MugMead
Recipes
These aren’t just recipes — they’re ribbon winners. Every dish here has taken home a prize at a county fair, community potluck cook-off, or holiday bake sale. The secret ingredient? Always honey.
🥇 Honey Lavender Shortbread
First Place — Thurston County Fair, 2024
Buttery, crumbly shortbread with a delicate floral sweetness. The judges said it “melted like a cloud with a whisper of summer meadow.” This one’s been undefeated at three consecutive fairs.
Ingredients: 1 cup butter (room temp) · ⅓ cup raw honey · 2 cups flour · 1 tbsp dried culinary lavender (finely chopped) · ½ tsp vanilla · pinch of sea salt
Method: Cream butter and honey until fluffy. Mix in vanilla. Fold in flour, lavender, and salt until just combined — don’t overwork. Press into a parchment-lined 8×8 pan, prick with a fork, and chill 30 minutes. Bake at 325°F for 28–32 minutes until edges are barely golden. Cool completely before slicing into bars. Dust with powdered sugar if you’re feeling fancy.
🥇 Spiced Honey Apple Cake
First Place — Eldon Community Harvest Potluck, 2023
A dense, moist apple cake where honey does all the sweetening. Warm spice, chunks of tart apple, and a sticky honey glaze on top. People showed up at the potluck specifically to ask for this recipe.
Ingredients: ¾ cup raw honey · ½ cup butter (melted) · 2 eggs · 1 tsp vanilla · 2 cups flour · 1 tsp baking soda · 1 tsp cinnamon · ½ tsp allspice · ¼ tsp cloves · ½ tsp salt · 3 medium tart apples (peeled, diced) · ½ cup chopped walnuts
Glaze: 3 tbsp honey · 1 tbsp butter · 1 tsp cinnamon
Method: Whisk honey, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Fold wet into dry. Stir in apples and walnuts. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350°F for 35–40 minutes. While warm, heat glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the cake. Let it soak in. Serve warm or at room temperature.
🥇 Hot Honey Cornbread
Best Side Dish — Yelm Prairie Days Cook-Off, 2024
Sweet, savory, and just a little mean. This cornbread gets a drizzle of hot honey that caramelizes on the crust. It outsold everything else at the bake table and the judges gave it a standing ovation (well, a seated nod — but enthusiastic).
Ingredients: 1 cup cornmeal · 1 cup flour · ¼ cup raw honey · 1 cup buttermilk · ⅓ cup melted butter · 2 eggs · 1 tsp baking powder · ½ tsp baking soda · ½ tsp salt
Hot Honey Drizzle: ¼ cup raw honey · 1 tbsp butter · ½ tsp cayenne (or more if you dare) · 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Method: Preheat a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven at 400°F with a tablespoon of butter melting in it. Mix dry ingredients. Whisk wet ingredients. Combine — don’t overmix. Pour into the screaming-hot skillet. Bake 20–22 minutes until golden and set. Meanwhile, warm the hot honey ingredients in a small pan. Drizzle over the cornbread the second it comes out. Let it sit 5 minutes. Slice into wedges.
🥇 Honey Bourbon Pecan Bars
Grand Champion Dessert — South Sound Holiday Bake Sale, 2023
Think pecan pie in bar form, but with honey instead of corn syrup and a splash of bourbon that makes adults lean in and whisper “what is in these?” Rich, gooey, dangerously easy to eat four of.
Crust: 1½ cups flour · ½ cup butter (cold, cubed) · ¼ cup powdered sugar · pinch of salt
Filling: ¾ cup raw honey · ½ cup brown sugar · ⅓ cup melted butter · 2 eggs · 2 tbsp bourbon · 1 tsp vanilla · ¼ tsp salt · 2 cups pecan halves
Method: Pulse crust ingredients in a food processor until crumbly. Press into a parchment-lined 9×13 pan. Bake at 350°F for 14 minutes until barely set. While it bakes, whisk all filling ingredients except pecans. Spread pecans over the par-baked crust, pour filling over. Bake another 24–28 minutes until set but still slightly jiggly in the center. Cool completely — patience is non-negotiable here. Slice into small bars; they’re rich.
🥇 Honey Garlic Wings
People’s Choice — Tenino Quarry Pool Potluck, 2024
Sticky, glossy, and gone in minutes. These wings have won People’s Choice at two separate potlucks. The honey-garlic glaze caramelizes into a crackling shell and the inside stays juicy. Bring napkins. Lots of napkins.
Ingredients: 3 lbs chicken wings (separated, tips removed) · salt and pepper · 1 tbsp baking powder
Honey Garlic Glaze: ⅓ cup raw honey · ¼ cup soy sauce · 6 cloves garlic (minced) · 2 tbsp rice vinegar · 1 tbsp sesame oil · 1 tsp ginger (grated) · 1 tsp sriracha · 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1 tbsp water (slurry)
Method: Pat wings dry. Toss with salt, pepper, and baking powder. Spread on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Bake at 425°F for 45–50 minutes, flipping once, until deeply golden and crispy. While they bake, combine all glaze ingredients except cornstarch slurry in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Add slurry, stir until thickened (2 minutes). Toss the hot wings in the glaze. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced scallions. Devour.
🥇 Wildflower Honey Ice Cream
Best Frozen Treat — Rochester Grange Summer Social, 2023
No refined sugar at all — just honey doing what honey does best. The wildflower variety gives it a complex, almost butterscotch-floral flavor that regular honey can’t touch. The custard base makes it creamy and rich without being heavy.
Ingredients: 2 cups heavy cream · 1 cup whole milk · ⅔ cup wildflower honey · 5 egg yolks · 1 tsp vanilla · pinch of sea salt
Method: Warm cream, milk, and honey in a saucepan until honey dissolves (don’t boil). Whisk yolks in a bowl. Slowly pour the warm cream mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly (temper, don’t scramble). Return to the pan, cook over medium-low, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon (170°F). Strain through a fine sieve. Add vanilla and salt. Chill completely (overnight is best). Churn in your ice cream maker. Freeze until firm. Drizzle extra honey on top when serving.