Published January 1, 2006. From Cook's Illustrated.
With molasses, it's simply a matter of taste.
Molasses is a byproduct of the sugar-refining process, the liquid that remains after cane juice has been boiled and the sugar crystallized. There are three different types of molasses, each produced from successive boilings of the cane sugar. As more sugar is drawn from the juice, the resulting molasses gets stronger, darker, and more bitter. Light, or mild, molasses comes from the first boiling, dark from the second, and blackstrap from the third. There's no question that each type of molasses has a very distinctive flavor; the question is, which molasses is best?
To find out, we scoured the aisles of our local supermarkets and found that there isn't exactly a plethora of options out there. The most common brand offers "mild" and "robust" versions. Well-stocked supermarkets may carry a second brand, which is also available in two strengths: "mild" and "full." Natural food markets and health food stores often carry a brand of blackstrap molasses.
We tasted all three brands plain and in our Soft and Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies, only to find that personal preferences carried the day. Fans of the milder flavored molasses liked its warm brown color, "potent, but not off-putting" flavor, and slight "bitter finish," while the robust version won kudos for being "sweet and strong of spirit," with a deep, almost chocolate hue. A minority of tasters liked the strong flavor of the blackstrap molasses, but most found it too overpowering. The bottom line: Choose light or dark (or even blackstrap) molasses based upon your own preference for a mellow or intense (or really intense) molasses flavor.
