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Recipes from the archive that share this tag, occasion, ingredient, or cultural root.
Back to recipe archiveThe Melting Pot
Barbecue Beans photo coming soon
1900s-present
A barbecue side dish of beans baked with bacon, onion, molasses, tomato, brown sugar, mustard, and barbecue sauce until thick and smoky.
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Boston Baked Beans photo coming soon
1600s-present
Boston baked beans grew from New England bean cookery, English pork-and-bean traditions, and the colonial availability of molasses through Atlantic trade. The long bake made practical sense for Sabbath observance and cold-weather kitchens, and the dish became one of Boston's defining foods.
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Anadama Bread photo coming soon
1800s-present
A lightly sweet New England loaf made with cornmeal, molasses, wheat flour, and yeast.
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Apple Pandowdy photo coming soon
Founding Era
Sliced apples baked under a pastry or biscuit crust that is broken into the juices as it bakes.
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Baked Beans photo coming soon
1600s-present
A New England-style baked bean pot made with navy beans, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, onion, and salt pork or bacon.
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Boiled Coffee Cake photo coming soon
1870s-present
Older American coffee cakes sometimes actually contained coffee. Recipes using cold boiled coffee, molasses, raisins, and spice appeared in late-19th and early-20th-century cookbooks, making a sturdy loaf cake for the coffee table.
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Boston Brown Bread photo coming soon
1700s-present
Boston brown bread is the dark, tender partner to baked beans. Colonial New England cooks used mixed grains, cornmeal, and molasses, then steamed the batter because the bread had little gluten and home ovens were not always reliable.
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Buckwheat Cakes photo coming soon
1700s-present
Buckwheat cakes were once a cold-weather American breakfast staple, especially in Pennsylvania, Appalachia, and boardinghouses. Buckwheat grew well in poor soils, and an overnight batter gave the cakes a tangy flavor before modern baking powder pancakes took over.
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Biscuits with Molasses photo coming soon
1800s-present
Biscuits with molasses are less a formal recipe than a habit of American farm and Southern tables: make simple biscuits, split them hot, and drizzle on a dark sweetener that was cheaper and more available than refined treats.
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Gingerbread for Soldiers photo coming soon
1861-1900
Gingerbread for soldiers was a dense, spiced quick bread distributed to Union soldiers during the Civil War to provide a portable, energy-rich food. Made with molasses and warming spices, it offered familiar flavors and durable storage, often baked in loaf pans or as small cakes for rations on the move.
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Molasses Cookies photo coming soon
1776-1800
Molasses Cookies are chewy, spiced gingerbread-style cookies sweetened with rich molasses, reflecting early Appalachian and Revolutionary-era American baking traditions. These cookies were popular among settlers who used molasses as an affordable sweetener and incorporated warming spices for flavor. They became a staple of military rations and domestic kitchens during the Civil War era, offering comfort and energy.
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Molasses Cornbread photo coming soon
1776-1800
Molasses Cornbread is a slightly sweet cornmeal bread flavored with molasses, common in early American households during the Revolutionary era. Combining locally grown cornmeal with molasses provided a hearty and economical bread that complemented savory dishes and breakfast tables alike. Its enduring popularity reflects early American adaptation of indigenous and imported ingredients.
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Molasses Pound Cake photo coming soon
1861-1900
Molasses Pound Cake is a rich, moist cake sweetened with molasses, characteristic of Southern American desserts during the Reconstruction era. The cake features traditional pound cake proportions with the addition of molasses and warm spices, reflecting the culinary adaptation to available and affordable sweeteners post-Civil War. It embodies Southern resilience and culinary identity in comfort baking.
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Shoofly Pie photo coming soon
1800-1860
Shoofly Pie is a molasses-sweetened pie with a crumb topping, historically popular in Pennsylvania Dutch and Mid-Atlantic communities. Its rich, sticky filling reflects early American sweetening traditions and regional preferences.
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Shoofly Pie Ancestor photo coming soon
1776-1800
The Shoofly Pie Ancestor is an early version of the molasses crumb pie originating in the Mid-Atlantic region during the late 18th century. It features simple ingredients reflective of colonial foodways before industrialized sugar was widespread.
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Sorghum Cookies photo coming soon
1930-1945
Sorghum Cookies use sorghum molasses to create rich, sweet cookies that provided affordable treats during the 1930s Dust Bowl and Depression. This recipe exemplifies home baking focused on maximizing pantry staples to nourish families economically.
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Sorghum Molasses Bread photo coming soon
1861-1900
Sorghum Molasses Bread is a hearty bread sweetened by sorghum molasses, popular during and after the Civil War as a sustaining food. Its simple ingredients and dense texture made it suitable for military and frontier kitchens, reflecting practical baking in austere conditions.
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Switchel photo coming soon
1776-1800
Switchel, also known as haymaker's punch, is a traditional American fermented drink of water, vinegar, ginger, and sweeteners dating to the Revolutionary period. It was commonly consumed for refreshment and hydration during hard labor and social occasions.
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Molasses photo coming soon
Founding Era
Molasses is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Colonial, Southern, Caribbean trade, and early American baking. It brings flavor from the American South to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.
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Blackstrap Molasses photo coming soon
Founding Era
Blackstrap Molasses is a sweet sauce with real American table personality: Baking, beans, gingerbread, wartime thrift. It brings flavor from coast-to-coast American tables to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.
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Kansas City Barbecue Sauce photo coming soon
Founding Era
Kansas City Barbecue Sauce is a barbecue sauce with real American table personality: Thick, sweet, tomato-molasses sauce. It brings flavor from American barbecue regions to cookouts, counters, lunch plates, potlucks, and weeknight suppers.