Mörk sirap

Mörk sirap means "dark syrup". It is a Swedish sugar syrup made from sugar beet, darker and stronger than ljus sirap, the light kind. It is thick and dark brown, with a deep, slightly bitter, molasses-like taste that is still milder than pure molasses. It gives Swedish baked goods a dark color, a rich spice-cake flavor and a soft, moist texture.

How to use it

Swedish recipes measure it by volume in deciliters. 1 dl (100 ml) weighs about 140 g.

• Pepparkakor, thin Swedish gingerbread cookies. The dough is mixed with syrup, butter, sugar and spices, then left to rest overnight in the fridge before rolling.
• Vörtbröd and limpa, dark, sweet rye breads eaten at Christmas.
• Kryddkaka, a soft spice cake, and other dark cakes.
• Glazes for Christmas ham and some marinades.

Rinse your measuring cup with hot water or grease it first, so the syrup slides out.

Substitutes

Outside Sweden, mix your own. These are rough guides, so taste the dough if you can:

• Golden syrup and molasses. Mix 2 parts golden syrup with 1 part molasses (black treacle in the UK). This is the closest swap.
• Light corn syrup and molasses, in the same ratio, if golden syrup is hard to find in the US.
• Molasses alone is too strong and bitter. If you must use it, replace no more than half the syrup and use honey or light syrup for the rest.
• Dark corn syrup is sweet but lacks the flavor. Add a spoonful of molasses.

Brown sugar adds some of the same taste, but it is dry, so it cannot replace syrup without changing the recipe.

How to store it

Keep it closed in a cupboard. It keeps for a long time. Wipe the neck of the bottle so the cap does not stick.

In recipes

Some Swedish recipes use both light and dark syrup. If a recipe only says sirap, it usually means the light kind. In pepparkakor and dark breads, it nearly always means mörk sirap. Using light syrup instead gives paler cookies with less flavor.