Sweet on Honey: 22 Favorite Recipes

By The editors of MidwestLiving.com
Updated June 15, 2020

Nature's sweetest nectar brings new energy to recipes for desserts, salads, main dishes, marinades and more.

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Honey-Rosemary Shortbread Cookies

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Chef Myk Banas created these utterly delicious and subtly sophisticated cookies.

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Fingerling Potato Salad with Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette

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"Potato salad is classic summer fare, but I rarely see one as light as this," says amateur beekeeper and chef Myk Banas from the Chicago Marriott Downtown. The addition of fresh haricots verts gives it fresh-from-the-garden taste.

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Honey Cream Scones

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Fresh thyme and finely shredded lemon or lime peel add delicate flavors to these soft scones. Serve warm, and drizzle with a little extra honey if you like.

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Peach-Topped Honey Rice Pudding with Chocolate

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Peaches poached in sweet wine and rich dark chocolate add a sophisticated twist to homey rice pudding. The recipe comes from Urban Roots Farm in Springfield, Missouri.

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Feta, Honey and Date Spread

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This spread can be made ahead and stored in the fridge up to 3 days. For a flavorful dipper, brush pita wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and thyme before toasting in oven.

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Honey-Bourbon Salmon

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Although this recipe takes very little hands-on cooking time, be sure to allow an hour to marinate the salmon so it absorbs all the flavors of the sweet-and-salty marinade.

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Honey-Sage Sweet Potatoes, Pears and Walnuts

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A colorful mixture of sweet potatoes, red onion and pears blend with sage and sweet honey in this easy-roasted side.

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Honey Vinegar Pie

Credit: Blaine Moats
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It's all in a name, right? That's what Lou Ginocchio of Cincinnati's O Pie O discovered when Honey Vinegar Pie sent customers' heads spinning. "No one was expecting a pie with vinegar in its name to be this luxurious."

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Honey-Soaked Quinoa Salad with Cherries and Cashews

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Fresh cherries or grapes, chopped cashews and sliced dried apricots add pops of flavor and color to this lovely gluten-free salad.

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Sriracha Honey Butter

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A natural with corn on the cob, this sweet and spicy butter sauce would be equally good spooned over cornbread, baked sweet potato or roasted Brussels sprouts. The recipe comes from Chef Camp in northern Minnesota.

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Carrot and Honey Upside-Down Minis

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Sweetly vying for a spot on your Easter brunch table, these cinnamony whole-wheat cakes bake over nests of glazed carrots. Serve warm with extra honey for drizzling.

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Lemon-Mint Honeyed Iced Tea

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Stir lemonade or limeade concentrate and honey into a combination of mint tea and green or black tea for an easy, refreshing drink.

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Honey French Toast with Macerated Berries

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Egg bread, extra egg yolks and half-and-half take a trusty diner classic to new levels of splurge. (Trust us, you won't regret going along for the ride.) Both the French toast and berries need to rest overnight, so this is an ideal make-ahead brunch dish. The recipe comes from the Birchwood Cafe Cookbook (University of Minnesota Press, $29.95).

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Honey-Glazed Buttermilk Oatmeal Coffee Cake

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Turning this homey cake out of the pan reveals a honey glaze that baked at the bottom. Lemon juice and zest add a little zing.

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Honey Berry Frozen Yogurt Sundaes

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Fresh raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or blueberries star in our Honey-Berry Frozen Yogurt Sundaes, which take only 15 minutes to make from start to finish.

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Whipped Honey Butter

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Try this creamy three-ingredient spread on freshly baked corn bread, biscuits or bran muffins.

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Lemon-Herb Grilled Chicken

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Herbed lemon marinade cooks down with honey to a glossy, gorgeous glaze that gives this chicken a golden color.

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Bavarian Honey-Bran Muffins

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Honey, sugar and raisins sweeten these hearty bran muffins. Serve warm with honey or butter.

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Honey and Poppy Seed Hearts

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Honey gives these cinnamon-spiced cookies great flavor and a slightly soft texture.

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Wisconsin Honey Bee and Vanilla Bean Pudding

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Jill Prescott, a Midwest cooking-school teacher, shared this dessert named for her home state.

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Honey-Rhubarb Muffins

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Lemon-flavor honey butter accents the sweet-tart flavor of the rhubarb in these muffins. Either frozen or fresh rhubarb work.

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Orange-Honey Sweet Rolls

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The recipe for these hearty rolls comes from the Kansas Wheat Commission. They'll keep in an airtight container for a couple days, or you can freeze them (unfrosted) for up to 2 months. They're best served warm, so when ready to eat, wrap the frozen cinnamon rolls in foil and bake about 25 minutes in a  300° oven. Frost as directed.

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Fruit Brunch Medley

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Honey and lime add snap to this fruit bowl with Granny Smith and Delicious apples, red and green grapes, kiwi, and dried tart cherries. Serve it at brunch or as a meal accompaniment.

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Honey cooking tips

Substituting for sugar: When you substitute honey for other sugar in a recipe, you're adding liquid, so you need to adjust the recipe accordingly. When baking, you can substitute honey for up to half of the granulated sugar in a recipe. For every cup added, reduce the nonsweet liquid by 1/4 cup, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and lower oven temperature by 25 degrees.

Measuring: When measuring honey, spray the measuring cup or spoon with nonstick vegetable spray coating so the honey won't stick to the surface.

Choosing a honey flavor: Many cooks like adding bold-tasting honey to baked goods, such as buckwheat honey in wheat muffins. Milder honey complements sauces, glazes and salad dressings. For example, try apple honey in a light vinaigrette. See next slide for more information on honey flavors.

Checking labels: Honey blends--honey and syrup--are increasingly common in stores today. To ensure you're buying 100 percent pure honey, always check the label.

Storing: Honey keeps for years in your pantry. If your jar of liquid honey becomes too granular, heat it in a pan of warm (not boiling) water until it's smooth and clear again.For more honey information, go to the National Honey Board website.

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Honey colors and flavors

Honey's color gives clues to its source and flavor. As a rule, light-color honey tastes mild. Dark honey tastes bolder. Try one of these Midwest varieties:

Alfalfa Delicate flavor with a subtle spiciness.
Apple Mildly floral, delicate taste.
Basswood Sweet and light with a hint of mint.
Blackberry Mildly sweet with a trace of fruit.
Blueberry Hints of green leaves and lemon.
Buckwheat Definite molasses and malt flavor with lingering aftertaste.
Clover Most common. Flowery aroma and mild taste. Hints of its blossom.
Goldenrod Slightly strong, almost spicy.
Raspberry Mellow, smooth flavor with raspberry finish.
Soybean Distinctive, mildly fruity flavor.
Star thistle Moderate sweetness with a grassy, anise aroma and flavor.
Sunflower Slightly herbal with citrus notes.
Tulip poplar Very mild for a dark honey.
Wildflower Taste varies by flower.

Honeys pictured include (left to right), buckwheat, prairie wildflower, goldenrod and clover. 

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By The editors of MidwestLiving.com