Hey there, honey pals! Today, I want to talk about something I used to wonder about a lot: Should I use honey or sugar when I cook? I grew up seeing regular white sugar in our kitchen, especially for our favorite Filipino desserts like bibingka or leche flan. But ever since I discovered how tasty and healthy honey can be, I’ve been trying to swap sugar for honey in my cooking. Let’s see how it’s going!
Why I Use Honey Instead of Sugar
- It Has Extra Goodness
Unlike plain sugar, honey has enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that might be good for my body. It gives me a bit of an energy boost without making me feel as jittery. - It Tastes So Yummy
Honey adds a different kind of sweetness—sometimes slightly fruity or flowery, depending on the flowers where bees get nectar.
How I Swap Honey in Recipes
When I try making a Filipino dish that usually calls for sugar, I follow a few rules:
- Use a little less honey than the amount of sugar the recipe says, because honey is sweeter.
- Sometimes I lower the cooking temperature a bit if I’m baking, so the honey doesn’t burn.
For example, if my recipe for banana turon needs 1 cup of sugar to coat the bananas, I might use 3/4 cup of honey instead, and it still tastes great!
My Honey Adventures in the Kitchen
- Bibingka Twist: Instead of adding sugar to my bibingka batter, I drizzle honey on top after baking. It gives the bibingka a shiny, sweet glaze.
- Pancit Stir-Fry: If the recipe calls for a little sugar to balance the saltiness, I use honey. It blends well with soy sauce and calamansi.
- Hot Cocoa: I skip the sugar and add honey while mixing cocoa powder. It’s less grainy and smoother to sip!
Things to Remember
While honey is a sweet superstar, I have to be careful not to use too much—otherwise, my food might turn out too sweet or burn easily. And if you’re baking, a little practice makes perfect. I’ve had a few kitchen mishaps (like over-browning my cupcakes), but I learned from each mistake.
My Favorite Sweetener
After trying both, I love using honey whenever I can. It tastes so natural, and I feel good supporting our local Filipino beekeepers. But I still use sugar sometimes—especially if I’m in a hurry or making a big batch of my grandma’s old recipes.
In the end, both honey and sugar can be used in cooking, but honey gives me that special sweet taste with a little extra goodness. If you haven’t tried swapping sugar with honey yet, give it a go in your favorite recipe. It might just become your new favorite, too!
That’s it for Day 10! Tomorrow, I’ll share another honey adventure with you. Thanks for reading, and have a super sweet day!
P.S. What’s your favorite Filipino dish to sweeten with honey? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to learn from your kitchen adventures!
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