Kid-Friendly "Coffee" Delight
Kid-Friendly "Coffee" Delight
This sweet and creamy drink combines the rich sweetness of molasses with milk. It captures the essence of a cup of coffee, but it's tailored just for kids. Delicious served hot or cold!
Happy & Healthy Cooking,
Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills
- measure :
to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).
- simmer :
to cook a food gently, usually in a liquid, until softened.
- stir :
to mix together two or more ingredients with a spoon or spatula, usually in a circle pattern, or figure eight, or in whatever direction you like!
Equipment Checklist
- Medium saucepan
- Liquid measuring cup
- Wooden spoon
- Pitcher
Ingredients
Kid-Friendly "Coffee" Delight
- 2/3 C molasses
- 3 C water
- 1 C milk, optional **(for DAIRY ALLERGY sub dairy-free/nut-free milk)**
Food Allergen Substitutions
Kid-Friendly "Coffee" Delight
- Dairy: Substitute dairy-free/nut-free milk.
Instructions
Kid-Friendly "Coffee" Delight
intro
Molasses is a sweetener known for its health benefits compared to sugar and other sweeteners. Blackstrap molasses is even more nutrient-dense due to the third boiling it goes through, concentrating it. Molasses has high levels of iron, manganese, and magnesium and is a good source of calcium, potassium, and vitamin B6. Kids will enjoy drinking this "grown-up" breakfast beverage.
measure + stir + simmer
Measure, stir, and simmer 2/3 cup molasses and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Also, you can add 1 cup of milk if you would like an even more creamy "coffee."
pour + cool
Once simmered, pour the kid-friendly "coffee" into a pitcher to cool slightly before pouring into cups.
Hi! I'm Molasses!
"I'm a thick, sweet dark syrup that can be added to gingerbread and other cakes, wheat or rye breads, barbecue sauce, and milk! You may have heard the saying, "slow as molasses." That's because I'm quite thick, compared to other syrups, especially when I'm cold!"
History & Etymology
- Molasses is a by-product of sugar production. It may have first been made in India from sugarcane as early as 500 BCE. It eventually came to Colonial America from the Caribbean to make rum.
- Molasses was popular as a sweetener until after World War I, when refined white or brown sugar became more economical.
- The Great Molasses Flood, also called the Boston Molasses Disaster, happened on January 15, 1919, in a Boston neighborhood in Massachusetts. A large storage tank, holding 13,000 tons of molasses, burst and sent a wave of molasses, 25 feet at its peak, through the streets at an estimated 35 mph. The flood killed 21 people and injured 150. Many horses and other animals also died. The city used salt water from fire boats and sand to clean up the sticky mess, which took weeks.
- The word "molasses" comes from the mid-16th century Portuguese "melaço," from the Latin "mel" (honey).
How It is Made
- Sugar cane is harvested, and machines are used to press the juice out of the cane. The sugar cane roots go very deeply into the soil, commonly 15 feet down and ranging from 6.5 to 19 feet—deep enough to bypass nutrient-depleted topsoils that have become the norm and take in more nutrients. That juice is boiled and then put through centrifugal machinery to extract the sugar crystals from the liquid. There are two types of molasses: sulfured and unsulfured. The three grades of molasses are light, dark, and blackstrap.
- Sulfur dioxide is used to process unripe green sugar cane. Sun-ripened sugar cane is processed without sulfur dioxide, making unsulfured molasses a better choice. Most stores sell only unsulfured molasses. Regular molasses is the first or second boiling of cane sugar syrup, while blackstrap is the third boiling of the syrup. The third boiling produces a thick dark substance known as blackstrap molasses, which is the most nutrient-dense but also the most bitter.
- Molasses is a sweetener that is actually good for you. Unlike refined white sugar and corn syrup, which are stripped of virtually all nutrients except simple carbohydrates, molasses is a healthful sweetener that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your health.
Nutrition
- In addition to being a simple carbohydrate, which can be quickly converted to energy, molasses also contains high levels of iron, manganese, and magnesium, translating into an energy boost for those with low iron levels.
- Molasses also has a good amount of calcium and potassium, and it is a rich source of vitamin B6, which is essential for the nervous system and immune system health. Blackstrap molasses is even more nutrient dense due to the third boiling it goes through, concentrating it.
- Molasses is also lower on the glycemic index than other sweeteners, so it takes longer to increase blood sugar levels.
History of Coffee!
- A few legends, guesses, and evidence surround coffee's history. Evidence points to coffee trees and coffee drinking in Yemen in the 15th century, where coffee beans were roasted and brewed similarly to current methods. It is debated how and from where the coffee trees found their way to Yemen, but they may have been traded from Ethiopia across the Red Sea.
- The main coffee-growing regions of the world are in Central and South America, Africa and the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, along the equatorial area known as the "Bean Belt."
- After harvesting the coffee beans from the trees, the beans are roasted and ground, then steeped in hot water. Coffee may be served hot or iced. Preferences vary as to whether sweetener, cream, or milk is added to alleviate some of the bitterness of the coffee. Many coffee drinkers take their coffee "black," meaning no milk or sugar.
- Coffee contains caffeine, a compound in coffee and tea plants that stimulates the nervous system. People can become dependent on it to wake up fully in the morning, and suddenly quitting coffee drinking can cause some mild withdrawal symptoms, like headache and irritability. Decaffeinated coffee is available for those who cannot tolerate caffeine, although a cup of decaf coffee may still have about 10 milligrams of caffeine.
- Coffeehouses have been around for over 500 years. Today, baristas prepare and serve coffee drinks of all kinds and flavors. Italian coffee drinks are especially popular. They are all made from espresso, strong black coffee brewed by forcing steam through the ground coffee beans. From espressos to lattes, they have no added milk up to having more steamed milk than espresso.
THYME for a Laugh
What's slower than molasses?
Molasses trying to go uphill in winter!
The Yolk's On You
What's slower than running through molasses?
Walking through it!
