Molasses is a by-product of sugar processing. It come from sugar cane or sugar beets when the sugar is refined. During sugar processing the juice that is squeezed from these plants is boiled to a syrupy mixture from which sugar crystals are extracted. The brown or black liquid that remains is called molasses. There are different types of molasses and these include light, dark and blackstrapped. You can use molasses in a lot of ways including in baking. There may be instances when you run out of molasses but there are many other alternatives you can consider for your baked products. Below are some of the best alternatives for molasses in cookies.
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Honey
One of the best substitutes for molasses in cookies is honey. Generally speaking, honey can be very sweet, floral in flavour, and golden in colour. That said, there are different types of honey, so you can customize your pick to get one that is closer to molasses. Consider a deeper-coloured, deeper-flavoured variety such as buckwheat honey for a great match. Replace molasses with your honey at a 1 to 1 substitute, or you can use slightly less honey to compensate for its greater sweetness and thinner consistency relative to molasses. You can also use honey in place of molasses in a lot of other baked products apart from cookies.
Sorghum
Another great substitute for molasses in cookies is sorghum. It is not surprise that sorghum is sometimes known as sorghum molasses, which tells you how similar these syrups are. Sorghum can come by way of the cereal grain known as sorghum, and it has a sweet-sour flavour too. Just like honey, sorghum is slightly thinner than molasses, but it can make a great substitute if you can find it. To replace molasses with sorghum you should simply use a 1 to 1 ratio for most of the recipes.
Maple Syrup
Also a great substitute for molasses is maple syrup. Maple syrup has a malty-caramelly flavour that is similar to that of honey, plus it also comes in various shades. When substituting molasses with maple syrup use the darkest maple syrup you can find. Maple syrup is a lot thinner than molasses (about 34% water content in the molasses, versus about 20% in the latter). This makes it a bit difficult to substitute in baked goods. However, If you are going to use maple syrup in place of molasses in a cake or cookies you can use a one to one ratio. If you are worried about the batter becoming too thin, you can reduce the liquid by a small percentage.
Dark Corn Syrup
Also on our list of the best substitutes for molasses in cookies is dark corn syrup. Just like molasses, dark corn syrup is a liquid sweetener with a sultry colour. It only differs from molasses because it has a less complex flavour and a more neutral sweetness. To use it in place of molasses you can use a one to one ratio or opt for half–dark corn syrup, and add something more flavourful, such as honey or brown sugar to your recipe. Dark corn syrup works really well with other baked products such as cakes, muffins, and cupcakes in addition to cookies.
Golden Syrup
The fifth alternative for molasses in cookies is golden syrup. Golden syrup, which also goes by light treacle, is very popular and well loved in England. It is made by evaporating sugarcane juice until it becomes thick like corn syrup, yielding a golden colour and toasty flavour. One of the most common brands of golden syrup is Lyle’s. To use golden syrup in place of molasses use a 1 to 1 ratio. Keep in mind that you may get a subtle colour and flavour when using golden syrup as an alternative in your baked goods. Otherwise, golden syrup can make a great substitute for a lot of baked goods including cookies.
Brown Sugar
Brown sugar can be a great substitute for molasses in cookies and various other baked goods. In fact, brown sugar is sugar that contains molasses. Often, this means that sugar is processed to the point of being granulated, then the separated molasses is added back to it to yield light or brown sugar. One advantage of using brown sugar is that it has a lot of the same flavours as molasses because, it contains molasses. The only drawback, which can be an advantage to some is that it is dry and a bit sweeter than molasses. Thus, using brown sugar in place of molasses would be ideal if you are using a recipe for sweet baked goods. To use brown sugar in place of molasses you can first estimate a 1:1 substitute then adjust the sugar if needed especially for savoury recipes. If you are working with a baking recipe, you can replace a cup of molasses with three quarters a cup of brown sugar. You might also want to add 1 to 4 tablespoons of water if the result seems off especially for cookie dough that is crumbly where it should hold together, or a cake batter that is a little too stiff.
Create Your Own Substitute
You can consider creating your own molasses for cookies as well as other baked recipes. Keep in mind that substitutes are a guessing game most of the time, so you might as well enjoy it. You can add other ingredients instead of using one ingredient in place of molasses. Also consider mixing and matching in order to get what you’re looking for. For example, in place of one cup of molasses, you can use half a cup of honey, half a cup of brown sugar, or a liquid sweetener for flavour, half a cup of dark corn syrup plus half a cup of maple syrup and mix. You should consider using liquid sweeteners that are thick and balanced with a thin and nice flavour. If you do not have the time or energy to create your own substitute you can just use any one of the alternatives mentioned already.