Make Your Own Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is a simple mixture of white sugar and molasses - that's it. This concoction gives baked goods more flavor and moisture than you get with plain white sugar. Next time you run out of brown sugar, reach for the white sugar and that half-used jar of molasses to make up a batch of brown. Read on for instructions on how to make light brown or dark brown sugar.

Ingredients

Light Brown Sugar

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons molasses

Dark Brown Sugar

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons molasses

Steps

Light Brown Sugar

  1. Measure the ingredients. For every cup of light brown sugar you want to make, you'll need a cup of white sugar and a tablespoon and a half of molasses. Measure out the ingredients before mixing.[1]
    • Molasses is the by-product that is produced when white sugar is refined.
    • There's no substitute for molasses if you want to make brown sugar, but you could experiment with making different types of sugar by using maple syrup or agave nectar in place of molasses.
  2. Place the sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl.
  3. Stir with a fork until completely mixed. To make sure the ingredients are mixed extremely well, you could also process them together in a food processor or blender. The brown sugar is now ready to use in a recipe, like chocolate chip cookies or Make Brown Sugar Pancakes.

Dark Brown Sugar

  1. Measure the ingredients into a bowl. For dark brown sugar, you'll need 3 tablespoons of molasses for every cup of white sugar. If you want to experiment with making extra-dark brown sugar, add an extra half-tablespoon.
    • Avoid adding too much molasses, since this will change the moisture level of the mixture and could affect the cookies or cakes you're making with the brown sugar.
    • If you accidentally add too much molasses, make up for it by putting more white sugar in the bowl.
  2. Place the sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl.
  3. Stir the molasses and white sugar. Use a fork or process the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. The dark brown sugar is now ready to use in a recipe, like Make Gingerbread Loaf or Make Brown Sugar Cookies.

Storing Homemade Brown Sugar

  1. Place it in an airtight container. Homemade brown sugar can be stored for as long as store-bought brown sugar in an airtight food storage container. You may place it in the pantry with your other baking supplies, as it won't spoil over time.
    • You may want to cover the brown sugar with a sheet of parchment paper to help it stay fresh.
    • Store the brown sugar in a plastic zip food storage bag and place it in the freezer as an alternative.
  2. Soften brown sugar by adding moisture.[2] Sometimes brown sugar gets hard when it's been sitting in the pantry for a long time. The moisture in the sugar evaporates, leaving a rock-like mass of sugar. To soften it, add a few drops of water to the sugar and replace the lid. Let it sit for a few days, then check it again; it should be moist and crumble easily when tested with a fork.
    • If you need to use the sugar immediately, place a few drops of water on it and heat it in the microwave. This should soften it quickly.
    • You can also moisten brown sugar by storing it with a piece of fresh bread for a few days. The moisture from the bread softens the sugar. Just be sure you remember to toss out the bread before too long, or it will get moldy. You could also use a lemon wedge or an apple slice.[3]
  3. Finished.



Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.marthastewart.com/271025/homemade-brown-sugar
  2. ↑ http://tipnut.com/10-ways-to-soften-hard-brown-sugar/
  3. ↑ http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/tools-and-techniques/food-storage-tips2.htm

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