Farmers’ Almanac 2022 Honey Recipe Contest Winners

Each year the Farmers’ Almanac holds a themed recipe contest. The 2022 theme was honey, and home cooks sent in hundreds of original recipes built around the ingredient. Below are the three winners, chosen for creativity, accessibility, and the way each one used honey as a star rather than a substitute for sugar.

A Sweet Surprise

The Farmers’ Almanac 2022 Prize-Winning Recipes

1st Place: Honey Churro Cookies

Submitted by Marsha P., Texas. Crispy outside, soft inside, with honey woven through the dough and a cinnamon-sugar coating.

Ingredients (makes 24 cookies):

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• For the coating: ½ cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. Cream butter, honey, and brown sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.
4. Add dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
5. Roll into 1-inch balls. Roll each in cinnamon sugar.
6. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake 9-11 minutes until edges are set.
7. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a rack.

2nd Place: Poached Pear Salad with Browned Honey Vinaigrette Recipe

Submitted by James L., Vermont. The browned honey gives the vinaigrette a butterscotch depth that lifts the entire salad.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• Poached pears:
• 4 firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored
• 2 cups white wine
• 1 cup water
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 strip lemon peel
• Vinaigrette:
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small shallot, minced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Salad:
• 6 cups mixed greens
• ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
• ½ cup toasted walnuts
• ¼ cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

1. Poach pears. Combine wine, water, ¼ cup honey, cinnamon, and lemon peel in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Add pears and poach 15 minutes until tender. Cool in the liquid.
2. Brown the honey for vinaigrette. In a small skillet over medium heat, cook ¼ cup honey until it darkens to amber, about 3 minutes. Watch closely; honey burns fast.
3. Make vinaigrette. Whisk browned honey with vinegar, mustard, and shallot. Slowly stream in olive oil. Season.
4. Assemble. Toss greens with vinaigrette. Top with sliced poached pears, blue cheese, walnuts, and cranberries.

3rd Place: Honey-Wrapped Golden Chicken with Honey Asparagus Balsamic Recipe

Submitted by Renee K., Pennsylvania. A pan-roasted chicken with honey-glazed asparagus, plated together as a complete dinner.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• Chicken:
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Asparagus:
• 1 pound asparagus, woody ends snapped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Whisk honey, olive oil, garlic, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken. Marinate 30 minutes.
3. Place marinated chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
4. Toss asparagus with olive oil, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Arrange beside the chicken.
5. Roast 22-28 minutes until chicken is 165°F internal and asparagus is tender-crisp.
6. Plate chicken with asparagus alongside. Drizzle any pan juices over.

Cook by the Best Days Calendar

The Farmers’ Almanac Best Days calendar marks the most favorable days for canning, pickling, preserving, and baking, drawn from the moon’s signs and 200 years of almanac tradition.

See Best Days

Congratulations to the Winners

Thanks to Marsha, James, and Renee for the winning recipes. Each is now part of the Farmers’ Almanac archive.

Special Thanks

Thanks also to the hundreds of cooks who submitted entries. Choosing only three was the hardest part of the contest.

Enter Farmers’ Almanac 2023 Recipe Contest!

Each year the contest has a new theme. Check the Farmers’ Almanac website around the start of each year for the current theme and submission rules. Entry is free and prizes include cash, a feature in the print Almanac, and a yearlong membership.

Tips for Cooking with Honey

• Substitute carefully. ¾ cup honey replaces 1 cup of sugar, but reduce other liquids by 2 tablespoons.
• Lower oven temp by 25°F when baking with honey; it browns faster than sugar.
• Coat measuring spoons. Spray with cooking spray or rub with oil before measuring honey; it slides right off.
• Match the honey to the dish. Wildflower for everyday cooking; buckwheat for strong-flavored bakes; orange blossom for delicate finishes; clover for general baking.
• Heat carefully. Direct high heat burns honey fast. Use indirect heat or warm gently in a saucepan.

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Farmers' Almanac Staff

This article was published by the Staff at FarmersAlmanac.com. Any questions? Contact us at questions@farmersalmananac.com.

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