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The first thing the phrase “apples and honey” brings to mind is Rosh Hashanah. There’s nothing like that first bite of a crisp, fruity apple slice with the comforting, sweet flavor that honey adds. The tart and sweet flavors truly make for a nostalgic pairing.

Although apples and honey are a staple, honey is a superfood all on its own. There are endless possibilities for how to incorporate it into your Rosh Hashanah meal plan. As you’ll see below, there’s so much more to honey than just the apple.

 Photographed by Sara Goldstein

Let’s take a look at my top 10 uses for honey over Rosh Hashanah.

1. Infused Honey

Photographed by Sara Goldstein

For those of you who want a simple spin with big impact, infuse your honey with amazing flavors! By simply adding ingredients like orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, mint, or other herbs you can make something extra special that will wow your guests.

2. Warm Honey Vinaigrette

Simanim salads are the perfect accompaniment to any Rosh Hashanah meal. You can’t go wrong with thinly sliced apples and a warm dressing. Yes, you read that correctly–“warm dressing”! One of my all-time favorite ways to serve salad on Rosh Hashanah is with a warm honey vinaigrette. When salads are dressed with warm vinaigrettes, they instantly have a more pronounced and comforting flavor compared to cold salads.

3. Grilled Honey Fruit

By the time Rosh Hashanah comes around this year, summer will be over for a few days, but don’t let that stop you from keeping the grill hot! I make grilled fruit kebobs, and then drizzle honey over the top. To keep with the Rosh Hashanah vibes, grill a bunch of new fruits like star fruit, gooseberries, lychee, rambutan, dragon fruit, or baby pineapples. I recommend putting the fruits on skewers so they don’t fall between the grates. Simply brush all the fruit with some oil, grill (turning occasionally) until grill marks are visible, then drizzle with Manischewitz honey! Yum!

4. Simple Honey Syrup for Coffee Or Tea

It’s Rosh Hashanah morning and you’re headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee or tea. Instead of your everyday creamer or sugar, make yourself a simple honey syrup and enjoy the flavors of Rosh Hashanah with every sip!

Simple Honey Syrup Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 cup honey

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Put honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Heat until the honey dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool before putting into a plastic squeeze bottle. Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

5. Honey-Sweetened Sangria

Photographed by Sara Goldstein

Fall sangria is a staple at my Yom Tov table. I add in fruits like pomegranate seeds, slices of star fruit, oranges and apples, and always use Manischewitz honey to sweeten it. Apples + honey + wine? You can’t go wrong.

6. Honey Egg Wash

We’ve spoken a lot about apples and honey, but what about the even more decadent pairing of challah and honey? Sure, you can drizzle honey on your challah right before eating, but why not jazz up your challah with a delicious honey egg wash? Simply add some honey to your egg wash, brush your raw challahs with it, and bake as usual. The outcome is an extra shiny, sticky, sweet, and somewhat crispy challah top.

Photographed by Sara Goldstein

7. Honey Glaze For Mains And Sides

So you’ve made a beautiful array of roasted veggies for your Yom Tov meal. They smell great and taste amazing, but you want them to look more vibrant and presentation-ready. Honey to the rescue! With a pastry brush, brush honey over your hot veggies. It doesn’t end there. This hack is also great for beef roasts, chicken, or fish. For roasts and chicken, simply mix a few tablespoons of pan drippings with an equal amount of honey and brush on the top of your roast. The glaze adds an instant shine, and extra sweetness–perfect for bringing in a sweet new year.

8. Frozen Honey Drops

A simple sweet treat that requires just 1 ingredient, and no cooking? Yes please! All you have to do is line a baking sheet with parchment paper and squeeze out drops of honey from a Manischewitz honey bear bottle. Freeze until completely hard and frozen! Note that consuming large amounts of honey is not recommended. These sweet honey drops are meant to be consumed in small quantities as a sweet after-dinner treat.

9. Dip The Apple In The Honey Pops

This one’s for all the kids out there! I call them “Apple and Honey Pops”. They’re the perfect activity to keep kids busy, a great “healthy” snack, and are extremely festive and fun! They require very little planning, and no baking. The best part? Besides for slicing the apples, kids can make these all on their own!

You can find the instructions here.

10. Honey Bear-Themed Gift Basket

Now that we’ve covered some amazing ways of using Manischewitz honey for Rosh Hashanah, let’s address the elephant, I mean bear in the room. It’s the shape that we all know and love–the teddy bear honey bottle! To highlight and bring out the bottle’s adorable character, I love putting together a gift basket with a honey bear theme. A simple homemade round challah, tucked in a basket with a few honey bears, and our adorable honey bear gift tags make for the perfect Rosh Hashanah gift. It will spread not only some smiles, but lots of sweetness too.

Chag Sameach!