Coffee Ring
Contributed by: News Canada
Molasses is the healthy sweetener
(NC) - Have you ever noticed how many of those delicious autumn baking recipes call for either white sugar or brown sugar? Many of those special cakes and cookies that everyone loves during this festive period of the year call for something to give them that sinfully yummy sweet taste.
Unfortunately, many recipes call for white or brown sugar instead of a healthier alternative - molasses. While it may not be possible to eliminate all granular sugar in baking recipes, molasses can be a wonderful substitute for some of the granular sugar. Today, white sugar is not regarded as a particularly healthy ingredient. Sugar is now widely recognized as something that may contribute to the health problems in young people today.
Brown sugar, unfortunately, is only marginally better. Many people think that brown sugar is a "unrefined" sugar. This is a mistake. Brown sugar actually starts as normal refined white sugar, but then is rolled in molasses to give the sugar crystals some outside colour and flavour. In fact, if you take some between your fingers and rub them together, the colour can rub off.
There is an easy solution in the baker's cupboard. Instead of using sugar in your recipes, substitute molasses . For a number of recipe ideas, visit www.crosbys.com.
Molasses is one of first steps of the sugar refining process. When the juice from crushed sugar cane is boiled to produce crystallized sugar Fancy Molasses is what's left at the bottom of the vat. The sweet pure cane juice that is extracted from the crushed stalks of sugar cane has 100% of all its natural nutrients. The Fancy Molasses that we buy in Canada is a 100% natural product. It has not been subjected to any of the chemicals in the refining process, as is the case with normal sugar.
Molasses can be substituted as follows:
One cup of molasses equals 3/4 cup of sugar. In baking, decrease the liquid by 1/4 cup for each cup of molasses. Omit any Baking Powder and add 1/2 teaspoon of Baking Soda.
Molasses is truly one of those comfort foods that will always be in every homemaker's cupboard.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup Fancy Molasses
- 1 cup cold, strong coffee
- 3 eggs, well-beaten
- 3 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. each, cinnamon, mace, salt
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup currants
Directions:
Mix in order given. Bake in coffee ring pan at 375 F for 45-50 minutes. Cover with coffee-flavoured icing.
