17 Hot Honey Recipes That Prove Everything's Better With a Little Sweet Heat

Where are my swicy fans? In the early aughts, you might have kept a hot sauce in your purse; but today, those of us who crave the sweet heat would be more likely to have a squeeze bottle of hot honey on our person, if it wasn't so dang sticky. Once you bring home your first bottle, you become a hammer in search of a nail; is there anything hot honey doesn't improve?

Well, before you start overzealously squeezing it over your kid's breakfast cereal, let us steer you in a productive direction. We've got you; the answer is that hot honey makes everything more exciting, so why hold back?

To reward your enthusiasm for experimentation, we begin with a recipe where you'll be making your own hot honey sauce; in a sense, it's a hybrid, a sort of homemade Carolina-inspited barbecue sauce that's sweet, hot and intense. Coating oven-baked wings with it, then having ranch sauce on hand for dipping, makes this a game-day, Friday night happy hour, all-around good time.

It's hard to believe such an ideal vegetarian dish could have its inspiration in such a meaty classic, Nashville chicken. And yet, that is clearly just a jumping-off point, because this tofu has been thoughtfully prepared to maximize its flavor and texture. It's satisfying enough with a side salad, but you could certainly put it on a bun for a great sandwich, too.

We're here for any hot honey combo with peanut butter, and these cookies really bring it. In addition to the said two ingredients, we've got red pepper flakes and honey-roasted peanuts to round out those respective flavors. Watch out: Once they're in your house, you'll be making visits to the cookie jar until they're gone.

Michael Symon combines several viral sweethearts in one dish. Crispy pork cutlets are pounded thin and then rolled in ... wait for it ... pretzel crumbs. Sitting on a pillowy bun and slathered with that sweet acid of pickle relish, mustard and, oh yeah, we almost forgot, hot honey, this pork is a total masterpiece.

Could this be the perfect side dish or app? It couldn't be simpler, and only uses two key ingredients — lava salt and hot honey — to fancy it up for either occasion. Best of all, you don't even need to stem 'em! Just use those stems as handles for this ultimate sweet-hot finger food.

This one is way too fun, and we predict you'll be making it on repeat. Sweetened condensed milk lets you achieve ice cream scoopability without any of the churning, making this homemade ice cream within reach anytime you have a craving (but don't forget to factor in that 3 hours of freezing time). This one is swirled with peanut butter and hot honey, and ribboned through with chopped peanut butter cookies and brittle. Sheer heaven, the perfect blend of hot and cold.

Behold, the one-skillet meal that's fast and easy, bringing fried-chicken spirit but with the nourishment that only home cooking could provide. First you saute panko until crispy, then combine with chives. Remove and saute the spice-coated chicken, then finally shaved Brussels sprouts, which will cook in a jiffy since they are shaved. Unite them all with some hot honey for a dinner that feels almost too satisfying to have been that easy to make.

Just as anything is more of a food experience if waffled, the same could be said for a taco, even if "taco-ed" is not as natural a verb as waffled. No mind; these waffle tacos feed a good appetite, ostensibly for breakfast, although they would be equally welcome in the evening hours. The hot honey complements the sweetness of the vanilla-enhanced store-bought waffle batter, as well as the sausage and American cheese. Some crumbled tortilla chips enhance the texture fireworks here.

Ree brings her own spin to elotes, the Mexican street corn that we can't get enough of. Here, the homemade hot honey also contains home-candied jalapeños, yet another condiment you'll want to put on everything. A sprinkling of Cotija balances all the sweet heat with another hit of salty.

Here, we have the elegant side of hot honey, with a dish that's very simple, yet nice enough to serve to guests. Pork chops seasoned with a fennel seed and coriander rub harmonize beautifully with sauteed fennel and citrus. But this fine dish is no shrinking violet; it's got that hot honey to keep things subtly interesting.

You've never had fruit salad like this! Valerie takes a variety of fruit and gives it the board treatment, complete with a hot honey yogurt that really makes every bite sing. You'll love the interactiveness of it on a brunch spread.

If you're looking for ways to jazz up that pop-tube of crescent rolls, this app will be your new best friend. Simply roll some pepper jack cheese into them, then brush with hot honey butter (!). Of course, they need just one more brushing of that hot honey butter after they come out of the oven, as if you could even resist.

When pizza and hot honey hold hands, you can practically see the cartoon hearts floating above. There's something about that sweet heat that goes with practically any topping we can think of. But there's no reason to get fancy; you can experience that perfection with good old pepperoni. So go ahead and put that squeeze bottle on the table with the garlic powder, Parmesan and chile flakes.

Here we're talking hot olives, as in temperature hot. Somewhere in the '90s we Americans got the memo from Europe that serving warm olives at the bar made for a very special snack, allowing the marinating flavors to come through in a really nice way, and going well with all sorts of drinks. Add some hot honey, and you've got a new dimension of enjoyment.

This recipe couldn't be simpler, appropriate even for weeknight cooking. Just pop that chicken in the oven, and while it's roasting, whisk together a hot-honey-infused garlicky sauce that reduces to become sticky and thick. We love this with rice, couscous or even just crusty bread and a salad on the side.

Even if you're all thumbs in the kitchen, you can come to the party with a real showstopper. Gooey, rich Medjool dates are absolutely unreal when stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in bacon. A drizzle of the hot honey is that devil's coup de grace.