Infused Honey
Get the health benefits of raw, local honey with these tasty infusions. It's easy to make. We'll show you you how.
Warmer temperatures and the first blooms of spring means honey bee season. And as nature’s most industrious workers busy themselves pollinating our trees and veggies, they turn that work into summer and autumn crops of honey.
Honey is delicious. And raw, local honey may even have health benefits ranging from allergy relief to cough suppression and wound treatment. As far as sweeteners go, a dab of honey adds a natural sweetness to your money toast and tea.
Flavored honey for your toast and tea
The hardest part about infusing honey is deciding what flavors to choose. Let us get you started with three honey infusions for your morning cup or afternoon treat.
Supplies
A quart-sized or smaller mason jar with a tight-fitting lid
A fine sieve
Your choice of flavor infusions (try our suggestions below or get creative). It’s best to choose dried herbs and spices that are large enough to strain out
Instructions
Fill your mason jar ¼ to ½ full with the herbs and spices of your choice (the more spices, the more flavor). Choose dried herbs to avoid a sad, moldy honey. And larger pieces are easier to strain out.
Fill the jar with raw, local honey, covering the infusion and allowing the honey to seep to the bottom. Screw on the lid and place the jar in a nice, sunny window sill.
Once or twice a day, give the jar a shake. Turn it upside down. If the lid is keeping everything put, you might even leave the jar upside down and the flip it back for the next shake.
Let the mixture work its magic for a couple of days—a week is even better.
Open it up and strain the honey into a fresh jar, composting the left over infusion.
Store your infused honey in the fridge.
Cinnamon Vanilla
Vanilla bean (scrape out the seeds and add seeds and pod to the jar)
3-5 cinnamon sticks
Dried Citrus
The peel of one orange or lemon
Dry the peel completely and place in a 200 degree oven for about 30 minutes to finish drying
Cardamom Ginger
5-10 cardamom pods
Dried ginger to taste
A Cup of Self Care
Self care doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming. Turn your daily cup of tea or coffee into a cup of self care by adding good for you ingredients. We’ve done the research for you.
This Valentine’s Day, show a little extra love to that special someone who’s always there for you… yourself!
Sure, you could go for the usual slate of chocolates, wine, and roses. If that makes you happy, we are all about it! But you don’t have to head to the spa to indulge in well-earned self care. Self care can happen in quiet, early-morning moments, in a short bedtime ritual, or in a 15-minute mid-afternoon coffee date with yourself.
In fact, with a few special ingredients, you can turn your daily cup of tea or coffee into a cup of self care.
We have even gone the extra mile for you and checked out the health claims of some of the most popular add-ins. We struck gold with a helpful infographic from Information is Beautiful, which compiles scientific studies testing the health benefits of supplements and superfoods. According to their data analysts, the add-ins below have science-backed promise – one of our favorite kinds of promise!
A bonus? Coffee itself makes the “worth it” list. Strong evidence shows it reduces risk of cardiovascular disease. So your treat your heart to a cup, and boost benefits with these proven add-ins.
Peppermint Oil
Peppermint oil can sooth stomachs, especially for those who suffer from IBS, due to its muscle relaxing properties. Add a couple of drops to your coffee or tea for a minty treat.
Ginger
Ginger has a long history as a digestive aid, and science is coming around to the idea, placing ginger above the “worth it” line for treating nausea. You can steep ginger root right in your tea cup. Or try fresh ginger powder in your coffee if you’re a gingerbread fan.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil shows promise in reducing waist size and fighting obesity. Start with a couple of teaspoons and work your way up to a tablespoon.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha can relieve stress and anxiety, according to 5 separate scientific trials. It also earned a nod for possible arthritis relief. Add a scoop of powder with a little coconut oil, or check out any of the “adaptogen” coffees on the market.
And honorable mention for our favorite self-care standby
Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate may have inconclusive health benefits according to the lab coats, but it’s place in our coffee is very, very conclusive. We’ll take a scientific maybe as a good enough reason to keep dark chocolate on our own personal “worth it” list!
Customizable Cold Brew Cookies
The liquid magic of cold brew coffee means you can easily and deliciously add it to every cookie recipe on the planet. Bake a batch of pure joy. You are welcome.
In December, sugar and coffee are a way of life. From school and work parties to family gatherings, we find ourselves in the kitchen at all hours, brewing a fresh cup and pouring over recipes deciding what to make for that next cookie exchange or teacher gift. We even made a big batch of cold brew just to have extra caffeine on call for the later than usual nights of the holiday season.
And maybe it was the late hour or the second (third?) cup, but the inevitable finally happened. We realized that cold brew is delicious with virtually every cookie in the world. It was just one delirious leap away from adding the cold brew right to the recipe.
Just think of the possibilities: peanut butter cold brew cookies, coffee-flavored chocolate chunk, oatmeal cold brew raisin! You understand now, right? The liquid magic of cold brew means you can easily and deliciously add it to every cookie recipe on the planet. You are welcome.
Below we have given you the gift of the most flexible cookie template for all your cookie and cold brew combo dreams. Customize away and happy holidays y’all!
Custom Cold Brew Cookies
Ingredients & Supplies
1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (or chocolate or mint or almond) extract
1 egg
3 tablespoons cold brew coffee (check out our cold brew kit brew instructions)
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
Customize It!
Sure, you could just enjoy the sugary, coffee-flavored yum of the basic recipe. But wouldn’t something crunchy or melty really put these over the top? And if you add raisins, they’re practically health food.
A few ideas to get you started (choose one, choose all):
3/4 cup butterscotch pieces, peanut butter chips, or chocolate chunks
1/2 cup of salted peanuts, slivered almonds, or chopped cashews
1/2 cup of raisins or other dried fruit
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Cream butter and sugars together
Add the egg, extract of choice, and cold brew and mix it all up
Mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a separate bowl
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time, mixing thoroughly between each round
Stir in your chosen bits and pieces
Drop about a tablespoon at a time on a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes
Try not to burn your mouth when you have great difficulty waiting to eat these.
Dreamy Tea Steamers
Tea steamers add some creamy and flavorful variety to our mugs. We love the classic London Fog and Chai Tea Latte. And when it’s time to wind down (we’ve had too much caffeine), a Chamomile Steamer is just our coworkers ordered.
As the weather turns cold, we want a warm beverage in our hands all day. Tea steamers add some creamy and flavorful variety to our mugs. Of course, we love the classic London Fog and Chai Tea Latte. And when it’s time to wind down (read: we’ve had too much caffeine), a Chamomile Steamer is just what the doctor (read: our coworkers) ordered.
Enjoy!
Dreamy Tea Steamers
Ingredients & Supplies (Makes 2)
1 tbsp loose tea of your choice (Earl Grey for a London Fog, Chai for a Chai Latte, Chamomile for a decaf - anything you like!)
CoffeeSock Tea Sock
1 cup of filtered water
1 cup of your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk
Honey, sugar, or our spiced vanilla bean sugar to taste
Optional: try adding a little vanilla extract or one of our CoffeeSock spice packs
Instructions (Makes 2)
Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and place the loose tea in your CoffeeSock tea sock (yes, you can substitute tea bags. To get a nice strong brew, you may want 3 bags).
Pour the boiling water over the tea to steep and add the honey or sugar and milk to the warm pot. Heat slowly to a simmer. Don’t go to fast or too hot to avoid scorching the milk!
Add vanilla or experiment with spices.
Once your tea has steeped for about 5 minutes, divide into two mugs and top with the warm, sweet milk.
Sip away!
Aztec Mocha
Our Aztec Mocha recipe blends the ancient flavor of chilis with cinnamon- and vanilla-tinged Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar for a rich and spicy treat.
Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with the Flavors of Ancient Central America
The Aztecs mixed cocoa and chilis together more than 5000 years ago in the heart of their empire in present-day Mexico City. Our Aztec Mocha recipe blends the ancient flavor of chilis with our new cinnamon- and vanilla-tinged Black Onyx Chocolate Sugar for a rich and spicy treat.
Lovely photo on Yummly
Ingredients
Makes two
12 ounces of brewed coffee
1 tbsp of black onyx chocolate sugar
Cayenne pepper to taste (this is where it gets fun - but start with a pinch and add more as you like. We use about 1/4 tsp for two cups.)
Cream or nut milk (Cashew or oat milk adds the creaminess you want in a mocha if you’re dairy free)
Put it Together
Simply mix your ingredients together while the coffee is hot! Double the recipe and make a batch for friends, or dissolve the sugar and spice in a smidge of hot coffee and add to your cold brew for a chilled treat.
Experiment and enjoy!
DIY Nut Milk
You can make your own nut milk using almonds, cashews, pecans or macadamia. Or use this technique with oats, flax or seeds. Skip the cartons and DIY using a nut milk bag.
Ingredients for a 64 ounce serving (adjust as necessary)
2 cup of raw nuts (soaked or blanched)
64 oz. of Cold Filtered Water
1 whole vanilla bean or 1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of Nutmeg or Cinnamon (optional)
1/4 tsp of Sea Salt
(Optional Sweetner)
4-8 Medjool Dates, Honey, Maple Syrup to taste
How many nuts can you milk? Almond nut, Macadamia nut, Cashew nut, Walnut nut, Pecan nut, Peanut (not a nut) ~ but don't stop with that, Soy Beans, Rice, Oats, Spelt, Barley, Coconut (also, not a nut, it's a seed), Sesame seed, Hemp seed, Quinua seed.
Soak the nuts in your sock for at least 4 hours, up to overnight. Drain.
Transfer the drained nuts to your blender, and add the water and sweeteners, if you’re using them. Puree until it’s as smooth as possible.
Line your reusable coffee filter into a wide-mouth container and slowly pour in your nut puree. You might have to do this in stages. Pour until your liquids have all passed through your filter. Voila, you have milk!
Compost the pulp or add it to your granola! You can store your milk in the fridge for 3-4 days
Spiced Cold Brew Coffee
Use a chai spice blend or Madagascar vanilla sugar to brew up some next level cold brew coffee. This recipe lets you get creative.
Ingredients for a 64 ounce serving (adjust as necessary)
64 ounce of Cold Filtered Water
6 ounces of course ground coffee
1 teaspoon of spice
Ice cubes, for serving
(Optional Sweetners)
Honey, Agave Nectar, Simple Syrup to Taste
Chai Spiced Powder Blend
Gluten-Free, Salt-Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, MSG-Free, Dairy-Free, Garlic-Free, Onion-Free, Sweetener-Free, Nut-Free, Capsicum-Free
(aka “Dirty Chai”)
This spice blend is a combination of Saigon and Indonesian cinnamons, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, star anise, allspice and bay leaves all ground together to give you the ultimate Dirty Chai.
Spiced Vanilla Bean Sugar
Madagascar vanilla beans were chopped up and blended with pure vanilla extract and white granulated sugar. The alcohol was evaporated off while allowing the vanilla to infuse the sugar. Then, the vanilla beans were ground into granules and mixed together with cinnamon, allspice, mace, and cardamom.
Hibiscus Mint Tea
Have a bounty of fresh mint? Itching to try out hibiscus flowers. Try this refreshing and medicinal iced tea blend.
Cold Brew a Refreshing Tea
Hibiscus Tea, also known as Jamaica, is an herbal tea made from the Hibiscus Flower. It has a tart cranberry flavor. Hibiscus Tea contains vitamin C and minerals that have been used in traditional medicines.