Molasses

Anadama bread, a traditional New England yeast bread made with cornmeal and molasses (said to have been created by a woman from Massachusetts named Anna), is the inspiration for the following muffins. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

An inventive take on a classic.

All of the components for this sophisticated dessert can be made the day before, then assembled quickly at the last minute. Sabayon (also called zabaglione) is a custard sauce that is whisked over hot water until it is light and foamy.

Translated from medieval Scottish, farl means, "the fourth part." In this version, quartered rounds of dark bread are sweetened with treacle, which is similar to molasses, and lightly spiced with ginger. The mixture may occasionally include a handful of raisins or other dried fruit, but the bread is always served sliced and buttered, with a cup of tea.

This luscious homespun treat is great with vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt.

Molasses combines with canned chipotle chilies to give the delicious salad its smoky, robust flavor. Begin preparing this well in advance so that the dried beans get the proper amount of soaking time.

A whiskey-spiked variation on classic pecan pie. Serve the tartlets with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Chinese five-spice gives classic crackle cookies a delightfully warming flavor and alluring aroma.

A festive, elegant gingerbread cake infused with orange and warm spices, and capped with a glossy dark chocolate ganache.

With pounds of dried fruit and glugs of dark rum, this is a recipe for serious fruitcake fans.

No booze, no chocolate, no hard-to-find ingredients in this rendition of the classic Thanksgiving pie. 

This barbecue chicken has the crackliest, stickiest skin.

Now all we need is a cup of eggnog.

To ensure these don’t break, use a couple of layers of parchment paper or foil in the baking dish and make sure they’re completely cooled before removing them.