Strawberries Taste 10X Sweeter When Drizzled With This Pantry Staple

It's difficult to improve upon a perfectly ripe, plump strawberry, but that won't stop those of us with a sweet tooth from trying. There are countless desserts oriented around the unmistakable flavor and texture of these succulent little beauties, from the classic pairing of strawberries and cream to more elaborate dishes like our recipe for strawberry cheesecake croissants. Yet an underrated option for giving this fruit 10 times the sweetness is a staple that's probably hiding in your pantry — strawberries, meet honey.

First things first: Why honey over any other kind of sweetness delivery system? Along with cream, strawberries are often served with sugar, too. What makes honey superior? Strawberries carry an element of acidity, coupled with a mild natural sweetness, which can be complemented by honey's smooth richness without being overwhelmed by it. Also, don't get us wrong; sugar is great, but you kind of know what to expect. Honey, by contrast, enjoys tremendous variety (check out these 26 types of honey, explained), which gives you far more range with which to find the perfect one to pair with your strawberries. A wildflower honey, for example, would introduce some noticeable floral notes, while a macadamia honey would bring — you guessed it — a welcome nutty flavor. Once you've selected your honey of choice, the only other thing you really need is a bowl of strawberries (though, in anticipation of some inevitable stickiness, a finger bowl might not be the worst idea in the world).

This combination already has its fans, some of whom bring their own intriguing quirks to the table. Responding to a post on Reddit declaring sliced strawberries dipped in honey to be a favorite snack, one user commented: "[N]ow put salt on it too." While there's nothing wrong with a simple option, there are many more ways of enjoying the mingling of strawberry and honey, suitable for almost any palate.

There are fairly obvious possibilities, like using honey and strawberries as garnish for ice cream or utilizing them as the flavorful ingredients for a popsicle, or you could consider enhancing the strawberries' flavor by roasting them with honey, and perhaps adding to the complexity of their taste with vanilla and lemon, or even balsamic vinegar. The cocktail fans among you might enjoy a strawberry honey mojito, which adds strawberries and a honey simple syrup to the mojito's usual ingredients, while those who prefer to make their own spreads for bread could whip up a batch of strawberry honey butter. We at Tasting Table would be remiss if we did not offer a recipe of our own, so why not try your hand at strawberry cornmeal muffins, which we recommend delectably drizzled with honey?