HOW TO MAKE DARK TREACLE 8

This entry was posted by

Here is my Homemade Dark Treacle that I promised to make when I made the Golden Syrup.

I was surprised how many viewers were keen for me to share this recipe.

Treacle is similar to molasses but I think More intense in Flavour.

HOW TO MAKE DARK TREACLE

How to make Dark Treacle
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35-40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 200g / 7 oz of Sugar
  • 60ml / 1/4 cup of Water
  • 500g / 1.1lb of Sugar
  • 250ml / 1 cup of Boiling Water
  • 1/4 of a Lemon

Watch the full Video Tutorial

Instructions

  1. Place the 200g of sugar into a saucepan and add 1/4 cup of water. Turn on the heat and allow to sugars to dissolve. Continue to heat the sugar without stirring until the sugars turn a really dark brown / black colour.
    If you are using a Candy Thermometer the temperature should be in excess of 200C / 400F. You will see the sugars go from clear to light brown to dark brown to almost black. The aroma of the sugars will change also at each stage, the final  smell is a rich burnt caramel.
  2. Turn off the heat once you have the dark colour or reached over 200C and allow the sugars to cool just slightly. Just enough to let the bubbles stop bubbling.
    Add in the 500g of sugar and very carefully add in the cup of boiling water. Be aware that the sugars may fizz and bubble at this point. The dark sugars will tend to solidify at this stage but this is normal so don’t worry.
  3. Squeeze in the juice from a quarter of a lemon and then drop the quarter of lemon into the pan.
  4. Turn the heat back on and gently stir and heat the sugars until they are all dissolved and liquid again. Gently simmer the sugars for 35-40 minutes.
    Now you will need to test the treacle to see if you have the right consistency. Drop a small amount of the treacle onto the back of a pan lid and allow it to cool. Once it is cool if the consistency is right you should have a thick sticky treacle.
    If your treacle sets too hard you will have to add between 5-10% more water to your treacle and stir through. This works out at about 1/4 – 1/2 cup of boiling water (add 1/4 cup at a time and test your consistency).
    If your treacle is too thin just continue to simmer for a while longer.
  5. When you are happy with the consistency of your treacle pour it into a clean sterilised jar, I poured it through a sieve to remove any pieces of lemon that were in there and allow to cool before popping on the lid.
    Happy cooking with your homemade dark treacle.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

8 thoughts on “HOW TO MAKE DARK TREACLE”

  • tharoun

    Hi Steve. I appreciate your brilliant recipes! I have made dark treacle using your recipe a couple of times already and been wondering what the health benefits of treacle made this way in comparison to the original treacle/molasses that is derived as a by-product of processing cane sugar is?
    Does it have the same components nutritionally? I am aware that black strap molasses is high in minerals, and is the reason why “brown sugar” is said to be highly nutritious. What are your thoughts? I tried to inquire into this using google but nothing came up

    • Steve

      Thank you Tharoun, I really can’t say for sure, though I suspect to say any Sugar, Brown or otherwise is Highly Nutritious would be misleading ? To have more Nutritional Benefits that Other sugars, maybe but I tend to think that any Processed sugar should not be though of as Nutritious but rather a luxury that we should use in Moderation.

      The beneficial Minerals that re found in brown Sugar for instance, because of its molasses content, it contain certain minerals, such as calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium. However, since these minerals are present in only minuscule amounts, there is no real health benefit to using brown sugar.

      In a Whole Cup of Brown Sugar there is 13mg of Magnesium whilst in a Single Banana there is 32 mg, I suspect that Google produces little info about the health Benefits as there are no real ones.. I can’t say I am correct, these are just my Thoughts and I hope they help some..

      Steve

    • Michele Post author

      Hi Cleo,
      You’re welcome and thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for sending the pic.
      Great job. I’d love to know what you make with it
      Have a great day

      • Cleo

        Hi Michele. Sorry for my HUGE picture. 🙂 I was so enthusiastic that now I know how to obtain dark treacle that I forgot to resize my picture before uploading it. I have an anniversary in my family this weekend so I’m preparing a big chocolate cake using for the sponge layers Eric Lanlard’s “dark chocolate moelleux” that calls for dark treacle. And also because it is already a beautiful spring, we will prepare, outside in the garden, a glazed BBQ where we will use again this beautiful stuff. Thank you again and now that I discovered this website I will come back for sure and try a few things from here too. Have a great day too :)))

        • Michele Post author

          No worries Cleo It’s a great photo so nice to see it big .
          Sounds like you will have a great time this weekend and your cake sounds delicious.
          Good luck with everything and enjoy
          Regards
          Michele and Steve