I love cooking. I love baking. I love eating. Okay…if it has to do with food I love it. One thing I do struggle to love foodwise though is spicy. I am a very mild salsa kind of girl. Actually I would rather dip my chips in ranch. Pepperjack cheese…no go. Wasabi…hhhheeeeccckk nooo! My mouth is on fire just thinking about it. I want to like spicy but my tongue won’t let me. So when I was given the opportunity to try out something spicy I am happily hesitant.Henry’s Humdingers is raw, natural honey mixed with spices. When Henry was just 11 years old he learned about Colony Collapse Disorder from a beekeeper. We wanted to make a difference so he asked for a beehive for his birthday. Shortly after he began selling honey on the side of the road to help raise money for The Foundation for the Preservation of Honey Bees and for his family’s farm. His family was always using spices to cook with so he ingeniously thought to put honey and spices together.
Now Henry’s Humdingers has 4 unique blends of honey and spices, as seen on ABC’s Shark Tank. I received all four of these flavors to try out. Because practically everything spicy is killer hot to me, I got some of my family together to do a taste test and give you their opinions. We grabbed some yummy tortilla chips and went to work.First up is the Grumpy Grandpa. (Like my father’s grumpy face? ) The Grumpy Grandpa is a blend of spicy red pepper, garlic, and honey. For me this one was really hot (surprise!). My brother and his fiance liked it but my dad didn’t like it so much. My dad thought it tasted a little like spicy jam….maybe that is because it was crystalized. Crystalization can easily be fixed by setting the jar in warm water. My brother thought it would be great on chicken. So I looked on the Henry’s Humdingers recipe page and found the Grumpy Grandpa’s Grilled & Glazed Chicken recipe. I can’t wait to make it for my dad and see if his opinion changes. Who knows!? Maybe I will even be able to hack it!
Next up is the Diabolical Dad. (This isn’t my hubby’s diabolical face…he has one that is even more evil ha ha) This one is made with habanero, lime, and honey. Now surprisingly enough, I really liked this one. Yes it had a little kick to it but not too much that this wussy couldn’t handle it. Actually, everyone really liked it. My brother and Megan even gave it TWO thumbs up and check out my dad’s face. He said, “YEAH!” I think this would pair really nice with fish or shrimp because the lime notes would bring some pzazz to the spice. YUM!Next, Phoebe’s Fireball, ismade from chipotle chile, cinnamon, and honey. I am not going to lie….I loved this one! That is right! I just said I just loved something spicy. Here is why…it was the perfect sweet to spice ratio. In fact I didn’t think it was very hot at all. Call me crazy but I think this would taste amazing on some scones! Everyone LOVED this one. Check it out–two with TWO thumbs up! Next time we get together we are going to give the Fire and Ice Cream recipe a shot!
Lastly, the Naughty Nana. (My mother’s naught face just makes me laugh ) This one is made from spicy pepper, ginger, and honey. I don’t like ginger unless it is gingersnap cookies or lemon ginger cookies, so this one was my least favorite. In fact you can see that it was everyone’s least favorite. My husband and dad liked it but my mother and brother gave it a halfway thumb and my soon-to-be sister-in-law gave it the thumbs down. Perhaps if it was used in a recipe like Slightly Naughty Noodles we would have liked it. We will give it another chance but for now we will stick with Phoebe’s Fireball.All in all, we liked Henry’s Humdingers. We liked the idea of sweet and spicy but feel like these would be best in a recipe. Just be aware that some of the recipes on the site call for a good amount of honey. These jars I received are 6 oz. and some recipes call for a cup/ 8 oz. You may need to buy the 13 oz bottles or more than one jar. Start with the 4 pack, figure out your favorites, and purchase the larger jars in multiples. Then you are sure to always have on hand your favorite flavor.In celebration of National Honey Bee Day on the 16th, pick yourself up some of Henry’s Humdingers! It will surprise you how much you love sweet and spicy!!
