When a Recipe Calls for I cup Granulated Sugar You May Substitute:
Molasses—1 cup plus ½ teaspoon baking soda for each cup
Maple Syrup—1¼ cups plus ¼ teaspoon baking soda for each cup; reduce liquid by ½
Honey—1 cup plus ⅛ teaspoon baking soda for each cup; reduce liquid by ¼
Corn Syrup—1 cup plus ⅛ teaspoon baking soda for each cup; reduce liquid by ⅓
For comparable sweetness you would need 1½ cups molasses or maple syrup, ¾ cup honey or 2 cups corn syrup to replace each cup of sugar.—American Cookery, March 1942
Sugar was one of the first food items to be rationed. Government officials explained that the shortage of sugar was due to the loss of the cane fields in the Philippines as well as the reassignment of ocean transport at home, and spoke for the nation by saying that, “rather than have an abundance of sugar, Americans preferred to reduce consumption, provide for a good margin of safety in stocks in this country, ration the reduced supply equitably and systematically—and fight the war.” The ships that had been used to transport sugar from the Caribbean islands were now transporting wartime materials, and no change was in sight, so on May 5, 1942, “the Sugar Book” became the only legal way to get refined granulated sugar from the grocer. As part of the Uniform Coupon Rationing program, the books gave everyone the same number of stamps. At first sugar was available so that everyone could have a half-pound per person per week. Soon supplies dwindled and the stamps were validated only when sugar was available, so that everyone could buy the specified amount of sugar per stamp.
Everyone talked about the rationing, but America never gave up its sweet tooth. Other unrationed sources of sweetness such as molasses, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, and the sugar that was a part of commercial products such as sweetened condensed milk, gelatin and pudding mixes, and sodas were used in place of granulated sugar. Because of frequent shortages of refined sugar, the less expensive brown sugar was often substituted in recipes. Homemakers were frustrated by the coarser texture and reduced sweetness of many of the products made with sugar substitutes. The government was in no way as restrictive with commercial bakers as they were with homemakers. Legions of women wrote to Washington complaining that the male bakers got tremendous consignments of sugar while the home cook could have little, forcing her to buy desserts from the very people who were getting the sugar she would have liked to have. Homemakers who wished to can fruit, jellies, and relishes could apply to local boards for ten to twenty pounds of additional sugar. But there were problems with that program too, and the sugar ran out before everyone who had applied got her allotment.
Most of the women I talked to about the sugar problem during World War II seemed to feel that it was a challenge, but not a hardship, to find ways to produce desserts that their families would like within the confines of sugar rationing. They were proud of how they coped and had positive memories of the occasions for which they created something remarkable. Their only negative memories were of the time it took waiting in lines and going from store to store to get the sugar they were entitled to. Most remembered that sugar was saved for special occasions and that members of a family would put their sugar together to bake wedding cakes, traditional holiday cookies, or treats for their boys overseas. The recipes in this chapter use very little white granulated sugar, yet all are deliciously sweet, full of flavor, and easy-to-make for cooks on a busy schedule.
