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Cooking with Honey

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Cooking with Honey

Honey is often marketed as a sticky sweet and healthier alternative to sugar. It’s a natural product of nature, so it must be healthy for you, right? Well, yes and no. The USDA states that one tablespoon of honey (~21 grams) has 64 calories, 17 grams of carbohydrates (which are sugars without the fiber), 0 grams of fat, and 0 grams of protein. White sugar and honey have no notable differences in nutritional value. So why bother with honey? Certain types of honey are high in antioxidants, such as buckwheat honey.

Antioxidants help fight disease causing free radicals in your body, such as arthritis. Honey has also been used to treat wounds and ailments since ancient times, due to its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. These properties are lost when honey is heated to cooking temperatures and remains safe to eat. In addition, honey doesn’t raise blood sugar levels as quickly as white sugar does and since it’s sweeter than sugar, you’ll need less of it.

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Honey is also very versatile!

  • Drizzle into your tea or coffee.

  • Mix with yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal.

  • Hive Removal

  • Use honey to sweeten sauces or dressings.

  • Mix into a berry smoothie.

  • Slather over toast.

  • can be used in baked goods, like the recipes below!

Cooking Instructions

Honey Backlava

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  • Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  • Toss together cinnamon and nuts.
  • Unroll phyllo and cut whole stack in half to fit the dish.
  • Cover phyllo with a damp cloth while assembling the baklava, to keep it from drying out.
  • Place two sheets of phyllo in the bottom of the prepared dish.

Ingredients

1 pound chopped nuts

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough

1 ½ cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

1 cup water

½ cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • Brush generously with butter.
  • Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the nut mixture on top.
  • Repeat layers until all ingredients are used, ending with about 6 sheets of phyllo.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut baklava (all the way through to the bottom of the dish) into four long rows, then (nine times) diagonally to make 36 diamond shapes.
  • Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and crisp, about 30 - 50 minutes.
  • While baklava is baking, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
  • Stir in honey and vanilla; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
  • Remove the baklava from the oven and immediately spoon the syrup over it. Let cool completely before serving. Store covered in foil.

Cooks Notes

The large variation in cook time depends upon how hot your oven bakes. For me, my baklava was done in 30 mins since my oven bakes hot; for others it could be done in 45 mins. You can use any nut you want for this recipe. I used 50/50 pecans and walnuts. Phyllo dough cracks when dry, so place a slightly damp kitchen towel over the dough when not using it. Be careful that the towel is slightly damp, as damp phyllo dough sticks together, making it harder to work with. This is a slightly altered recipe. You may find the original recipe here.

Cooking Instructions

Apple Honey Bundt Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  • Grease and lightly flour a 9-inch Bundt pan or 2 loaf pans.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the sugar and honey.
  • Beat in the eggs until light, then stir in the honey and vanilla.
  • Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice; stir into the batter just until moistened.
  • Fold in the apples.
  • Transfer batter to prepared pan or pans.
  • Bake Bundt cake until a toothpick inserted into the crown comes out clean, about one hour.
  • Start checking for doneness after 50 minutes.

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

¾ cup honey

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

3 apples - peeled, cored and shredded

  • Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a plate and tapping out of the pan.
  • If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, or drizzle with warm honey before serving.

Cooks Notes

If you're baking the cake in loaf pans, reduce baking time to 45 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center of each pan comes out clean. This is a slightly altered recipe. You may find the original recipe here.

Cooking Instructions

Honey Bun Cake

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, honey, eggs, and sour cream.
  • Stir until most large lumps are gone.
  • Pour half of the batter into a greased Bundt pan.
  • Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter in the Bundt pan.
  • Spoon the other half of the batter into the Bundt pan, covering the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Twirl the cake with a butter knife or icing knife to marble the batter and cinnamon sugar mixture.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Frost cake while it is still fairly hot.
  • Serve warm. To make the frosting: In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar, honey, and vanilla until smooth.

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

¾ cup honey

1 tablespoon brandy or bourbon

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 eggs

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Frosting:

1 cups confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, or drizzle with warm honey before serving.

Cooks Notes

You may bake this in a 9x13 cake pan for the same cook time. You may make the cake batter from scratch. 2 1/3 cups flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups white sugar & 1/2 cup shortening or butter. Sift together dry ingredients & add shortening or butter until crumbly in nature. Then follow the recipe as is.

Works Cited

Sources

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