Keep Warm This Winter With These Hot Honey Recipes

Hot honey adds sweetness and chili heat to winter meals. You can drizzle it over an appetizer or dessert, brush it onto a pie crust, or stir it into a cocktail. You can also make it at home.

These four recipes cover brie bites, chicken pot pie, apple crisp and a hot toddy. Choose one for a gathering or a quiet evening at home.

Crispy hot honey brie bites

This is one of my favorite appetizers for large gatherings. The cups are quick to fill, and I like the combination of brie, cranberry sauce and hot honey.

The trick is phyllo dough cups. They are thin and crisp but hold the toppings. Look for premade cups at your grocery store, or use this homemade phyllo cup recipe.

Arrange the cups on a baking sheet or in a muffin pan. Add a small spoonful of cranberry sauce and a small piece of brie to each cup. I prefer whole cranberry sauce for these.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes, until the brie has melted and the cups are dark golden brown. Drizzle with hot honey and, if you like, add a fresh rosemary needle as a garnish. Serve warm.

Kickin' chicken pot pie

Chicken pot pie is a winter staple in my household. I like the flaky, buttery crust with the thick filling. Hot honey adds a little heat to the crust.

Boil a whole chicken breast in chicken stock for about 12-15 minutes, continuing until a food thermometer reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit in its thickest part. Time alone does not establish doneness. Let the chicken cool enough to handle, then shred it using a fork or your hands.

Finely dice one large carrot, two stalks of celery and a medium yellow onion. Sauté them in enough butter to coat the pan for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add one clove of minced garlic and cook for about one minute, until fragrant.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Use an oven-safe pie dish or individual ramekins large enough for the filling, leaving space below the rim. Divide the filling between more dishes if necessary.

Add two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and mix well. Continue cooking for another two minutes, then add two cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil to thicken. Stir the shredded cooked chicken into the filling, then transfer it to a pie dish or individual ramekins. Cover with pie crust and cut a slit in the top to let steam escape.

Beat one egg with one tablespoon of water or heavy cream. Mix one tablespoon of hot honey into the egg wash and brush it over the crust.

Put the filled dishes on a baking sheet to catch drips.

Bake until the crust is cooked through and golden brown and a food thermometer reads at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit in the center of the filling. Begin checking after about 20 minutes; continue baking as needed. Individual ramekins and deeper dishes can finish at different times. If the crust browns before the filling reaches temperature, cover it loosely with foil.

Editor's note: The original recipe omitted the final bake and the step that combines the chicken with the filling. This edition adds those steps. The 400-degree oven and initial check draw on Pillsbury's chicken pot pie guidance; that is a different recipe and does not establish the cooking time for this version. Follow your crust's directions if they differ, and use the filling temperature and fully cooked crust as the endpoints. This edition has not been cooking-tested.

Hot honey kissed apple crisp

I learned to make apple crisp in a school cooking class and kept making it at home. It was simple enough to make as a kid, and I still enjoy the sweet apples and crisp topping. If I had thought of it then, I would have added hot honey much sooner. I like it hot, with a cold scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot honey.

Core, peel and slice five apples. Mix them in a bowl with two tablespoons of granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, combine one cup of brown sugar, ¾ cup each of oats and all-purpose flour, and one teaspoon of cinnamon. Cut one stick of butter into small pieces, then work it into the oat mixture with a fork.

Put the apples in a 9x9 baking dish. Spread the oat mixture evenly over them and pat it down. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the sides are bubbling.

Scoop the warm crisp onto a plate or into a bowl. Add vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot honey.

Spicy hot toddy

After shoveling snow or a busy day of holiday shopping, you might want to sit on the couch, turn on the television and have a warm cocktail. A hot toddy fits that evening.

Boil 4 ounces of water. Add it to a mug with two ounces of whiskey, bourbon or scotch and ¾ ounce of hot honey. Mix well. Garnish with a lemon peel, cinnamon stick and star anise.

Cooking reference

FoodSafety.gov's safe minimum internal temperatures lists 165 degrees Fahrenheit for poultry and casseroles containing meat or poultry. The thermometer clarification and instruction to stir the shredded chicken into the filling are editorial additions. This edition has not been cooking-tested.