Comforting Foods to Sweeten the Dark Days

The first few weeks of the new year can be rough. Maybe like me, you’re still starry-eyed from the light-hearted memories of a cozy holiday season with your loved ones and a cheerful New Year's Eve. After so many days of relaxation, January arrives, and with it, the start of a new, promising year.

The beginning of the new year not only brings exciting new opportunities, but also means returning to your everyday life, which admittedly can take some time to readjust to. Maybe you even had ambitious New Year’s resolutions, which you’ve already said goodbye to—I don’t blame you. I feel the same way. And alongside me are a couple of friends and colleagues, all with the same sentiments

This led me to a question I couldn’t get out of my head: Why do we feel such a huge urge for self-optimization, especially during January and February? The cold temperatures are not supportive at all and the first rays of spring sunshine seem so far away. So why don't we just slow down again, and enjoy the final months of winter instead?

With this thought in mind, we developed 5 delicious recipes to nourish your soul through the rest of the season. They all share one ingredient that is the perfect companion to beating the winter blues: honey.

I’m not sure about you, but for me, honey has this certain feel-good character, a kind of sweet balm for your soul. By combining different types of honey with other wintery ingredients and aromas, we hope these recipes will comfort you through the final months of winter. So what are you waiting for? Make yourself comfortable and discover your favorite new winter recipes here!

A new take on a comfort food classic: Carrot gnocchi with hot honey

Imagine you have been out and about for hours in the cold and all you want now is to scurry back into the warmth. When you get home, a plate of warm homemade gnocchi is waiting for you—could there be anything better?

We decided to upgrade this all-time favorite comfort food by makinggnocchi with carrots and ricotta. The flavors of oven-roasted carrots go perfectly with fresh mint and the wonderfully sweet and spicy aroma of honey. The radiant color of the carrot gnocchi gets a golden sheen, all thanks to the spicy honey sauce that will brighten up any gray day—a great dish for a cozy weekend at home!

1:30 h

3.8k

Carrot-ricotta gnocchi with mint pesto and hot honey

Go to recipe

Oven-fresh and delightful: Sweet rolls with honey and nuts

These sweet rolls will spread an irresistible scent through your kitchen in no time! The filling is made with cinnamon, honey, and walnuts, which then gets rolled into plushy buns and baked to perfection—an amazing treat that makes you forget all about the cold, stormy days!

These are perfect for a cozy afternoon at home or a relaxing weekend brunch with friends and family.

3:30 h

vegetarian

6.6k

Honey-walnut sweet rolls

Go to recipe

A sweet, wintery highlight: Shrimp with hot honey sauce

This one is my personal highlight! The sweetness of the honey meshes wonderfully with the salty soy sauce and the spiciness of chilli oil, chilli sauce, and chilli flakes—a divine sauce with intense flavors that pairs perfectly with the shrimp.

We decided to serve the spicy shrimp with a creamy celery root purée.It’s a great choice for winter months, because the aromatic root is not only in season, but also offers a lot of health benefits.

50 min

3.1k

Shrimp with hot honey sauce and celery root purée

Go to recipe

A bowl full of comfort: Warming porridge with caramelized pears

Do you know that feeling when you just can’t get yourself out of bed on cold, dark days? Well, this dish is for you!

This warm bowl of porridge is just the right way to start the day. Sharp ginger kicks things up a notch, while pears and wildflower honey provide the perfect sweetness. Incidentally, this isn’t only suitable as a breakfast recipe, but also as a small snack when the afternoon slump has caught up with you.

20 min

vegetarian

2.4k

Oatmeal with honey and caramelized pears

Go to recipe

Sweet treat for cold winter days: Brioche bread pudding with honeyed apples

Now is the time to treat yourself and what better way to do that than with a sweet bread pudding.

For our take on the globally loved dessert, we use sweet brioche bread and slightly sour apples to highlight the subtle sweetness of the acacia honey. Serve your bread pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an extra dollop of honey, and we guarantee winter will be unable to harm you!

58 min

4.3k

Honeyed apple and brioche bread pudding

Go to recipe

How do you spend the first few weeks of the year? Are you full of energy or do you prefer to make yourself comfortable at home? Which comfort foods can you always rely on? Tell us in the comments or upload your own recipe!