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. 
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth with an electric mixer. 
3. Pour in the honey, continuing to beat the entire time. 
4. Beat in the egg until fully combined. 
5. Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy, then stir in the dry ingredients until well combined. 
6. Cover and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
8. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 
9. Combine the sugar, chili flakes and peanuts in a medium bowl.
10.  Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Roll in the sugar mixture to coat. 
11. Place on a prepared cookie sheet and press the top down to flatten with the back of a fork. 
12. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. 
13. Bake until golden and set, about 15 minutes. 
14. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.