Hershey Hugs Bees

hershey hug kisses make up the backsides of these delicious bees. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

Hershey Hug Bees

Fun little sweet something for that special beekeeping club meeting or beekeeper on your gift list.. This is my honeybee treat invention using Hershey Hugs:

Remove papers from Hershey Hugs.

Drain maraschino cherries on paper towels.

Heat white chocolate in microwave covered dish in microwave until melted; 1.5-2 minutes on high. Every microwave heats differently so try it first in 30 second increments until you know how long it takes for your microwave.

Spread melted white chocolate on Hershey Hug bottom; add two almond slivers for wings. Allow to dry.

Stick maraschino cherry with a toothpick; dip in melted chocolate and place on wax paper.

Place cookie sheet in refrigerator until cherries and chocolate are firm or wait 10-15 minutes for the white chocolate to dry.

Spread more melted chocolate on Hershey Hug with almond slivers; attach flat side of chocolate-covered maraschino cherry to the flat end of Hershey Hug. Allow to dry.

Break toothpicks into 3 pieces; stick two through top for antenna. Toothpicks also work well as holders to pick up bees as finger food.

Add two dots of black icing for eyes. You can also use melted dark chocolate dots for eyes.  Allow to dry. 

Store in sealed container until serving.

For more beekeeping, gardening, cooking and easy home decor tips, subscribe to Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Honey Pie Recipe

Honey Pie Recipe

My British friend Gina made this recipe earlier this summer and it was delicious, especially when I found a piece several weeks later. This recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

FOR THE PIE CRUST

1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1 stick cold unsalted butter (cut into half-inch pieces)

½ cup cold water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ cup ice cubes

·        

FOR THE HONEY PIE FILLING

1 stick unsalted butter (melted)

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon white cornmeal

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla

¾ cup honey

3 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 - 2 teaspoons soft sea salt flakes (for finishing)

FOR PIE CRUST:

1.     Stir flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture.

2.     Cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain. Do not over blend.

3.     Combine water, apple cider vinegar, and ice.

4.     Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in until fully incorporated.

5.     Add more ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

6.     Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, to combine.

7.     Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow. Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

FOR PIE FILLING:

1.     Have ready and frozen one pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan, crimped.

2.     Position a rack in the oven center. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3.     In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and vanilla (paste or regular vanilla).

4.     Stir in honey and eggs one at a time, followed by the heavy cream and vinegar.

5.     Place the frozen pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet and strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell, or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30 to 35 minutes through baking.

6.     The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed up high and the center is no longer liquid but looks set like gelatin and is golden brown on top.

7.     Allow to cool completely 2 to 3 hours.

8.     Sprinkle with flake sea salt.

9.     Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

The honey pie will keep refrigerated for 4 days or at room temperature for 2 days. Also freezes REALLY well and is especially delicious when you find a frozen piece you forgot you had in the freezer at the end of a busy day in my bee garden.

For more beekeeping, gardening, cooking and easy home decor tips, subscribe to Garden Notes.

Charlotte

Spiced Honey Pears

BAked homegrown bartlett pears ready to grace any table. (charlotte ekekr wiggins photo)

Spiced Honey Pears Recipe

I never know from year to year whether squirrels will leave me any homegrown Bartlett pears. This year they were generous so I will once again enjoy a crop of pears my bees and wasps pollinated earlier this spring.

Not sure when to pick the pears? Here’s a quick tip.

bees and wasps pollinated my semi-dwarf pear tree. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

It’s been a banner honey year so I will also have some honey I can use in cooking. What a treat to have two products from my pollinators, pears and honey.

Spiced Honey Pears Recipe

You Need:

8 pears peeled, cored and cut in half, preferably green.

1/3 cup honey

6 teaspoons unsalted butter

2 teaspoons pumpking pie spice

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

key ingredients for spiced honey pears include local honey and pumpkin pie spice. (charlotte ekker Wigigns photo)

Take your time peeling, coring and cutting pears, especially if green. Pears ripen from the inside out so green pears will work better than ripe pears.

peel, core and cut eight pears in half. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

To Make:

Mix ingredients except pears; microwave for 30 seconds.

Save half the sauce.

Place pear halves bottom up in a baking dish. Pour half the mixture over pears.

Bake at 400F for 30-45 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Drizzle rest of sauce over pears. Bake another 10 minutes or so.

you can bake on cookie sheet or covered dish. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

I turned the pear halves over during the rest period but you don’t need to do that.

Also test the pears with a fork to see that they are soft all the way through.

baked pear halves resting in between two bakes. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

When ready to serve and storing, pour the sauce over pears.

ready to serve as is or with a dollop of whipped cream and/or ice cream. (charlotte ekker wiggins photo)

What I like about this recipe is the pears are not too sweet so you can indulge by adding whipped topping and/or ice cream. Just as good the next day in case you want to make this recipe ahead for dinner.

Great way to enjoy two bee-produced products. Thank you, bees!

Charlotte

Creeping Charlie Tea

Heart-shaped Creeping Charlie leaves make a mild minty homemade tea. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Creeping Charlie Tea

If you’ve been to my planting for pollinators lecture, you know one of the options I recommend to get rid of plants you don’t like is to eat them. Well, first identify what they are, make sure they haven’t been treated with chemicals, then eat them.

Creeping Charlie is a lovely candidate for that approach. A member of the mint family, Creeping Charlie can be used in salads as well as a homemade tea. It has a pleasantly subtle mint-like flavor.

Creeping Charlie Tea Recipe

1. Pick enough leaves to loosely fill a quart jar.

2. Thoroughly wash the Creeping Charlie.

3. Place the plant material in a quart jar.

4. Fill to top with boiling water.

5. Cover jar and steep for one hour.

6. Remove plant material and drink either hot or cold.

7. Optional: Add lemon or lime slices with a sprig of fresh mint.

Creeping Charlie leaves steeping in hot water for a cup of mild minty tea. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you want to make just a cup, I use 5-10 leaves per cup. Tear up the leaves to help release the mint flavor, place in a tea ball and add to hot water. Let steep for 5 minutes.

Drink as is or add a dab of honey.

Charlotte

Whipped Honey Butter

Whipped honey butter with cinnamon on homemade biscuits with tea. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Whipped Honey Butter

Sometimes simple is best and that’s the idea behind this very simple whipped honey butter recipe.

The first time I tried it, I was somewhere else at a restaurant serving this with vegetables. On roasted Brussell sprout, I think, or maybe it was steamed green beans. Whatever it was, it was delicious.

They didn’t add the cinnamon but I did for this batch. Don’t let the chocolate color fool you, the addition of cinnamon is delicious. I tried it with a warm cup of green tea.

You can also make this without the cinnamon and now you have two different ways to make whipped honey butter!

What you need:

• 1/2 cup (one stick) softened Butter

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

How to make:

• Use butter at room temperature or slightly soften the butter before whipping.

• Add all the ingredients into a bowl and whip with electric hand mixers until the mixture is light and fluffy.

• Store in the fridge, but place at room temperature to soften before eating. That is, if you have any leftover!

  Charlotte

Honey Gingerbread

Gingerbread loaves made with honey dusted with powdered sugar. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Honey Gingerbread

I’ve always loved gingerbread, especially the dark kind made with molasses. Not everyone agrees so this year I made gingerbread with honey instead.

It’s a one to one exchange so it’s easy to do, and if you have fall honey, which is typically the darker honey, the closer the gingerbread will look to the original. The taste will still be lighter than dark molasses but the gingerbread color will be closer to the traditional dark gingerbread color.

Honey Gingerbread Recipe

1.5. cups flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1.25 teaspoon ginger

1.25 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup cold tea

To Make:

Sift flour, soda and spices together. Cream shortening and brown sugar. Beat in egg and honey. Add tea and flour mixture to creamed mix.

Pour batter into greased pans. Fill not more than half full or the batter will spill over.

I used tiny bread pans so I could wrap small individual loaves as gifts.

Don’t fill more than half or the batter will spill over. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Bake in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

You can cut off any spillover after removing from oven and allowing loaves to cool. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream or applesauce. Or the way I like it, slightly dusted with powdered sugar.

Yield 6 servings.

With the individual loaves I made little gift packs with one gingerbread with honey loaf, my favorite tea bags and some honey with a honey dipper.

Small loaves packed in gift tins with tea and honey. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Gingerbread also freezes well so if you make extra loaves, you can save some to enjoy later.

Charlotte

Iced Honey and Spice Cake

This charming bee made it to the Missouri State Beekeepers Association fall cooking contest. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Iced Honey and Spice Cake

Doesn’t the little cake topper bee look like she’s looking at us? This was Gina Draker’s latest entry in the Missouri State Beekeepers Association fall 2019 cooking contest.

Gina is my bee buddy David’s lovely wife. She loves to cook and is VERY good at it. It took David a year to convince her to enter the cooking with honey contest and its good she did, she won two first prizes that first year.

Making the cake is only half the challenge, it then has to be carefully transported to the venue, unscathed. The cooking contest is held in conjunction with an annual beekeeping conference, stiff competition some years.

David Draker, and the Iced Honey and Spice Cake entry, safely in Moberly. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once in Moberly, David said he texted his wife the cake made it safely. And he added so did he, just in case she was wondering.

Here is the recipe, translated into ounces.

Iced Honey and Spice Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup flour

1 level teaspoon ground ginger

1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2/3 cups *caster (or regular) sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 level teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup mixed candied peel, finely chopped

1 stick butter

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Zest of 1 small orange and 1 small lemon

For the Icing:

1 1/2 cups fondant icing sugar, sifted (confectioner’s sugar)

1-4 teaspoons lemon juice

8 pieces crystallised ginger

Equipment:

One 8” round loose-based cake pan, base lined and lightly buttered.

*Caster sugar is between regular sugar and powdered sugar. You can make it in a blender by blending regular sugar for about a minute. Or you can substitute regular cane sugar, which will make the dough just a little more dense,

To Make Iced Honey and Spice Cake:

Place small bowl in saucepan containing barely simmering water. Warm the honey until well, warm.

Sift flour and spices in large mixing bowl; add sugar, orange and lemon zest. Add butter in small pieces, using fingertips to rub butter lightly into flour until mixture becomes crumbly. Lightly mix in beaten egg using a large fork followed by warm honey.

In a small bowl mix the soda with 3 tablespoons of cold water; stir until dissolved, then add it to the cake mixture and beat, quite hard, until the mixture is smooth and soft. Stir in the mixed peel and spoon the mixture into prepared tins, spreading it out evenly.

Bake the cake near the oven center for 30-40 minutes at 325F or until well-risen and springy to touch.

Cool for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to get quite cold.

Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add lemon juice gradually, stirring well with a wooden spoon until the mixture coats the back of the spoon. Pour the icing all over the cake, letting it run down lightly at the sides.

Decorate the top with the pieces of ginger. Store in a tin until needed, or a cake plate will work as well.

Finally safely at its destination and ready for judging. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Iced Honey and Spice Cake did not win this year but it was a winner in the heart of those of us who tasted it. Gina was kind enough to make another one for one of our bee club meetings and all the attending beekeepers deemed it a winner.

I can see making this into muffin-shaped cupcakes and enjoying with a cup of tea!

Charlotte

Honey Oatmeal Raisins Cookies Recipe

Don’t these look delicious? Good with both hot tea and a glass of milk. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Honey Oatmeal Raisins Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter

• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3 cups rolled oats

• 1 cup raisins

• Add all ingredients to list

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the eggs, vanilla and honey. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the rolled oats and raisins.

3. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until cookies start to brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
   Per Serving: 206 calories; 8.9 g fat; 29.7 g carbohydrates; 2.9 g protein; 36 mg cholesterol; 117 mg sodium.

   From Allrecipes.com. I made these for a local bee club meeting last winter. Full disclosure, this group loves oatmeal raisin cookies so I wasn’t taking much of a risk.

   Charlotte

Chocolate Honey Cake Recipe

Chocolate Honey Cake makes wonderful miniature cupcakes. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Chocolate Honey Cake

I had visions of this being WAY too sweet but surprisingly, it isn’t. Although I don’t cook with honey often, I had to try this recipe combining chocolate with honey. The original recipe uses a chocolate ganache icing but I opted for my own butter cream with cocoa powder.

Chocolate Honey Cake Recipe

·       4.4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped, 125g (I used the equivalent of mini semi sweet chocolate morsels, which I happened to have handy)

·       1/2 cup butter, plus 1 tablespoon, 125g

·       4 large eggs

·       1/3 cup runny honey, 113g

·       3/4 cup milk, 180ml

·       1 cup sugar, 200g

·       1/2 cup cocoa powder, 25g

·       1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 190g

·       1 tablespoon baking powder

·       1/2 teaspoon baking soda

for the ganache

·       10.5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, 300g

·       1 cup cream, 250ml

instructions

1.             Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan and line the bottom or use cupcake papers in a cupcake pan. I used the miniature cupcake pans.

2.    In a large microwave-safe bowl combine the chocolate and butter and microwave until in 30 second bursts (stirring every time in between) until melted. This should take about 90 - 120 seconds.

3.    Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, until fully combined. Add the honey, milk and sugar and whisk well. Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and baking soda and stir until just combined.

4.    Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. The cake will rise quite a bit but it should NOT overflow. Once the baking time is up it will still feel very soft and it will also lose some height, especially in the center. But don't worry - it will be completely fine.

Let it cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the sides and allowing the cake to cool completely on a wire rack. For cupcakes, just remove and place on cooling racks.

Honey makes the cake batter extra creamy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Now the decision is to ice or not to ice. I sometimes prefer my small sweet treats just as they come out of the oven.

I freeze individually and then have something sweet later to enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Miniature cupcakes right out of the oven, delicious as is! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Since this was my first time making this recipe, I decided to make my own butter cream icing with cocoa powder.

It is nice to have one’s very own supply of honey samples. You know, just in case.

Homemade butter cream frosting with cocoa powder. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you decide to keep this as a cake, once the cake has cooled, level the top with a sharp knife. You shouldn't need to slice off too much and small differences in height can be made up for with ganache as well.

6.    Make the ganache by combining the chocolate and cream in a small saucepan. Gently heat over medium-low heat while stirring with a spatula or wooden spoon.

Once the chocolate has completely melted and the mass is smooth, cool to room temperature before coating the cake. Allow the ganache to settle before slicing.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Charlotte

Honey Pie Recipe

Honey Pie Recipe

My British friend Gina made this recipe earlier this summer and it was delicious, especially when I found a piece several weeks later. This recipe makes one 9-inch pie.

FOR THE PIE CRUST

1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1 stick cold unsalted butter (cut into half-inch pieces)

½ cup cold water

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ cup ice cubes

·        

FOR THE HONEY PIE FILLING

1 stick unsalted butter (melted)

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon white cornmeal

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla

¾ cup honey

3 large eggs

½ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 - 2 teaspoons soft sea salt flakes (for finishing)

FOR PIE CRUST:

1.     Stir flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture.

2.     Cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain. Do not over blend.

3.     Combine water, apple cider vinegar, and ice.

4.     Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in until fully incorporated.

5.     Add more ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, until dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

6.     Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, to combine.

7.     Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow. Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

FOR PIE FILLING:

1.     Have ready and frozen one pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan, crimped.

2.     Position a rack in the oven center. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3.     In a medium bowl, stir together melted butter, sugar, cornmeal, salt, and vanilla (paste or regular vanilla).

4.     Stir in honey and eggs one at a time, followed by the heavy cream and vinegar.

5.     Place the frozen pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet and strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell, or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30 to 35 minutes through baking.

6.     The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed up high and the center is no longer liquid but looks set like gelatin and is golden brown on top.

7.     Allow to cool completely 2 to 3 hours.

8.     Sprinkle with flake sea salt.

9.     Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream.

The honey pie will keep refrigerated for 4 days or at room temperature for 2 days. Also freezes REALLY well and is especially delicious when you find a frozen piece you forgot you had in the freezer at the end of a busy day in my bee garden.

Charlotte

Honey Cough Medicine Recipe

An old prescription for a cough medicine recipe with honey that still works today!

Honey Cough Medicine Recipe

Between honey and whiskey, I definitely have more honey readily available but a recent gift of whiskey made me think of this old cough medicine recipe and whiskey sours.

I remember working in London many years ago during a rainstorm during the 50th Anniversary of D-Day. We had worked straight through three shifts. I had laryngitis from all of the talking and we were dead tired and soaking wet before our team made it back to our hotel. We were so tired we couldn't sleep so we agreed to change out of wet clothes and meet at the bar for a night cap.

By the time I made it to the bar, there was a whiskey sour waiting for me, prescribed by our resident doctor for my sore throat. Or so they told me at the time. I am not a hard liquor drinker but I was told to down it in the interests of getting better quickly. Boy, did that whiskey sour taste good!

The next morning I had a little of my voice back but, better yet, I was feeling rested so I decided to peek at the recipe for a whiskey sour. Look at how similar this Bon Appetit whiskey sour recipe is to the old cough syrup recipe with honey:

Whiskey Sour Recipe

• 2 ounces bourbon

• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

• ¾ ounce simple syrup

"Combine bourbon, lemon juice, and simple sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill shaker with ice, cover, and shake vigorously until outside of shaker is very cold, about 20 seconds. Strain cocktail through a Hawthorne strainer or a slotted spoon into an old-fashioned or rocks glass filled with ice."

A few days later, someone else ordered me a whiskey sour. I took one sip and didn't finish it, it did not taste as good as when I had been soaking wet and speechless.

So go ahead, make yourself a whiskey sour. It will never taste better than when you need it for a sore throat and use honey instead of the sugar syrup mix.

Did I mention I don't drink?

Charlotte

Lemon Bee Hive Cake Recipe

You don't need the bee hive cake form to make this cake but it sure is cute, isn't it!

Lemon Bee Hive Cake Recipe

This cake is tasty not only because of the lemon but because of the charming old-fashioned bee hive, or skep, cake form. My beekeeping friend David's wife Gina made this and said you can make two cakes and glue them together with icing to serve standing. Instead, she shared one of the cakes with me, along with the recipe:

Lemon Bee Hive Cake Recipe

For the cake:

• • 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• • 1/2 tsp. salt

• • 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter

• • 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

• • 3 tsp. lemon zest

• • 4 eggs, lightly beaten

• • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

• • 2/3 cup milk

• • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

For the glaze:

• • 1/2 cup honey

• • 1 1/2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

• • 1/4 tsp. salt

For the royal icing:

• • 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

• • 2 to 3 tsp. milk

• • Sugar honeybees for decorating (optional)

Directions:

Have all the ingredients at room temperature. 
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 325°F. Grease and flour a beehive cake pan; tap out excess flour. 

To make the cake, over a sheet of waxed paper sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and lemon zest and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla just until incorporated, about 30 seconds.

Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour. Beat each addition just until incorporated, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the lemon juice and beat for 30 seconds.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, spreading the batter so the sides are higher than the center. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a small saucepan over medium heat, stir together the honey, lemon juice and salt and bring just to a simmer, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Tap the cake pan gently on a work surface to loosen the cake. Set the rack over a sheet of waxed paper, invert the pan onto the rack and lift off the pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the warm cake with the glaze. Let the cake cool completely, at least 2 hours.

Drizzle royal icing over the top.

Time to taste a slice of lemon bee hive cake!

Delicious!

Charlotte

Honey Sugar Cookies Recipe

Honey sugar cookies sprinkled with sugar crystals before baking, now baked and packed for gifts.

Honey Sugar Cookies

The holidays are over, I know, but with cookie cutters this is a recipe you can make all year. 

I found this basic honey sugar cookie recipe in an old recipe book my mother used to use. With some leftover honey taking up space in half-empty jars, I decided to try it since it cuts down the amount of sugar one uses in the basic cookie dough and liked the results.

These work well as both very thin sugar cookies or the thicker cookies often decorated with icing during Christmas. These are not as sweet as some cookie dough recipes I have made so adding buttercream shouldn't make these too sweet like it can with other recipes with more granular sugar.

I prefer mine quite think with a light dusting of sugar crystals before they are popped into the oven.

Honey Sugar Cookies Recipe

·       2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

·       3/4 teaspoon baking powder

·       1/4 teaspoon salt

·       2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

·       1/2 cup granulated sugar

·       1/4 cup honey

·       1 large egg

·       1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

How to Make Honey Sugar Cookies

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. I sift them together into the bowl to make sure all ingredients are well mixed.

Beat the butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the honey, egg and vanilla until smooth. Reduce the mixer speed to low; beat in the flour mixture until combined.

Refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Save flour to keep dough from sticking to the cutting board and use spatula to remove cutouts.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees F. 

Select cookie cutters to use. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Add a dusting of flour if the dough sticks to the cutting board.

A regular spatula dusted in flour helps to remove the cookie once it is cut out of the dough.

Use a flour-covered spatula to remove the cut out cookie and move it to the cooking sheet.

Arrange 1 inch apart on the prepared pans.

If dough won't roll out, add a little dusting of flour to the roller and dough.

Re-roll the scraps and cut out more cookies. If the dough is too soft to work with, refrigerate until firm again.

Bake, switching the pans halfway through, until the cookies are lightly browned. I check at the 5 minute mark but they could take 1o minutes, less time if they are thin, more time if they are thicker.

Let cool on the pans while you pour the glasses of milk.

Honey sugar cookies embellished before cooking. Delicious without adding icing!

Honey Sugar Refrigerator Cookies

This honey sugar cookie recipe also works well as refrigerator cookies. Well, freezer cookies would be more accurate because you're basically freezing the dough for later use.

It's the same concept of the rolled dough available for sale in grocery stores without the preservatives.

Place half the dough into center of wax paper, then roll back and forth to make a log.

Wrap the finished dough into logs in wax paper and freeze. This recipe makes two logs about 10 inches long.

Fold corners at each edge, then place the cookie dough in wax paper in freezer.

You might want to date the dough although at my house it doesn't stay in the freezer for long.

When ready for cookies, heat oven. Slice the log into round cookies to bake as needed. Add sugar sprinkles prior to baking.

This would be handy to have in the freezer for those drop-in friends looking for a cup of coffee and a cookie - you know who you are!

Charlotte

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Honey peanut butter cookies are recommended to leave for Santa.

This recipe had samples on a plate recommending them as a treat for Santa. They even appeared as if Santa had been there to sample but it was October so that just wasn't possible but I believed, just for that one moment when I saw the half-eaten cookie.

Making cookies is a wonderful tradition this time of year, especially to introduce little ones to cooking. Mommy and Me Cookbook has some wonderful simple cookie recipes.

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe is another recipe that was entered in the Missouri State Beekeepers Association fall 2017 cooking contest. The cookies looked so pretty with the bee imprint in the center, a very nice touch.

Honey Peanut Butter Cookies Recipe

Submitted by: Debbie Mott

Ingredients:

• ½ cup shortening

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup honey

• 2 eggs

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

In mixing bowl, mix shortening, peanut butter, and honey. Add eggs; mix well.

In a small mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add to peanut butter mixture and mix well.

Roll into 1 to 1 ½ in balls. Place on un-greased baking sheet and flatten with a fork.

Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.

Sample to make sure they are good enough to leave for Santa, then place on dish, leave by Christmas tree and get everyone to bed!

Charlotte

Honey Cheesecake Recipe

If crumbs are any indication, this looks like an excellent Honey Cheesecake!

This is another honey recipe from the October 27-28, 2017 Missouri State Beekeepers Association fall conference baking contest. They had a variety of entries, from breads to fudge and I focused on the entries at the end of the table, the cakes. I know but someone had to do it!

When it comes to cheesecakes, I have made a number of them in cupcake pans so they can be offered in individual servings. Cooking temperatures need to be turned down just a bit since they will cook faster in the smaller cooking containers but I place them in pans of water, just as I would the larger cheesecake pans.

Definitely follow the instructions to move the oven shelf; it will make a big difference in how the cheesecake evenly bakes.

This would be another wonderful recipe to add to a gift recipe book!

Honey Cheesecake

by Domenic Giofre

Ingredients:

• 4 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

• 1 cups sour cream

• ½ cup heavy whipping cream

• 1 cup honey

• 1/8 cup corn starch

• 1 oz amaretto liqueur (optional)

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 5 eggs whole

• 1 egg yolk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and place oven shelf in the center of the oven. Wrap the outside of a spring form pan with foil.

Generously butter the inside of the pan. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth.

Mix in honey and cornstarch. Blend in sour cream and whipping cream. Add amaretto and vanilla. Stir in eggs and egg yolk one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each addition.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Place pan in another pan at least 1 inch wider than the cake and add warm water to the outer pan to create a water bath. (This prevents cracks in your cheesecake)

Bake on the center rack of the oven for 70 minutes.

Charlotte

Honey Buttermilk Bread Recipe

Doesn't this loaf of bread look delicious? It's made with buttermilk and honey!

If there is one thing that reminds me of home cooking, it is making bread. One of my brothers is an expert at it, making a variety of delicious breads including one he developed on his own. I have also tried recipes out of some vintage cookbooks including the 1976 Home Cookin' Cookbook, which has a charming quilting theme to its cover, another hint of home.

Back to breads. This is another recipe from the 2017 fall Missouri State Beekeepers Association conference, this one a bread recipe with buttermilk and honey. This recipe makes two standard loaves of bread.

What I found interesting about this recipe was that it includes ginger as one of the ingredients.

Honey Buttermilk Bread Recipe

Submitted by: Corinne Collins

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon/packet of yeast

• 1 pinch of powdered ginger

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1⁄4 cup warm water 105 °

• 2 cups warm buttermilk 105°

• 1/3 cup honey

• 1 tsp salt

• 3⁄4 tsp baking soda

• 6 cups white bread flour (Divided use)

• 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter and cooled so that it is warm to the touch but not hot

Directions:

In a medium sized bowl mix the yeast, ginger, sugar, and warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes or until foamy.

Whisk the buttermilk, honey, salt, and baking soda together and add it to the yeast mixture. Add 3 cups of flour and mix until smooth, about 3-5 minutes on low of a stand mixer. Pour in the butter until it’s completely mixed into the batter.

Add the rest of the flour, one cup at a time, keeping the mixer on low speed. When the dough pulls from the side of the bowl remove it from the mixer to a lightly floured surface, kneed until elastic and smooth.

Place into a greased bowl, turn to grease the top, and cover with clean tea towel. Allow the dough to rise for 1 1⁄2 hours, or until double. Punch down, and form into 2 loaves.

Place in greased loaf pans and grease tops. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes, or until it’s just at the top of the bread pan.

Preheat oven to 400°. Bake for 30 minutes. You can cover with foil if it browns to fast. Remove loaves from oven and brush with melted butter.

Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge between the bread and the pan to loosen it. Turn out and cool completely on a rack. Cover the loaves if you want a soft crust.

Charlotte

Peanut Butter Honey Fudge Recipe

One of my favorite kinds of recipes, three ingredients!

Peanut Butter Honey Fudge Recipe

You know this recipe is a good one, look at the old 3x5 inch card it was written on, doesn't it look like it was taken right out of an old wooden recipe box? 

Who still has one besides me?

I enjoy reading old recipe books, I have quite a collection of interesting ones and periodically part with ones that are duplicates like this Jingle Bells and Pastry Shells recipe book from 1968.

I also like easy recipes and one with only three ingredients qualifies. I have a peanut butter cookie recipe with only three ingredients so why not a peanut butter honey fudge recipe?

Peanut Butter Honey Fudge Recipe

Submitted by: Nancy Giofre

Ingredients:

• 2 cups peanut butter

• 1⁄2 cup dark chocolate chips

• 3⁄4 cup honey

Directions:

Combine peanut butter and chocolate chips and microwave at 30 second intervals mixing each time until melted and smooth.

Add in honey and mix well. Pour into 8x8 baking dish lined with foil. Refrigerate until set.

Cut into squares. 

These were a little sticky to pick up with fingers but still quite tasty!

Charlotte

Fluffy Honey Orange Cake Recipe

Fluffy Honey Orange Cake at Missouri State Beekeepers Association Oct. 27-28, 2017 conference.

Olive Oil Honey Cake Recipe

If you remember the moist bundt cakes of the 70s and 80s you will love this honey cake recipe. The orange zest adds another favorite flavor although I never did figure out how to make that lemon glaze that was so popular over bundt-shaped deserts. I guess I could have looked up the recipe but where is the fun in doing that?

In the meantime, here is the recipe for Fluffy Honey Orange Cake. Note this does not use a box cake mix but you could substitute one if you wanted to try something simpler.

Fluffy Honey Orange Cake

Submitted by: Corinne Collins

Ingredients:

• 4 large eggs separated

• ¾ cup oil

• • 10.5 oz honey

• • ½ cup potato starch

• • 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

• • 2 tbsp orange liqueur

• • Zest of one orange

• • ¼ cup orange juice

• • 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

• • A pinch of salt

• Directions: Using a hand mixer beat the yolks with the honey until frothy and thick. (About 3 minutes). Very slowly add the oil, and beat until creamy. Add potato starch, orange zest, and liqueur. Now add the flour (Mixed with baking powder) a little at a time, alternating with the orange juice. In a separate, clean and degreased bowl mix together your egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter. Pour mixture into a bundt pan that’s been greased and dusted with flour. Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes. Or until done when tested with a toothpick Glaze: Mix together ¼ cup powdered sugar, 4 tsp orange juice, 1 tsp vanilla and spoon onto the cake while warm.

I would also be tempted to make these into muffin-sized servings and freeze them for later de-thawing.

Did I mention this recipe won first place in the cake category at the fall state beekeeping conference?

Well, doesn't matter, really, take my word for it, this is a wonderful cake recipe worth making for any occasion. It's a must to add to any recipe book you may be writing, I sampled it a couple of times, just to make sure.

Fluffy Honey Orange Cake, left, among other entries in the state conference baking contest.

And if anyone needs a taste tester for any future contests, do let me know!

Charlotte

Honey Pecan Pie Recipe

Entries in Missouri State Beekeepers Association fall conference cakes and pies contest.

Honey Pecan Pie Recipe

It's a tough job but somebody has to do it. At Missouri State Beekeepers Association annual fall conference in Springfield October 27-28, 2017, I was the self-designated cake and pie tester. Oh, they had an official judge for the contest, I just volunteered to myself that I should make sure the entries were as delicious as they looked!

There were several categories in the food contest, from breads and cookies to the one I took very seriously. Sitting at the end of the middle table, the four entries beckoned. There was a New York cheesecake; an Olive Oil and Honey cake (amazingly moist, will share that recipe, too); a third cake and the crowning glory of 4 most delicious entries, the pecan pie.

I almost passed on the pie, there was no utensil nearby and all forks were gone but a passing friend loaned me his new fork so I could take a sliver. Doesn't this look delicious?

Winning 1st Place in the cakes and pies division, this delicious honey pecan pie recipe.

I like pecans, and I like pecan pie. So does one of my brothers so when I taste recipes, the discriminating criteria is would I want to add this recipe to the family recipe books I made years ago as Christmas presents. 

It wasn't easy to wrestle favorite recipes out of the hands of the cooks so I paid a visit and wrangled the recipes when I was there. The family loved the recipe books so much, I thought updating them would be nice if I had interesting recipes.

For example, I make pumpkin custard without the crust. Baked in glass baking dishes and cooled once cooked, it's delicious and cuts a few calories.

All in all, this pecan pie recipe is pretty simple. The only challenging ingredient is finding "mild honey," which suggests I may have to make a couple of pecan pies trying out different honeys. Fall honey tends to be darker, more flavorfully-complex and have more antioxidants, spring honeys are lighter with a clearer floral note.  The things we have to do for science...

Here is the winning recipe for Honey Pecan Pie in the baker's handwriting.

Oops, looks like someone forgot the main ingredient, pecans. I checked several recipes and they all call for this so please add:

1 cup pecans, mixed into the first 7 ingredients.

You can also add 1/2 cup chopped ingredients to the top.

All recipes are printed in the November 2017 Missouri State Beekeepers Association newsletter, cost $10/year.

Finding good honey recipes can be a challenge but when one has tasted them first, you know, to confirms the deliciousness, that makes it easier to say "THIS" is a good recipe using honey.

Charlotte

Strawberry Honey Butter

A friend sent me this recipe and I tried making a small batch to taste. Delicious!

You will need:

• 1 pint strawberries, washed and hulled
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice 
• 3/4 cup room temperature butter.

To make:

• Whip with room temperature butter.
• Store in refrigerator for up until 2 weeks.

This would make a great gift idea for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day with breakfast served in bed!

Charlotte