How to Make A Molasses Substitute Recipe - Bigger Bolder Baking (2024)

FAQs

How to make molasses substitute? ›

This is an easy swap: Just mix 3/4 cup granulated sugar with 1/4 cup water and use in place of 1 cup molasses. The sugar will add sweetness and the water will add moisture.

Molasses is type of liquid sugar that primarily contains sucrose and smaller amounts of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose.

Molasses serve several purposes in baked goods such as: Sweetening: contributing to sweetness, although with lower intensity than sucrose. Its sweetness decreases as color darkens. Flavor: providing a broad and complex range of flavors, from caramel to bitter notes.

Blackstrap molasses contains an abundance of iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese. Since the cane sugar is boiled over and over again, the minerals become more concentrated, making molasses a dense, but healthful syrup.

Dark corn syrup is the best substitute for molasses in baking, but you can achieve similar results using honey, maple syrup, and packed brown sugar.

Brown Sugar: Brown sugar is a great substitute for molasses since it is made by adding molasses back into refined white sugar, so it already contains some of the flavors and characteristics of molasses.

The most popular way to make molasses is to use sugarcane. Strip each cane of its leaves with a knife, then crush the cane to produce a thick, light green juice. Next, strain the juice through a cheesecloth and pour it into a boiler pan. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it for 6 hours.

Light Molasses

It is the lightest in color, has the sweetest taste, and is mildest in flavor. This is the most commonly sold molasses and is mostly used in baking. Light molasses helps to make cookies softer and bread crustier, and it can also be used in marinades and sauces.

As the most concentrated form, blackstrap molasses is created during the third boiling. Thicker and darker than other types of molasses, it has a slightly bitter flavor.

After the end of World War I, refined sugar prices dropped drastically resulting in the migration of consumers from molasses to white sugar crystals.

Can you substitute molasses for sugar in baking? ›

When substituting molasses for sugar, use 1 1/3 cups molasses for 1 cup sugar, and reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe by 5 tablespoons. Molasses is also more acidic than sugar; add ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup of molasses used. Replace no more than half the sugar called for in a recipe with molasses.

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is also extremely dark in color, so this batch of cookies turned out to be a deep brown.

When exposed to warm temperatures these elements may react with each other and release carbon dioxide thus increasing internal pressure causing the molasses container to bulge slightly. Despite this reaction, your bottle of molasses is both edible and safe to enjoy.

In addition to containing vitamins and minerals, molasses is very high in sugar. In excess, sugar can be very harmful to a person's health. Excess sugar intake has been linked to some of the world's biggest health problems, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

You can still create a suitable substitute for brown sugar if you have a liquid sweetener like maple syrup, agave nectar, honey, brown rice syrup, or date syrup. Of these, date syrup is your best bet thanks to its caramel-like, almost nutty flavor that's reminiscent of molasses.

Golden Syrup

With its golden, amber color, it is lighter than molasses, though the two are similar in their thickness. Golden syrup also a liquid sweetener, so 1 cup of golden syrup can replace 1 cup of molasses. Golden syrup has a unique flavor, so it may alter the flavor of your recipe slightly.

Yacon syrup can be used just like honey, maple syrup, or molasses in all baking or cooking. It looks and tastes a bit like molasses, with a deep, caramel sweetness that lends itself well to baked goods, sauces, and desserts.

Dark brown sugar is made and used the same way as light brown sugar, but has a higher level of molasses. In fact, it contains nearly double the amount of molasses compared to light brown sugar (approximately 6.5 percent).