Two delicious and healthy blackstrap molasses recipes

Friday, May 17, 2013 by: Michael Ravensthorpe
Tags: health news, Natural News, nutrition

(NaturalNews) Blackstrap molasses has always been a great choice for home baking. Aside from having a delicious and sweet taste, blackstrap is also an effective, and inexpensive, health supplement. Rich in calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and other trace minerals, as well as a great way to ease sugar cravings without resorting to refined sugar, blackstrap is, in many ways, a superfood. So, it is understandable that many people wish to incorporate it into their cooking.

Below are two recipes that use blackstrap molasses as a central ingredient. There are other molasses-based recipes out there as well, but these two are arguably the best ones.

Blackstrap molasses cookies

If you're new to cooking with blackstrap, then you can't go wrong with cookies. Aside from being easy to make, which makes them ideal for people new to molasses, the natural sweetness of the molasses ensures that this dessert is especially tasty and perfect for treating guests.

This recipe makes twenty-four three-inch cookies. It requires the following ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of organic, extra virgin olive oil
• 1 stick of melted butter (or, better yet, coconut oil)
• 1 cup of sugar (or ideally a healthy sugar substitute like xylitol)
• 0.5 cup of organic and unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 1 organic, free range egg
• 0.5 cup of milk (raw milk is best)
• 2.5 cups of whole wheat flour
• 0.5 teaspoons of ground cloves, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon
• 0.5 teaspoon of salt (ideally Himalayan salt or unrefined sea salt)
• 1.75 teaspoons of baking soda

With these ingredients ready, you can make the cookies by following these instructions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Apply the olive oil to 2 cookie sheets and set them aside. Combine the blackstrap, milk, egg, sugar, and butter together, and beat the mixture until it is well-mixed.

2.) Sift the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, flour, and salt together. Add this mixture to the blackstrap mixture half a cup at a time, always mixing thoroughly after each subsequent addition.

3.) Use a tablespoon to drop the mixture into the cookies sheets, and bake them for ten minutes. Once the cookies are ready, they should be set aside to cool.

Blackstrap molasses bread

This recipe makes one 8 x 4 inch loaf. It requires the following ingredients:

• 0.5 x cup of organic and unsulfured blackstrap molasses
• 1 x teaspoon of salt
• 1 x teaspoon of baking soda
• 0.5 x cup of organic cornmeal
•1.75 x cups of yogurt or buttermilk
•2.5 x cups of whole wheat flour

With these ingredients ready, you can make the bread by following these instructions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 x 4 inch bread loaf pan.

2.) Combine the baking soda, cornmeal, salt, and flour into one bowl and mix them well.

3.) Combine the blackstrap molasses and yogurt (or buttermilk) into one bowl and mix them well.

4.) Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until a thick batter is produced. Then, using a tablespoon, drop the batter into the bread loaf pan and place it in the oven. Bake the loaf for between 45 minutes to 1 hour, and then allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes.

5.) The loaf will keep for four days if well-wrapped and stored at room temperature. You can serve it with jam, salted butter, or whatever you prefer.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118&tname=foodspice

https://www.naturalnews.com/026296_molasses_health_sugar.html

http://www.nytimes.com

About the author:
Michael Ravensthorpe is an independent writer whose research interests include nutrition, alternative medicine, and bushcraft. He is the creator of the website, Spiritfoods, through which he promotes the world's healthiest foods.