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

FAQs

How to make molasses substitute? ›

First, the sugar cane is crushed and the juice is extracted. The juice is then boiled to form sugar crystals and removed from the liquid. The thick, brown syrup left after removing the sugar from the juice is molasses. This process is repeated several times to produce a different type of molasses each time.

Golden syrup, also known as "light treacle," is made from the evaporation of sugarcane, which creates a light, golden syrup very reminiscent of honey. Lyle's is a popular brand of golden syrup. Try using 1 cup golden syrup for every 1 cup molasses in a recipe.

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.

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.

If you don't have molasses on hand, you can easily swap it out for maple syrup with almost no change to your recipe's final product. Combine 1 cup (200 g) of granulated white sugar with 1 tbsp. (15 mL) of pure maple syrup to make a brown sugar substitute that can fool even the most sophisticated palette.

It is a byproduct of the sugar-making process, and it comes from crushed sugar cane or sugar beets. First, manufacturers crush sugar cane or sugar beets to extract the juice. They then boil down the juice to form sugar crystals. Molasses is the thick, brown syrup left over after they remove the crystals from the juice.

Below is a guide to the three most common types of molasses: light, dark, and blackstrap.

Light Molasses

How to use it: This is the most commonly sold molasses, mostly used in baking. Light molasses helps to make cookies softer and bread crustier, and it can also be used in marinades and sauces.

When making the swap, for every cup of sugar, use about 2/3-3/4 of a cup of date syrup in a recipe. For liquid sweeteners such as honey, molasses or maple syrup, it's a one-to-one date syrup substitution. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of molasses, use 1 cup of date syrup!

Is molasses thicker than corn syrup? ›

Molasses is type of liquid sugar that primarily contains sucrose and smaller amounts of the monosaccharides fructose and glucose. Molasses is not as sweet as table sugar and is typically more viscous (thicker and stickier) than other liquid sweeteners like agave syrup, honey and high fructose corn syrup.

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.

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.

When making the swap, for every cup of sugar, use about 2/3-3/4 of a cup of date syrup in a recipe. For liquid sweeteners such as honey, molasses or maple syrup, it's a one-to-one date syrup substitution. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of molasses, use 1 cup of date syrup!

Sugar beets, or brown sugar, or even sugar cane, in addition to water and lemon juice will make the best homemade molasses full of great flavors and amazing texture.