Drizzling This One Topping Onto Apple Pie Kicks Every Flavor Up A Notch

Oh, the apple pie. The quintessential fall dessert that we still happily bake all through Christmas. No matter how many we eat in a season, they never get boring. You may feel hesitant about tinkering with this iconic American dessert, but remember that fortune favors the bold — and drizzling hot honey over this traditional pie is bold indeed. Hot honey is regular honey infused with fresh or dried chili peppers to add the heat. You can choose among the many store-bought hot honey brands or make your own at home.

A simple drizzle over a slice of warm pie will instantly elevate the apple flavors and make your dessert all the richer. Sweet and spicy (or "swicy," as it's often called) is a super craveable combination of flavors that just tickles something in our brain — the spice makes the pie feel more flavorfully adventurous, while the sweetness balances out the heat. You can add another contrast by using Granny Smith apples, which are on the acidic side. Instead of eating a sweet-only pie, these contrasting notes gives this dish more dimension.

If you're making the pie for those who don't mind the heat, you can always include the hot honey directly in the filling. Simply add it to the chopped apples while mixing them with the rest of the filling ingredients. You can also save some of the filling for a swicy version of the mini apple pie cookies if you're feeling extra adventurous.

As you introduce the element of heat to apple pie, you can really begin playing around with how spicy you want it to be. Are you looking for a proper kick or is the hot honey just a tad too sharp, requiring you to cut the heat a bit? To elevate the spice, add green chiles to the apple pie filling for a New Mexican spin on the dessert, or go with a pinch of cayenne pepper for sharper notes.

To cut the heat, however, serve the pie with a liberal scoop of vanilla ice cream, or top it with Greek yogurt sweetened with (regular) honey. If you're using the hot honey directly in the filling and are worried it will come out too spicy, layer in a few slices of Brie to balance things out. Also, making hot honey at home gives you more control over the spice to begin with, so keep that in mind.

Your use of hot honey doesn't have to end with apple pie, either. You can actually pair it with all of the classic autumnal pies, such as pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, and even pecan pie. All can benefit from a drizzle of heat or incorporating the hot honey directly into the filling. Once you're done with the pies, we have 19 other hot honey recipes to satisfy all your swicy cravings.