How to Use Honey in Desserts

Honey is a healthy and can be used to replace processed sugars. This golden, thick and sweet syrup is natures answer to healthy eating and is used in abundance in desserts as well as in savory foods. Here are some recipes to get you started.

Honey Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, softened
• ½ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cup quick oats
• 1 cup flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup chocolate chips

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 170 C. Line a tray with baking paper baking parchment.
2. Cream butter, honey, and brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer.
3. Add in egg and vanilla extract and beat until creamy.
4. In a bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, and salt.
5.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
6. Drop cookie dough by tablespoon full onto prepared cookie sheets.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. The centers will appear slightly undercooked. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

Tips

• Serve with vanilla ice cream for extra decadence.

Quick and Easy Honey Granola

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup almonds (or other nuts, chopped)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
• ¹⁄₃ cup oil
• ²⁄₃ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method:

1. Heat oven to 150 C.
2. Combine oats, nuts, salt, cinnamon and flaxseeds in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Combine oil, honey and vanilla in another bowl.
4. Mix wet ingredients into dry using your hands.
5. Then spread the mixture onto two cookie trays lined with foil or parchment.
6. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and stir.
7. Bake for 10 minutes more until slightly golden.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
9. When cool, transfer into an airtight container.

Tips

• This granola works as an excellent crunchy topping for ice creams and yoghurt-based desserts
• Add some honey and a couple of tablespoons of flour to a cup of granola and mix well. Use this mixture as a topping for your apple crumble.

Honey Chocolate Glaze

Ingredients:

• 280 grams of dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy fresh cream
• 1/2 cup honey

Method:

1. Place chocolate in a large measuring cup.
2. Bring cream and honey to boil in a small, heavy saucepan, stirring to blend.
3. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate; stir until smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Place rack on rimmed baking sheet. Transfer cake to rack.
5. Pour glaze over cakes and cookies, allowing glaze to drip down the sides. Use a spatula to spread glaze over the sides. Chill for one hour to set glaze or place in a cool place to firm up.

Tips

• You can use the glaze as a topping for mousse and ice cream. Ensure glaze is not hot before doing so.
• Dip fruit skewers into the honey chocolate glaze.

Honey Cream Cheese Topping

Ingredients:

•  450 grams cream cheese (room temperature)
• ⅓ cup honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Beat cream cheese, honey, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. Chill until stiff enough to spread.

Tips

• Use this simple yet rich frosting for carrot cakes, apricot bread, gingerbread, spiced-honey cake and more.

Honey-Spiced Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp spice mix (cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger powder)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 eggs, separated
• ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1½ cup sour cream
• Honey cream cheese frosting

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C.  Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk the flour, spice mix and baking soda; set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff (not dry) peaks; set aside.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and honey.
5. Add eggs yolks, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
6. Add vanilla. Working in thirds, alternate the dry ingredients and the sour cream, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
7. Remove the bowl from the mixer.
8. Using a large spatula, carefully fold in egg whites.
9. Divide batter among the muffin cups, ¾ cup full.
10. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
11. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost with honey cream cheese frosting (recipe provided above) and roasted walnuts.
12. Makes about 18 cupcakes.