blackstrap molasses

Homemade Organic Gingerbread Syrup

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Homemade Organic Vanilla Sugar
  • 1 cup unchlorinated and unfluoridated water
  • 1 tsp. unsulphured blackstrap molasses
  • 1 tsp. organic ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground allspice
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. organic ground nutmeg
  • 2 tsp. Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Add all of the ingredients into a chef’s saucepan.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil while stirring to mix well.
  3. Allow to boil until the mixture lightly coats a spoon.  (This will take approximately 15-20 minutes.)
  4. If you’re unsure if your syrup has cooked long enough, take it off the heat and allow it to cool.  If it needs to cook longer, boil the liquid again.
  5. Store in a glass jar with tight fitting lid in the refrigerator.
  6. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Graham Crackers

This recipe doesn’t use Graham flour, but the whole wheat flour turned out just fine.  If you’re a purist, use organic Graham flour instead of the whole wheat flour.  This is a slightly adapted version of Alton Brown’s recipe which can be found at Food Network.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup organic non-bleached white flour
  • 1/3 cup organic light brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. Homemade Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. Real Salt
  • 1/8 tsp. organic ground cinnamon
  • 6 Tbsp. organic pasture butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled
  • 1/3 cup organic blackstrap molasses
  • 3 Tbsp. organic grass-fed whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp. Homemade Organic Vanilla Extract

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Place both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  2. Add the butter and mix until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
  3. Add the molasses, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball, approximately 1 minute.
  4. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, cover with a tea towel, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  5. Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit.
  6. Take the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper.
  7. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick.
  8. Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan.
  9. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper.
  10. Cut the dough, using a pizza cutter, into 2-inch square pieces by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough.
  11. Trim off any excess.
  12. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dough.
  13. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken.
  14. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
  15. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers.
  16. Store in an airtight glass container for up to 2 weeks.
  17. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Lemon Glaze

Here’s What You’ll Need:

  • 1 organic lemon, ends cut off and sliced to 1/8″ (a mandolin works well)
  • 1/4 cup organic cane sugar
  • 1 cup unchlorinated and unfluoridated water
  • 1 Tbsp. organic blackstrap molasses
  • Real Salt, just a pinch

Here’s how I do it:

  1. Place the lemon slices into a 1 quart sauce pot and cover with cold water.  Use just enough water to cover the lemons.
  2. Simmer the lemons for 1 minute.
  3. Add the cane sugar, blackstrap molasses and real salt
  4. Simmer the lemons for 2 additional minutes.
  5. Transfer the mixture to a blender, or a half-gallon glass jar and use an immersion blender to puree.
  6. Transfer the mixture into a small frying pan and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
  7. Enjoy!

Homemade Organic Garlic BBQ Sauce

I have adapted the original recipe from Seriouseats.com.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

Here’s How I do it:

  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan.
  2. Slowly bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
  3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer until dark, thick, and richly flavored, 10 to 15 minutes.
  4. Transfer the sauce to a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator. It will keep for several months. (Though it never lasts that long in my household!)