Recipes

Try these NC State Fair Blue Ribbon winning recipes.

Note: images were created by an AI tool and do not necessarily represent the final look of the item. 

Honey Almond Granola

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ginger
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet w/ parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, honey, vanilla, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Add oats, almonds, and coconut to bowl and stir until dry ingredients are coated evenly. Spread evenly on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Stir. Bake 10 additional minutes. Stir. Bake 3 – 5 more minutes. Let cool. Store in mason jar.

Lemon Honey Dressing

Ingredients

• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• Pinch of salt & pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup olive oil

Preparation

Place ingredients in bowl and whisk to combine.

Honey Dijon Salad Dressing

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp minced shallots
• 2 tbsp wildflower honey
• 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Preparation

Place ingredients in bowl and whisk to combine.

Howlin' Honey BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 6 tbsp green onion thinly sliced
• 6 tsp jalapeño pepper
• 2/3 cup honey
• 4 tbsp red raspberry preserves
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 3 tbsp hot sauce

Preparation

Mix water and cornstarch. Set aside. Spray bottom of pan with nonstick spray. Sauté garlic, onion, jalapeño pepper for 2 – 3 minutes until softened. Add honey, raspberry preserves, ketchup & hot sauce and stir well. Cook 1 – 3 minutes. Whisk in water and cornstarch mixture until thickened.

Honey Butter

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup cream
• 3 sticks of butter
• 1/4–1/2 tsp vanilla

Preparation

Combine sugar, honey, and cream, boil for 1 minute. Place mixture, vanilla, and butter in blender and blend until smooth.

Honey Caramels

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Preparation

Line 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. In a medium pan add the butter and melt over medium high heat. Add honey, cream, and brown sugar. Gently stir. Reduce heat to medium. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan not touching the bottom. Once mixture starts to boil reduce heat to below medium and let simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until it reaches 250°F. Once it reaches 250°F, remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour caramel into pan. Cool until room temperature. Then sprinkle with sea salt, place in fridge, and chill for at least 3 hours. Lift out, cut, and wrap.

Honey Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tbsp butter (2 1/2 sticks)
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups uncooked oats
• 1 cup raisins

Preparation

Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl; set aside. In a large bowl beat butter, brown sugar, and honey until creamy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Add combined dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 325°F for 8–10 minutes or until golden brown. Place cookies on a wire rack to completely cool. Store in tightly covered container.

Honey Apple Muffins

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 2 apples chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray muffin tin or use liners. In large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small microwave bowl, combine the milk, honey, butter. Heat until butter melts. Stir. Add egg to wet ingredients and mix. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir. Add chopped apples. Scoop into muffin tin, 3/4 full. Bake 15 – 18 minutes.

Brown Butter Honey Pecan Pie

Ingredients

• 1 bottom crust, crimped and chilled
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 cups pecans, toasted and chopped fine

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Par bake chilled crust—double layer aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake on baking sheet until dough looks dry and pale in color, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake until crust is light golden brown, 4 – 7 minutes longer. While crust is baking, melt butter in a saucepan. After the butter melts and begins to bubble, heat for 5 – 10 minutes more, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the butter browns. Remove from heat, stir in sugar and salt until absorbed. Whisk in eggs, honey, and vanilla, until smooth. Using a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, heat and stir mixture until shiny, hot to touch, and registers 130°F. Remove from heat, stir in pecans. As soon as pie crust comes out of oven, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and reduce oven temperature to 275°F. Pour pecan mixture into warm crust. Use a crust protector, or gently wrap foil around the crimped edge, to prevent overbaking. Bake until filling looks set but yields like gelatin, 50 minutes – 1 hour. Rotate sheet halfway through baking. Let pie cool completely on wire rack for about 4 hours.

Honey Spice Cake

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs

Preparation

Sift together the first 7 ingredients. Add shortening, brown sugar, honey, and buttermilk. Mix till all flour is moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Add eggs; beat 2 minutes more. Bake in 2 greased and lightly floured 9” round pans at 350°F for 30 – 35 minutes or until done. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool completely. Frost with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 pound (4 cups) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 – 3 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preparation

Measure confectioners’ sugar into large mixing bowl. Add butter, vanilla, and 2 tbsp milk. Beat until sugar is incorporated. When completely mixed, add cinnamon. Mix well. Add more milk, a little at a time, until frosting is of spreading consistency. Frosts 2 (9-inch) cake layers.

Honey Devils Food Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder divided
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup 2% low fat milk
• 1/2 cup veg oil
• 2 eggs
• 3 tsp vanilla divided
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup honey divided

Preparation

Cake: Grease and flour (2) 9-inch cake pans. In large bowl combine flour, 1 cup cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups honey, milk, oil, eggs & 2 tsp vanilla. Beat for 2 minutes. Gradually beat in water. Divide batter between pans. Bake at 350°F for 25 – 30 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Turn onto wire racks and cool.

Frosting: Combine 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup honey, 1 tsp vanilla and cream. Beat until thick and fluffy. Spread frosting evenly over sides and layers.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

• 1 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (processed or natural)
• 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup milk (any kind), at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups shredded zucchini (no need to blot)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease one 9 x 5 loaf pan with melted shortening. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, honey, eggs, milk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir or whisk until “just” combined; do not over mix. With a silicone spatula, fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips. The batter is slightly thick. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 – 70 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Cool in the pan for 1 hour before removing from the pan. Cool the bread completely on a wire rack before slicing. Cover and store bread at room temperature for 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Honey Sweetened Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup North Carolina honey
• 1/4 cup water mixed with 1 packet of active yeast

Preparation

Combine flour and sugar. Add liquid ingredients and mix to a stiff dough. Place dough in a greased bowl and let rise 4 – 6 hours until doubled. Knead dough and place in greased bread pan. Let rise until doubled. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes until golden brown.

Connie’s Honey Bread

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 tbsp yeast
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 1/4 cups small curd cottage cheese
• 3/4 cup honey
• 6 tbsp shortening
• 2 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 8 1/4 cups bread flour
• 1 tbsp salt

Preparation

Cream honey, shortening, sugar and egg together in mixing bowl. Set aside. Add boiling water and cottage cheese together in a separate large bowl and mix with a whisk. Dissolve as much as possible—okay to have some curds left. Check temp of mixture—needs to be between 80°F–100°F. Add yeast and allow to rehydrate—when rehydrated gently mix with whisk. Add the flour all at once and cut in. Before all the flour becomes wet add salt. Continue to cut in. Do not overwork. When TAKE UP is reached STOP. Add flour mixture to creamed ingredients in mixing bowl. Mix by hand or with mixer and dough hook for about 3 minutes until dough becomes formed. Put dough on bench and rest for 5 minutes. Work by hand, stretch and fold. Do this for 2 minutes—Do not overwork. Cover dough with large mixing bowl. Let set for 30 minutes.

De Gas the dough by stretching and folding a few times. Let set for 30 minutes. After resting, divide dough into 2 lbs sections.

Do not De Gas. Shape each section. First Form—shapes and reactivates the gluten.

1. Start with a rectangle and work into a loaf using cylinder method.
2. Bench rest for 10 minutes.
3. Shape 1 more time, pinch seams.
4. Let seam seal, 2 minutes.
5. Place in greased loaf pans.
6. Proof bread in a proofing box for 45 minutes.
   

Preheat oven to 375°F. Once bread is proofed place in preheated oven. Timer set at 35 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes and open oven door to release steam. Finish baking. Check crust at the end. Remove and place on cooling rack.