Sweet Heavenly Molasses, I Love You
Don’t you just love cornbread? I do. Oddly enough though, as a child, I only remember my mother making it when we had chili. Mom would make that big pot of chili on the stove, ladle it into bowls, and scoop out a warm square of her perfectly cooked cornbread, which by the way, she still knows the recipe for off the top of her head.
Leave it to me to switch things up a bit. When I craved a vegan version I kept a few of her ingredients the same. But refined sugar was not what I was going for and I am always looking for ways to up the nutrient content of my food soooo……enter molasses.
Not Your Average Sweetener
Molasses is not just here for the tasteful party. It boasts nutrients such as B vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, and niacin. Choose the blackstrap variety and add magnesium, phosphorus, and selenium to the list. Selenium can aid in infection and cell damage prevention and is known to be favorable in the reproduction and metabolism of thyroid hormones. Be aware that blackstrap molasses has a slight bitterness but still delicious in my opinion.
Since regular sugar does not have those superpowers, I chose to flavor my cornbread with this warmer flavored, more nutritious option. I was so happy with the results! I use 3 Tbs of coconut sugar and 3 Tbs of molasses and it is the perfect duo to lightly sweeten this bread. Still afraid? Well if you like molasses cookies then you will be a-ok with making this sweetner addition. Bonus: Traditionally, I have always added butter, honey, or maple syrup to my cornbread when I eat it. With this recipe I ate it as is and did not miss those add ons! Let me know how you like it!
Molasses Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups plant milk, I used oat milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1¼ cups cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour or sub a 1:1 Gluten Free Flour Mix
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tbs coconut sugar
- 1 flax egg* 1 Tbs ground flax and 3tbs water mixed and settled for 5 min
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 3 Tbs molasses
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °F. Lightly spray an 8x8 square baking pan with olive oil or avocado oil. Set aside.
- To make a vegan buttermilk flavor, mix the plant milk with the apple cider vinegar and let sit for a few minutes.
- Meanwhile in a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar) together. Set aside.
- To the vegan buttermilk mixture, add the flax egg, melted coconut oil and molasses. Whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir or whisk until no sight of flour remains and batter is think but pourable.
- Pour batter into prepared 8x8 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting. Serve with maple syrup or eat as is and enjoy!
