59 Honey-Based Recipes You'll Be Sweet On

Honey may be nature's most versatile sweetener, a nectar-like syrup that picks up the flavor of the regional plants pollinated by its buzzing creators. There are so many types of honey available for so many uses, each adding botanical essences and decadent textures to all sorts of creative recipes. It's not unrealistic to collect your favorites to give everything you cook its own signature honey-flavored personality. If only you had some inventive dishes to get you off to a sweet start ...

Luckily, our creative recipe team has assembled some exceptional dishes that put the inimitable flavor of honey at the center of the table. From sweet breads that do double-duty as dinner rolls and dessert treats to fish entrées that let glorious glazes take center stage, this selection is a buzz-worthy bouquet of the finest honey recipes in the field. Sink into the sugary bliss and let honey become a part of your gourmet routine.

Fans of chewy cookies will adore finding the essence of honey added to a simple sugar cookie recipe. Real butter helps these old-fashioned treats maintain their authentic homemade flavor. With a single batch, you'll have 24 cookies to share with fellow honey fans.

Use an ice cream scoop to create generous portions and add a schmear of homemade buttercream to the tops for a pretty finish. Better yet, add it to the center and make your own sandwich cookies.

Recipe: Chewy Honey Cookies

Honey butter is a singular delight, creamy and floral, and perfect for topping anything plain butter can. When added to whipped butter, the delicate sweetness has a creamy cloud to float on, easy to spread, and easy to melt. Imagine pancakes, cornbread, and English muffins slathered with a gourmet whip you can make in minutes ... the possibilities are endlessly delicious!

A sprinkle of cinnamon on top adds the right measure of spice to challenge the sweet flavor.

Recipe: Whipped Honey Butter

The combined sweetness of carrots and honey creates a classic side dish that captures the homey spirit of Southern cuisine. With only oil, parsley, salt, and pepper to adorn these tenderly roasted root veggies, honey takes on the starring role, allowing the seasonings to adhere to the carrot slices. The result is a suitable accompaniment for just about any entrée you can think of.

Five minutes of prep time and 25 minutes in the oven will get you four servings — two if you're extra-hungry!

Recipe: Honey Glazed Carrots

Bring botanicals even further into the kitchen with this fragrant blend of your favorite honey and real lavender. To keep things natural from start to finish, you'll also be crafting your own butter. But don't fret; there's no churn required for this quick and easy recipe! Heavy cream takes a trip through your hand mixer to whip it full of air for a homemade butter that's better than store-bought.

You may be able to mix up a batch in less than 15 minutes, but it takes an hour of chilling in the fridge to reach the proper texture.

Recipe: Honey Lavender Butter

Cornbread with honey is a classic Southern dish that sits perfectly alongside all sorts of savory entrées. With these cornbread muffins, you can add honey to the batter for an all-in-one mix that works just as well as table bread as it does a breakfast or dessert muffin. They're ready in about 20 minutes, which means you can conjure a dozen while the coffee brews.

If you serve them as a sweet treat, try topping them with a little homemade cream cheese frosting.

Recipe: Moist Honey Cornbread Muffins

Not only will this Russian honey cake be one of the loveliest treats you ever taste, but it might also be one of the fanciest you'll ever assemble! Six stacked layers create a loaf-style bake, with layers of honey-infused crème fraîche sandwiched between them and wrapped around the outside. A pressing of crumbs around the exterior creates a rustic finish that looks both chic and homey.

Allow yourself at least an hour to bake and assemble this attractive tea time dessert.

Recipe: Easy Russian Honey Cake

This glazed seafood dish is likely to remind you of your favorite Asian or Caribbean shrimp creation. Mayonnaise is the secret ingredient that adds a tangy, creamy essence to the honey element. A light batter that crisps up the shrimp is similar to tempura, and the walnuts sprinkled on top are the perfect addition to round out an array of tastes and textures.

Serve this sensational shrimp over a bed of white rice and garnish with zesty green onions.

Recipe: Classic Honey Walnut Shrimp

Honey mustard and honey ham join forces for a steak-sized slab of delicious dining! The glaze is a fusion of honey, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and brown sugar, forging an enchanting balance of sweet-hot-tangy-caramel flavor. When brushed over ham slices and browned in a grill pan, the elements come together in bite after bite of heavenly eating.

If you have 15 minutes to spare, you have time to make these flavorful steaks for lunch or supper. Serve them with spicy roast potatoes.

Recipe: Honey Mustard Ham Steak

Honey and garlic are a zesty partnership used in Eastern cuisine and holistic wellness for generations. By joining the sweet zing with the sugary heat of ginger, cod gets a marinade that percolates with fabulous flavor. Soy sauce and apple cider vinegar helps pull the tastes together, adding complexity to keep the other ingredients in check.

Need a side? Brussels sprouts roasted with maple syrup are an ideal pairing for this flavor-packed fish dish.

Recipe: Honey Garlic And Ginger Cod

Bring your baked salmon a blast of sophisticated goodness with a recipe that's simple and quick. With honey for sweetness, garlic for brightness, soy sauce for saltiness, and lemon juice for acid, the sauce is an exciting spectrum of tastes that enhance the distinctive salmon flavor. And it only takes 20 minutes from start to finish — a fast meal for two when time is short and hunger is extreme!

Fresh coleslaw will finish off your plate for a match made in culinary heaven.

Recipe: Easy Honey Baked Salmon

Your next brunch spread can be a whole new take on midday dining with a Brie and apple crostini on the table, adorned with the floral elegance of honey. A bakery or grocery store baguette makes a crisp base for butter, Brie, and just a tablespoon of honey, plus sliced prosciutto for a finishing touch.

With four minutes of prep and less than 20 minutes of toasting time, this is a speedy snack to fix.

Recipe: Brie Apple Honey Crostini

One of the most tempting options on any fast-casual menu, honey garlic chicken wings are even better when you make them yourself at home. Honey, brown sugar, and soy sauce merge flavors for a robust marinade that plays nicely with a generous helping of garlic. You'll have juicy wings that are sticky and crispy, a combination that's easy to love.

Try simple brown rice to serve these over or as a pairing that won't compete flavor-wise.

Recipe: Honey Garlic Chicken Wings

Honey baked ham is such a sensational creation, there are entire restaurants dedicated to the concept. It's simple enough to create your own for a holiday feast or a homestyle Sunday dinner. Honey and a piquant array of spices are the key to achieving peak flavor in this family-pleasing center dish, no matter how you slice it.

With two hours of cooking time, you'll need a solid head start before serving your ham.

Recipe: Honey Baked Ham Copycat

Tender chicken that falls off the bone, flavored with honey and garlic ... is your mouth watering yet? Chicken broth in the cooker helps preserve moisture and salt, while 3 tablespoons of honey sweeten the pot. With boneless bite-size chunks as the finished dish, you'll have an easy-to-eat entrée that smells as fantastic as it tastes.

You don't need anything more than egg noodles or maple roasted carrots to bring your completed chicken to the table as a satisfying meal.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken

Any meal can become a festive occasion when you commit to making your own honey-glazed ham. An easy three-ingredient mix of honey, Dijon mustard, and brown sugar is enough to turn a pre-sliced spiral ham roast into an artful centerpiece to impress your friends and family.

How does a basket of easy dinner rolls and simple garlic mashed potatoes sound as side dishes? Pretty tasty, right?

Recipe: Spiral-Sliced Honey-Glazed Ham

The caramelized taste and texture of pan-seared salmon take on exciting new dimensions when honey and garlic join the party. Searing the salmon ahead of adding your glaze-like sauce is the key to achieving crispy filets perfect for receiving sugary flavor with enough aromatic seasoning from the garlic and green onions to keep from being overly sweet. A generous pour will ensure enough sauce to dress each slice.

Steamed asparagus is a willing partner for a flavorful dance with your finished filets.

Recipe: Honey-Garlic Pan-Seared Salmon

Give your salmon an earthy upgrade with a generous helping of honey mustard, plus a bed of tender orzo to rest on. Orzo is a pasta similar in size, shape, and texture to rice. The flavor is distinctive enough to make this combination of fish and past a stand-out for your most special dinners.

Sliced mushrooms and chopped pretzels add extra toothiness that plays nicely against the softness of the orzo.

Recipe: Honey Mustard Salmon And Orzo Bake

Boneless chicken breasts become culinary works of art when you brush them with honey and soy sauce. Seared each filet creates a perfect palette for painting with this simple marinade. With a 15-minute bake to seal in the flavors, these cutlets will become the talk of the table.

Put together a trouble-free Caesar salad while your chicken bakes for a refreshing side that compliments without overshadowing your entrée.

Recipe: Easy Baked Honey Garlic Chicken

Put your slow cooker to its best use with a chicken recipe where honey becomes the main event. The BBQ-like essence of this sauce helps keep thigh pieces moist and tender, a tricky feat with darker meat. Ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic help jazz up the honey base for a bold blend that'll fill your kitchen with an enticing aroma.

Start this recipe cooking by midday and you'll have a crockpot creation to plate up when dinnertime rolls around.

Recipe: Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Dazzle your younger eaters with a honey and mustard take on one of their favorites — popcorn chicken. No worries about compromising their nutrition with this air fryer recipe. With sweet and sharp flavors from the honey-mustard mash-up and a generous coating of crushed pretzels, these nifty nuggets are cleverly crispy without batter or oil.

Keep your air frying going for a batch of fries to make this popcorn chicken a homemade fast food hit. 

Recipe: Honey Mustard Air Fryer Popcorn Chicken

Super-small sandwiches with a familiar fried chicken flavor are a perfect platter for a party table or a game-day buffet. A little light frying is required to get the breaded cutlets to the right texture. But with honey and chili oil providing a sweet-and-heat element, the flavor of these two-bite beauties is anything but tiny.

A little coleslaw under each patty makes your sliders seem more authentically Southern.

Recipe: Fried Chicken Sliders With Simple Slaw And Hot Honey

Wouldn't it be sweet if you could save time and space cooking your entire meal in a single pan? With this baked mélange of vegetables and chicken, the dream comes true! Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes make an upscale blend that shares the plate with skinless chicken breasts brushed with honey and Dijon mustard.

Slices of turkey bacon bring in an intriguing smokiness that helps tie the dish together.

Recipe: One-Pan Honey Mustard Chicken And Veggie Bake

The famous flavor of Chick-fil-A chicken is captured in a miniature homestyle biscuit, a replica of the restaurant's popular Chick-n-Minis. Using frozen biscuits and chicken nuggets makes easy work for a weeknight meal, while a honey butter spread makes the biscuits tender and the chicken tastier. A few of these diminutive stackers are equal to a full-sized sandwich anywhere else!

In 25 minutes, you can have 15 Chick-n-Minis ready and waiting for a sleepover snack or an afterschool appetizer.

Recipe: Copycat Chick-fil-A Chick-n-Minis

Honey syrup is one of the most essential ingredients in this Mediterranean delight. Layers of flaky dough capture crushed pecans made warm with cinnamon and melted butter. This recipe calls for frozen phyllo dough, a timesaver that will keep you from having to make your own pastry, though the preparation will still take 45 minutes or so.

You can enjoy your finished baklava for up to a week if covered and unrefrigerated, which is the best way to store it.

Recipe: Baklava

Few flavors announce the Southern spirit of a chicken dish like sweet and spicy swirled together. Think hot Nashville BBQ chicken, pan-cooked and without bones to make sure you can enjoy every juicy morsel. It's gochujang paste that gives the honey a run for its money with a spark of heat that's just right.

Go for broke with your country-themed dinner by serving your chicken with easy creamy grits.

Recipe: Sweet And Spicy Southern Sticky Chicken

Your honey stash gets a shot at the gourmet big leagues with this sweet and savory tart. A puff pastry base that holds creamy goat cheese, robust leeks, and soft potato slices gets dressed to the hilt with sour cream and honey. Enjoy this pretty platter as a new brunch classic your guests will swoon for.

Add a dab of homemade crème fraîche to go full-blown French with your honeyed-up happenings.

Recipe: Potato Leek Tart With Gruyère And Goat Cheese

The deep-fried dough of earthy sopapillas from Native cuisine wraps around a cheesecake center, creating a dessert that's humble and cosmopolitan simultaneously. No need to craft your own pastry when Pillsbury crescent rolls can serve the purpose. Honey gets its own dedicated layer between the crust and the cream cheese to make sure everyone knows it's pulling its weight.

You'll need 40 minutes of prep and baking time to get this unique treat good and ready. Serve in generous squares topped with cinnamon and sugar.

Recipe: Simple Sopapilla Cheesecake

Front porch moments and backyard memories are made even better with these homemade honey ice pops. A mix of pineapple, passion fruit, coconut milk, and mango fills each treat with a sunshiny tropical tingle. Adding honey to homemade ice pops lets you reduce the refined sugar intake for you and your family without missing out on summery sweetness.

The clever top-and-bottom color split gives a stylish twist on traditional pops.

Recipe: Homemade Ice Pop

Get back to the more natural side of snacking with a chewy granola bar that brings together the most wholesome ingredients in the baking game. Packaged granola combines with honey, pretzels, and chocolate chips to become a fresh recreation of traditional bars, but without the preservatives.

With five ingredients and 10 minutes to create, you can have finished bars in less time than it takes to turn out a batch of chocolate chip cookies.

Recipe: 5-Ingredient Chewy Granola Bar

When you want a dinner dish you can put together quickly and easily, this honey-infused sausage and potato recipe is a sure winner. Plug in the air fryer and cook the potatoes with oil and seasoning before adding in sliced sausage for a few more minutes of cooking. When thoroughly heated, drizzle your completed dish with honey and Dijon mustard for an invigorating finishing touch.

A garnish of fresh thyme adds color and herbaceous flavor to the bowl.

Recipe: 20-Minute Sausage And Potatoes Dinner

Who says you need melted chocolate to make flavorful bark? With honey-sweetened yogurt and fresh fruit, you can create a cold version of this confection that makes sweltering days melt away. A sprinkling of toasted pistachios adds the right amount of crunch and nutty flavor.

The colorful pastiche of the fruit against the stark white of the yogurt turns this frozen treat into a picture-perfect display on your summer table.

Recipe: Easy Frozen Yogurt Bark

Wendy's came up with a winner of a sandwich when it launched its Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger. Clever chefs can recreate the honey-flavored combination of layers for a homemade take that captures the magic. With pretzel buns from the bakery or grocery store, you can skip the baking and get right into the chicken-fried center.

Throw your crew a curve ball by serving your burgers with sweet potato fries instead of regular ones.

Recipe: Copycat Wendy's Pretzel Bacon Pub Cheeseburger

Sweet pistachios turn up the texture of salmon that's already made more intense with a honey and Dijon mustard spread. The glaze helps keep your salmon steaks moist while imparting a sophisticated flavor and giving the pistachios something to stick to. Thyme and rosemary are a familiar herbal blend that completes the dish deliciously.

Add a wilted spinach salad to present a little green with this prime pescatarian platter.

Recipe: Pistachio-Crusted Salmon

You say you've never heard of roast beef sammies flavored with honey? Well, you're in for a treat with this sandwich recipe that's as easy to love as it is to prepare! Arby's has nothing on these easy-to-prepare sliders, made using buttery dinner rolls filled with deli roast beef and slices of Swiss cheese. The honey-butter mix gives the top bun a simple brush-on that shines with flavor.

Whip up a half-dozen sandwiches in under 20 minutes and you'll be lunch or dinner-ready in no time.

Recipe: Easy Hot Roast Beef Sandwich

Store-bought granola can stay on the shelf; you've got a homemade version that only takes 15 minutes from start to finish and features honey at the front of the flavorings list. Almonds, pecans, raisins, and cinnamon join whole oats and honey with just a touch of coconut oil for a classically healthful mixture.

Use your finished granola as a breakfast cereal or ice cream topping, or add it to canning jars for a thoughtful kitchen gift.

Recipe: 15-Minute Homemade Granola

Don't be surprised by this sweet spin on bruschetta; there's no reason to let the savory toppings have all the fun! Toasted baguette slices with a wedge of apple and a triangle of Brie make spectacular small bites for dinner parties and happy hour get-togethers with neighbors. But the real treat here is the drizzle of your favorite honey that glows on top.

Serve these with homemade small-batch apple cider and become the kitchen artisan you're destined to be.

Recipe: Easy Apple Bruschetta

The only thing that might make bacon and fried chicken even better is if they're stacked together in the center of a croissant. This analog of Wendy's smashing sandwich makes sweet use of maple honey butter, slathered on the chicken patty to make sure it melts as expected. You may need to set up a drive-thru window in your kitchen when word of these bodacious bites gets out!

The recipe calls for prepared croissants, though you can substitute home-baked refrigerated croissants for added freshness.

Recipe: Wendy's Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant Copycat

The simple sophistication of baked feta flavored with honey and two different types of gourmet olives is enough to transform your next occasion into an affair to savor. The secret sauce is a mix of lemon juice and honey that gives acid and sugar an opportunity to join the party.

Bake a batch of rosemary flatbread for a cracker that lets the honey-infused feta shine.

Recipe: Baked Feta With Olives

Using honey to sweeten ice cream doesn't get any easier than this cottage cheese-based recipe. The popular hack lets you create homemade freezer treats without the need for fancy ingredients. All it takes is a carton of full-fat cottage cheese, some peanut butter, chocolate chips, and of course, honey for sweetness. A blitz in the food processor or blender gets everything ready for the freezer.

Your blend will be set up in three hours or so, but the result will be worth the wait.

Recipe: Cottage Cheese Ice Cream

Broccoli's sharp flavor could use a friend like honey to help settle it down a bit. In this chopped salad, you'll find a crunchy combination of fruits and veggies that make healthy eating a more pleasing prospect. Mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar join honey in a creamy dressing that gives every element a touch of tangy-sweet goodness.

There's a lot of chopping in this recipe. Get ready for 30 minutes or so of your best knife work.

Recipe: Broccoli Salad

Give your movie night the special feature it deserves by dressing up your popcorn with a peanut butter and honey coating. The sweet flavor and extra-crunch texture is reminiscent of Cracker Jacks. There are even peanuts tossed into the bowl to make the resemblance stick.

Though the recipe calls for a bag of microwave popcorn, you can use 10 to 12 cups of freshly popped popcorn for an equivalent finished bowl.

Recipe: Simple Peanut Butter Popcorn

There's something refreshing about the combination of lemon and pepper that makes these chicken wings feel like a big deal. With a mix of butter and real lemon zest to up the ante, tossing your baked wings in the coating after they finish cooking ensures the whole formula will zap your taste buds with as much flavor as possible.

For chicken wings this special, only a dipping sauce of homemade ranch dressing will do.

Recipe: Lemon-Pepper Chicken Wings

A light dressing of honey-sweetened plain yogurt gives chopped fruit an elegant sensibility, just the right touch to elevate your morning routine. The natural essence is perfect for forgiving fruit that might not be at the peak of sweetness and in need of a boost. How much is added to the bowl is entirely up to you.

Feel free to substitute any of the fruit in the recipe for your favorites if you don't find them on the list.

Recipe: Creamy Fruit Salad

Show off your charcuterie swag with a wheel of baked Brie on the counter at your next shindig. There's nothing to it; simply scatter thyme over oil-brushed Brie topped with honey and let it bake for 15 minutes at 350 F. You'll have a prepared appetizer that feels far more complicated than it actually is, perfect for serving with your favorite bubbles.

Slice and toast homemade pita bread for pita chips to go with your baked Brie, and watch your guests devour it all.

Recipe: Baked Brie

Why turn on the oven to make a honey-based treat when no-bake chocolate oat bars are possible? The fudgy texture is a result of mixing oats with cocoa powder and peanut butter, with chocolate chips tossed in for fun. But the glue that holds it all together is honey, naturally, enough to stick and sweeten without making your teeth ache.

There may be no baking involved, but a three-hour chill in the fridge means you'll have some wait time for these treats to be complete.

Recipe: No-Bake Chocolate Oat Bars

Avocado is a go-everywhere, do-everything ingredient; in this chicken salad, it acts as a creamy dressing with enough neutral flavor to let the honey in the recipe shine. With lime juice for zing, red onion for sweet heat, and garlic powder for zest, plus creamy mayonnaise to make things silky-smooth, there's hardly a taste or texture missing!

Serve this chunky salad spread on its own, as a topping for toast, or in lettuce leaves for a healthy wrap that covers all the bases.

Recipe: Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad

Take your fruit for a swim in a creamy vanilla dip that uses honey for flavor and sweetness. Vanilla yogurt is the key ingredient, a more mindful alternative to whipped cream or custard. Orange zest and cinnamon give the raw honey included a harmonious set-up to dress any fruit your heart desires, for a dessert or party dish with sweet intentions.

For a five-minute job, this silky concoction sure feels like a much more complicated dish. We won't tell if you don't.

Recipe: Vanilla Fruit Dip

Homemade jam doesn't have to be a daunting endeavor, especially with this honey-infused version added to your cookbook. Both sugar and honey make an appearance, as well as plenty of tangy peaches and a bit of lemon juice. Your stovetop helps get the cooking done so you can cool and slather your finished jam on everything but the kitchen table.

Ten minutes of prep time and 30 minutes of cooking time produce 12 servings of sweet homemade spread that will make you skip the jam aisle from now on.

Recipe: Small-Batch Peach Jam

Homemade candies only seem complicated. Once you know the secret to making your own no-bake peanut butter balls sweetened with honey, you can become a family confectioner par excellence. Oat and almond flours eliminate the need for less flavorful powdered ingredients, while peanut butter and honey do that magical thing they do to make mouths water and hearts happy.

Though the ingredients come together in a quick five minutes, dipping the centers in chocolate, and letting them set will take another 30. But these treats are so worth the time and trouble.

Recipe: No-Bake Peanut Butter Ball

Who says slaw is only a cabbage-based situation? Get your shredder ready for a new kind of salad with carrots on the ingredients list. Add a few green onions for flair and toss the whole thing in a honey-based dressing that includes Dijon mustard and apple cider vinegar, and you have a new favorite to share at the next neighborhood cookout.

Let your food processor work its magic to shred your peeled carrots and you'll have plenty of time to put the rest of the salad together before mealtime.

Recipe: Shredded Carrot Salad

Add the healthful benefits of ginger to your honey-soaked recipe catalog with this peppy noodle dish. Honey's lyrical sweetness joins two different vinegars and chili sauce for a full-fledged Asian flavor fest. With toasted sesame seeds and green onions on top, these noodles are just waiting for chicken, shrimp, or beef to finish the dish.

Using thinner pasta like vermicelli or angel hair will add a delicate touch to the recipe, though larger spaghetti or even ramen noodles will work, too.

Recipe: Ginger Sesame Noodles

Salmon bites are the air fryer sushi that just might win over your younger eaters who side-eye the raw rolls. Honey and chili sauce give wild flavor to panko-crusted salmon nuggets that take a heat bath in the air fryer. The secret ingredient that mimics sesame coating? Everything bagel seasoning is added to the breadcrumbs.

Try a 30-minute fried rice side dish to bring the Asian influences to your home dining merriment.

Recipe: Sweet And Spicy Air Fryer Salmon Bites

Give the marshmallows a couple of partners in crime by using honey and peanut butter to get these rice crispy treats to stick together. All the liquid ingredients melt together in a sauce that coats 4 cups of crisped rice cereal for a more gooey take on the classic bar. All that's missing from this mind-boggling confection are chocolate chips!

Speaking of which ... adding a cup of chocolate chips to the mix couldn't hurt anything. Give it a try!

Recipe: Homemade Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treats

Honey BBQ may be one of the most familiar flavors in the whole grilling kingdom, which must make these chicken lollipops the crown jewels. Each drumstick gets its own handle thanks to some tricky skinning. But it's the garlic and lime mixed with honey that makes these pops pop — a saucy blend that mimics Southern homestyle essences and Caribbean island flavors.

Between prep and cooking, you'll be spending a solid three hours on this dish. Be sure to allow enough time before delivering this showstopper to the table.

Recipe: BBQ Chicken Lollipops

Give a batch of chocolate and hazelnut baked oats an added boost of flavor with honey on the scene. Baked oatmeal is a breakfast food that feels more like a decadent dessert, especially when honey drops in for a visit. Whichever meal you choose to enjoy this with, it's an easy mix to assemble, and one that your whole family will appreciate.

With 30 minutes of cooking time, you can conjure up a stabilized whipped cream to add fun rosettes to the top of the bowl.

Recipe: Nutella Baked Oats

The sweetness of honey puts out the fire of the spice in this baked salmon entrée. Each thin filet gets a coating of cayenne and chili blended into honey, lime juice, and butter. The result is a buffalo-style warmer that imbues the gentle fish flavor with a rousing round of heat kept mellow by the botanical hit of the honey.

Looking for a pairing for these pescatarian pieces? Give an herb-heavy pecan rice pilaf a go.

Recipe: Spicy Baked Salmon

Honey features in many Asian recipes, adding natural sweetness to balance the audacious elements in dishes like firecracker shrimp. You'll be battering and tossing your shrimp in a creamy concoction of mayonnaise, honey, ginger paste, and sriracha after lightly frying, so be ready to show off your most impressive teppanyaki skills!

Serving your shrimp with creamy coconut rice would be a delicious idea that even the most discerning diners would have trouble turning down.

Recipe: Easy Firecracker Shrimp

Even celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis has been inspired by honey, enough to reinvent bruschetta as a tempting dessert with honey as part of the show. This time, the bee-made nectar is blended with mascarpone to serve as a bed for balsamic-infused strawberries. Topping a slice of toasted baguette, the whole mix is a heady blend that will make you wonder how Giada comes up with such creative bites.

You can turn out four servings in 20 minutes, but the bites are small, so they might want to eat more.

Recipe: Giada's Bruschetta With A Twist 

Dense and flavorful, challah is a traditional Jewish bread that gets its trademark taste and texture thanks in part to honey. It's one of the base ingredients that gives the yeast something sugary to eat, helping the dough achieve its airy texture. It's also one of the hallmark flavors you'll detect, even if you smash the top of your slice with butter or cream cheese.

The process of creating a braided challah is pretty intense, so feel free to simplify your braid into a less complex shape. The flavor will be just as phenomenal.

Recipe: Challah