Long story short, I have blackstrap molasses for making gingerbread cookies. I live in Nicaragua and getting that was a big enough challenge. People just don't bake here.
So, how do I use it? I'm thinking of mixing it half and half with honey, or maybe 2/3 molasses and 1/3 honey to balance it out.
Part of the problem is I've never really used molasses before, so I'm not sure what to look for in terms of consistency and flavor...
Hi, you don't indicate what your recipe calls for, but I can appreciate that you would want to extend the lifespan of hard-to-find ingredients.
I looked at a couple of gingerbread recipes, and none seem to call for honey. This link gives a few suggestions for substitutions, which could be useful for you.
Enjoy your cookies!
Carole
It calls for molasses, but there are different types of molasses. When a recipe calls for molasses, it typically means a sweeter, more syrupy version than what I got... Blackstrap is darker, more bitter, and has less moisture content. That's why I'm hoping to mix it with honey to get the right flavor and consistency. I have a full gallon of the blackstrap molasses, so that's not a problem...
https://www.ehow.com/how_5640522_substitute-strap-molasses-light-molasses.html
https://www.chowhound.com/post/blackstrap-molasses-363125
Opinions are all over the lot about that. The two posts above talk about half blackstrap/half honey or light corn syrup (I'm not sure that's very healthy). There are also lots of others who say that blackstrap should never be used as a substitute for the lighter varieties.
I'm sorry, I wish I could've been more helpful!
Enjoy your cookies anyway :-)
Carole
I had a gallon of blackstrap molasses, once. It only took a couple of years to go through it all. ;->
Since it is a flavor that I like, I used it in any recipe that called for molasses. In a few, I found that I needed to increase the sweetener (sugar, honey, etc.) to offset the bitterness of the molasses. For most recipes, though, the food went from having a pleasant molasses flavor to tasting like MOLASSES! Which was all good, in my book. Your tastes may be different.
Here are some blackstrap molasses related links:
https://tastespace.wordpress.com/2014/11/29/how-to-use-blackstrap-molasses/
https://www.goldenbarrel.com/recipe/blackstrap-molasses-cookies/
https://ohmyveggies.com/ingredient-spotlight-blackstrap-molasses/
https://www.yummly.com/recipes/blackstrap-molasses
https://tastessence.com/blackstrap-molasses-recipes
Those should help you with ideas for using your molasses. Enjoy!
Paul
Hello, check out Floyd's recipe for gingerbread in the Favorites Section. Sure to please!
Chris