Bored By Milk? Transform It Into This Old-School Version For A Sweet Treat

Whether you're a dairy drinker or prefer a plant-based milk, you can transform a glass into a rich dessert with the help of molasses. A byproduct of sugar production, molasses is a rich dark syrup that was a cheap and popular sweetener in colonial America. In poorer households, while adults would add molasses to cups of morning coffee, children enjoyed a teaspoon or two of molasses stirred into a warm glass of milk for a sweet and filling treat.

Refined sugar may be the dominant type of sugar these days, but molasses deserves a place in the modern pantry. It has a complex sweetness, heavy viscosity, and nutritional benefits like high iron, calcium and potassium contents, that sweeten, thicken, and enrich milk all at once. The bold, licorice, and slightly bitter profile of molasses will turn milk a deep amber hue and bring a sophisticated sweetness to a glass of milk, whether it's a nutty coconut milk, an ultra creamy oat milk or a buttery dairy-rich glass of whole milk. Plus, there are three types of molasses to choose from — light, dark, and blackstrap — each with a unique taste, color, and nutrient profile.

The amount of molasses you use in a warm glass of milk depends on how sweet a treat you want. Most recipes recommend adding one tablespoon to a cup of milk. The easiest way to make molasses milk is by heating the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until the molasses dissolves.

Molasses milk can be a simple, two-ingredient recipe, but you can always get more creative with additional spices and syrups. Ground cinnamon, allspice, anise, and cloves are all great ways to spice up molasses milk. Vanilla extract, almond extract, and rum extracts will also bring even more richness and depth. If you're using bitter blackstrap molasses, you might even want to add a tablespoon of honey. Since molasses was also historically enjoyed in coffee, you can make a latte version of molasses milk by spiking it with an espresso shot. Warm molasses milk is the classic elaboration, but iced molasses milk is easy to prepare by simply pouring the classic recipe over ice.

A little goes a long way with this sweetener, so you're probably wondering about other ways to use up a bottle of molasses. The most well-known use for molasses is gingerbread. The bittersweet depth of molasses stands up well to the spicy notes of ginger and other baking spices. A ginger snap cookie recipe is another good use for the thick dark liquid, or add molasses to spice cakes or oatmeal raisin cookies. Molasses is also a great sugar substitute to add to buttercream frosting. With its many vitamins and minerals, molasses can be part of a nutritious breakfast; add it to your next bowl of oatmeal or a smoothie. Savory dishes will also benefit from molasses. A spicy and tangy barbecue sauce would work well with a hint of bitter sweetness. Or add a dash or two of molasses to a pot of baked beans.