If you want to be able to cook sweets without the negative health effects of refined sugar, honey is an excellent option. Among other reasons, honey is metabolized more slowly by your body, meaning that you are less likely to get a sugar “high” after eating something made with honey.
Honey can be challenging to cook with, though, for several reasons. So many people don't cook with it because they don't know how. But once you know how to use honey in your favorite kitchen creations, it's not hard at all to use.
The first challenge that honey presents is that it burns more easily that normal sugar. This problem is usually eliminated by doing your cooking or baking at a slightly lower heat.
The main hurdle to cooking with honey is that it is a liquid. Replacing sugar with honey will ruin some recipes if you don't make an allowance for the extra liquid that the honey adds.
Most muffins, simple quick breads, yeast breads, etc you can make the substitution without any adjustment. Cakes, cookies and some other recipes you should decrease the amount of liquid in the recipe to account for the honey.
Honey is also very easy to use in pies. Since they are already somewhat liquid, you can replace the sugar with honey. If the pie filling seems too runny, just add a little extra thickener before you pour it in your pie shell.
The flavor of honey can sometimes be an issue, but not usually. If you are making a recipe that you don't want the flavor to be noticeable, there are several things you can try. First of all, get the mildest flavored honey you can. Usually that will be a very pale clover honey. (The paler the honey, the sweeter and milder the flavor, in general.)
If necessary, you can use part honey, and part some other sweetener, such as apple juice concentrate, agave nectar, stevia, or even sugar if you have to.
For the rest, whatever we have got has been by infinite labor, and search, and ranging through every corner of nature; the difference is that instead of dirt and poison, we have rather chosen to fill our hives with honey and wax, thus furnishing mankind with
the two noblest
of things, which are sweetness
and light.
- Jonathan Swift
Fruit Dip
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbs. orange juice concentrate
2 tbs. honey
Assorted fresh fruit cut into bite-sized chunks
Combine yogurt, concentrate and honey. Serve with fresh fruit chunks.
Carrot Muffins
3/4 cup All-Purpose unbleached flour (or whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
2 tbs. wheat germ
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup grated carrots
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cup rolled oats
Combine flour, soda, baking powder, spice, wheat germ, raisins and carrots in a large bowl. Set aside. Combine egg and remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Stir well and let stand at least three minutes. Make a well in center of flour mixture. Add egg mixture to dry mixture, stir just until moist. Spoon into greased muffin pans, 3/4 full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18 to 20 minutes.
Makes 1 dozen muffins
Honey Shortbread
1 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup honey
2 1/2 cup All-Purpose unbleached flour
Combine the honey and butter in a large bowl until well mixed. Mix in the flour a little at a time. Chill the dough for one hour. Roll out the dough. Cut out cookies (may use cookie cutters) and bake on an ungreased cookie sheet at 300 degrees F for three minutes.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup butter
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cup rolled oats
1 - 2 cup(s) chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Cream together butter, peanut butter, honey and eggs until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Add more flour if needed to make a stiff dough. Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10 minutes.
Apple Freezer Pops
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup applesauce
4 tbs. honey
Combine all ingredients. Pour into small paper cups. Put stick in center and freeze.
