I just bought molasses and margarine. How exciting! I can bake now!For each 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar called for in a recipe, use 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses plus 1 cup granulated sugar. blackstrap molasses = black strap molasses   Notes:   This has a strong, bitter flavor, and it's not very sweet.  It's sometimes used to make chili.  Look for it in health food stores.molasses (substitute 1/2 cup for each cup of brown rice syrupdark corn syrup = dark Karo syrup   Notes:  This corn syrup has a mild molasses flavor, and it's a common ingredient in barbecue sauce, pecan pie, Substitutes:   simple syrup (make with 2 parts sugar and 1 part water) OR Combine 3 parts light corn syrup plus 1 part molasses OR golden syrup Don't confuse authentic maple syrup with the cheaper and more commonly used pancake syrup, which are based on corn syrup.  Substitutes:  light molasses (on pancakes or hot cereals)After opening, you can store molasses in your cupboardmolasses = treacle   Pronunciation:  muh-LASS-sis Equivalents:  One cup = 8 ounces Notes:    Sugar is made by extracting juice from sugar cane or sugar beets, boiling them, and then extracting the sugar crystals.  Molasses is the thick, syrupy residue that's left behind in the vats.  It has a sweet, distinctive flavor, and it's a traditional ingredient in such things as gingerbread, baked beans,Molasses should be stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator or a cool, dry place. Unopened containers should keep for about one year, while opened containers should keep for about six months. Molasses is naturally acidic and may require the addition of baking soda to counteract it in baked goods.Before measuring molasses, lightly spray the measuring cup with vegetable oil and it will slip out more easily