1. Combine flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter in small pieces, the egg yolk, and the vanilla extract, and nix/knead to create a smooth dough. You can use a kitchen machine or handheld mixer with dough hooks here, or simply work with your hands. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour (overnight is also fine).

2. For the ganache filling, chop the white chocolate and place it in a bowl. Heat the cream with a little vanilla powder (optional) in a small saucepan on the stove top. As soon as bubbles rise to the surface, remove the heavy cream from the heat and pour it over the white chocolate. Let sit for about 10 minutes, then stir well. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes, so the mixture can firm up again.

3. For the topping, combine butter, heavy cream, and honey in a small saucepan and heat on the stove top until the mixture starts to boil. Next, add the almonds and mix well. Let everything cook briefly until the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove from the heat and let cool down a bit.

4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line several baking sheets with baking parchment and set aside.

5. Divide the dough in half and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 3mm. Cut out about 60 dough circles using round cookie cutters – collect the scraps and roll out again for more cookies. Place the dough circles on the prepared baking sheets and spread the almond topping on half of them. Bake the cookies (one sheet at a time) for about 12-14 minutes. The cookies with and without topping bake at different speeds – it’s recommended to bake them separately. This allows for better control over the browning. Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let them cool briefly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack. And of course, bake any remaining cookies that haven’t been baked yet. ;)

6. Briefly whip the cooled ganache until light and fluffy, then spread it on the cookies without the almond topping (a piping bag works well for this) and gently press them together with a cookie topped with almonds. Store the bee sting cookies in a cool place and serve/eat them within 3 days.