You can use honey for almost anything you can use sugar for and  more!  It will impart something special to your food that sugar can't and you will have an almost unlimited choice of different varietal honeys to experiment with.  Each one will lend its own unique flavor to your meal, drink, or dessert.  

Cooking with Honey

Baking with Honey

Replacing sugar with honey in your baking is not only a healthier choice but will also keep your food moister and fresher.  Crusts will turn out a more golden brown and  the unique flavor of the honey will sometimes be subtly detectable.
When substituting honey for sugar in your recipe, a one-for-one substitution is typical, although some people prefer to use only 3/4 of a cup of honey for ever cup of sugar they would normally use because of honey's additional sweetness. However, because honey has built in moisture, reduce the other liquid ingredients by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey.  If your recipe doesn't call for other liquids, add 2 extra tablespoons of flour for each cup of honey.  Food baked with honey will brown more readily than when made with sugar; reducing the oven temperature by 25 degrees will help with this.  

Honey Apple Crisp
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This is the first thing I ever made with honey and it is still my all-time favorite.
  • 6 cups sliced apples
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup HONEY
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
Arrange apples in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with lemon juice.  Spread honey over apples.  Mix dry ingredients.  Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.  Sprinkle over apples.  Bake at 375F until apples are tender and crust is browned (about 30 minutes). 

Chocolate Chip Cookies
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This is one of my personal favorite uses for honey.  
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 sticks butter
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup HONEY
  • 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chocolate chips
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
Mix eggs, room temperature butter, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and honey thoroughly in a large bowl.  Add chocolate chips and flour and mix again.  Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.

Honey Granola Bars
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  • 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
  • 1 cup sliced pecans
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • ½ cup toasted wheat germ
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2/3 cup GOLDEN HILLS HONEY
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup golden raisins
  • ½ cup chopped dried apricots
  • ½ cup dried cranberries
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.  Toss the oatmeal, pecans, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.  Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the raisins, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Beverages with Honey

Honey with Tea
Honey and tea is a great combination.  If you are used to using sugar in your tea or coffee, be prepared to use significantly less honey because of its greater sweetness.  Everyone is different, but it is generally a good idea to start with about 1/3 as much honey and add more until it tastes the way you'd like.  This is also one of the best ways to experiment with different varieties.  Pair stronger, darker honeys with full-bodied black teas and lighter, more mild honeys with more delicate tea. 
If you'd like to be more adventurous, try incorporating honey into some homemade chai tea or hot spiced tea.  Both of the recipes below are provided by Tea Atlas.

Homemade Chai Tea

This will make 4 cups of tea.
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 black tea bags
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/2 cup HONEY
  • 2 cups milk
To make chai tea base, combine water, tea bags, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and honey in a medium saucepan.  Bring it to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and steep for 30 minutes.  Remove tea bags.  Cover and refrigerate base until ready to serve.
To serve, combine equal parts chai tea base and milk.  Heat.  

Hot Spiced Tea

This will make 4 cups of tea.
  • 4 cups freshly brewed tea
  • 1/4 cup HONEY
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 4 lemon or orange slices (optional)
Combine tea, honey, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a large saucepan.  Simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour into cups.  Garnish with lemon or orange if desired.  Serve hot.