Burnt honey is taking the culinary world by storm. It’s deliciously caramelised, easy to make, and elevates your meals, desserts, and dinner parties to the Masterchef stratosphere. Put simply, burnt honey is out of this world for a dreamy caramel sauce experience. But exactly what is burnt honey, and how do you make it? We’ll show you!
What is burnt honey?
Usually burnt foods are a mistake; a calamity that sees you wafting tea towels at the smoke alarm whilst simultaneously reaching for the nearest takeaway menu. Burnt honey, however, is a delight!
Just as sugar caramelises when heated, honey will also thicken into a sauce that has an amazingly complex flavour. The contrast between sweet and bitter in each spoonful sees this sauce suited to a variety of uses. We’ve listed suggestions to tempt you further down this article.
How to make burnt honey
Any honey can be used, so feel free to experiment with our 100% Australian raw honey varietals. Each will lend its own unique element to the flavour. We found that Macadamia Honey added a subtle undertone of nuttiness that was ideal for desserts.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of honey
- water
Method
- Put the honey in a high-sided saucepan and set on the stove over a medium-high heat
- Bring the honey to a simmer, reduce the heat, and cook for around 6 minutes. Stir frequently with a heatproof spoon (note: the honey will get extremely hot, so metal utensils are not recommended)
- When the honey is a rich brown colour (around 170 degrees C if you have a sugar thermometer), remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons of water. Beware – the honey will foam and bubble vigorously when the water is added. Take care not to get splashed!
- Stir the water in rapidly, then set the mixture aside to cool
You can spice up your burnt honey with the addition of a little nutmeg, ground ginger, orange peel, sea salt, vanilla paste, or sweet spice of your choice. Stir in any additions AFTER the water has been added and the honey has slightly cooled.
Burnt honey can be stored in a clean jar for up to 12 months.
Burnt honey recipe ideas
This is such a versatile sauce! It’s perfect for dessert toppings, cocktails, as an ingredient in baking, or stirred into lattes. Burnt honey basque cheesecake will amaze your guests at your next dinner party.
Try these suggestions:
- Drizzled over fresh fruit – try figs, strawberries, bananas, crisp apple slices…
- Poured over poached fruit, like pears, peaches, and plums
- Spread onto toast and crumpets
- As a glaze for ham, when blended with orange juice and zest
- In a vinaigrette salad dressing
- Blended into custard or cream
- Mixed into a whisky and turmeric cocktails (there are so many fun and flavoursome cocktails to try!)
- As a marinade or barbecue sauce (great with chicken!)
- Stirred into Matcha or Chai lattes
- And it’s worth repeating: Burnt Honey Basque Cheesecake!
Check out our other recipes for cooking with honey here.
A honey supply for the master chef?
If you use honey in your commercial kitchen or business enterprise, contact AB’s Honey for bulk quantities of 100% pure Australian honey.