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Marilyns Treats

April 11, 2020 · 18 Comments

Homemade Brown Sugar

How to· Tip Friday

I love baking and cooking with a fresh package of brown sugar. It smells so good. I also love packing it tightly into a measuring cup when I use it in a recipe. The satisfaction I get when it flips out, perfectly molded, like sand for a sand castle always makes me smile.

Homemade Brown Sugar

I love baking and cooking with a fresh package of brown sugar. It smells so good.

I also love packing it tightly into a measuring cup when I use it in a recipe.

The satisfaction I get when it flips out, perfectly molded, like sand for a sand castle always makes me smile.

These are the INGREDIENTS You will need:

Light Brown Sugar:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 tbs molasses

Dark Brown Sugar:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbs molasses

These are the INSTRUCTIONS For preparation:

  • Combine sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl. 
  • Use an electric mixer on medium speed, mixing until molasses is completely incorporated.
  • Store in an airtight container.

NOTES

The 16 servings equals 16 tablespoons, which is the equivalent of 1 cup. Should you need only 1/2 cup, reduce the recipe’s serving size to 8.

Brown sugar is an integral part of baking and cooking. Most home cooks keep an ample amount of both dark and light brown sugar. I am sure we have all been in the situation where we go into the pantry to get our sugar we find it is hard as cement.

We slam it against the counter. Hit with a meat tenderizer. I have even tried an electric knife in desperation. It is just too stubborn to soften up.

With the need to stay at home and the short time dark or light brown sugar stays on the shelf we need a new way of thinking.

So we make our own. It is easy if you have these two ingredients in the pantry. White sugar and molasses.

Most images in my Tip Friday Series use free stock photos. This article is part of the Tips That Help in the Kitchen Series, Tip Friday.

I love baking and cooking with a fresh package of brown sugar. It smells so good. I also love packing it tightly into a measuring cup when I use it in a recipe. The satisfaction I get when it flips out, perfectly molded, like sand for a sand castle always makes me smile.

Homemade Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is an integral part of baking and cooking. Most home cooks keep an ample amount of both dark and light brown sugar.
5 from 7 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Keyword: brown sugar, darkbrown sugar, light brown sugar
Method: mix
Skill Level: Basic
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Adjust Servings: 16
Calories: 52kcal
Author: Marilyn

Ingredients

Light Brown Sugar:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 tbs molasses

Dark Brown Sugar:

  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 2 tbs molasses

Instructions

  • Combine sugar and molasses in a mixing bowl.
  • Use an electric mixer on medium speed, mixing until molasses is completely incorporated.
  • Store in an airtight container.

Notes

The 16 servings equals 16 tablespoons, which is the equivalent of 1 cup. Should you need only 1/2 cup, reduce the recipe’s serving size to 8.
©MARILYN’S TREATS. All images are copyright protected.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Tbs | Calories: 52kcal (3%) | Carbohydrates: 13.4g (4%) | Potassium: 19mg (1%) | Sugar: 13g (14%) | Calcium: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @marilyn_lesniak or tag #marilynstreats!

Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.

Conversion Information We get a lot of requests to help with conversions especially between various countries like Canada, the U.K. and Australia. These tables should help you make those conversions. For your convenience we have included a Conversion Chart.

Disclaimer Unless indicated recipes influenced by cookbooks, magazines or family traditions.

How Brown Sugar Is Made

Unrefined or partially refined brown sugar is sugar that still contains some molasses from the original sugar refining process. It can be labeled factory, raw, natural, turbinado, demerara, and muscavado, among other names, depending on origin and the refining process.

Refined brown sugar is made by adding molasses back to refined white sugar. This is the commercial brown sugar that is soft and moist and what is commonly thought of as brown sugar, so we’ll focus in on this type and how it’s used.

These sugars may not be as soft and moist as more refined brown sugars.

Recipes will sometimes specify dark brown or light brown sugar. What is the difference? It’s simply the amount of molasses in it:

Dark brown sugar contains about 6.5% molasses. Light brown sugar contains about 3.5% molasses.

How Moisture Affects the Texture of Refined Brown Sugar

We have all opened a canister with brown sugar is hard as cement. Here is why. Brown sugar is naturally moist and soft because of the thin film of molasses that covers each sugar crystal. If the moisture in the molasses evaporates, however, the sugar hardens into one mass, so it should always be sealed in an airtight container to prevent moisture loss. See my post 3 Ways To Keep Brown Sugar Soft.

The nice thing is that molasses also readily absorbs moisture. So if your brown sugar has hardened, you can seal it with bread or an apple so the molasses can steal and suck up its moisture to soften the brown sugar again!

Cooking and Baking with Brown Sugar

Molasses is the key flavor in brown sugar, so dark brown sugar has a richer, more caramel flavor than light brown. If your recipe does not specify which kind of brown sugar to use, you can probably use whatever you have on hand. Choose the one you think is better suited to the recipe. Dark Brown has deeper flavor. If you don’t want the molasses to overpower the other flavors in the recipe, go with light.

Don’t ever be caught with hard brown sugar again. Now you never have to worry about being without either.

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Meet the Chef

blankI am Marilyn Lesniak. Writer, Photographer and Chief Bottle Washer behind the scenes at Marilyn's Treats. Don’t burn down the kitchen!! Let me help with my Kitchen Tips, Hacks and Recipes for all levels of Chefs. Read More…

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Comments

  1. blankMiz Helen says

    April 28, 2020 at 11:09 PM

    What a great idea Marilyn, can’t wait to try this! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday and please come back soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 28, 2020 at 11:19 PM

      Thank you Miz Helen. Brown sugar is so easy to make. And so worth not fighting the door stop you dont need. Have a great week!

      Reply
  2. blankangie says

    April 25, 2020 at 12:38 AM

    great tip to have thanks for sharing this will be kept and also shared with my daughters.

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 25, 2020 at 9:22 AM

      Thanks Angie. I plan on never having door stop brown sugar again!! I hopew you get to try it. Have a good weekend and may only good things happen!

      Reply
  3. blankChas Greener says

    April 24, 2020 at 4:16 PM

    I’m going to have to give this a try. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 24, 2020 at 9:52 PM

      Thank you Chas. Enjoy your week!

      Reply
  4. blankLinda S says

    April 23, 2020 at 11:26 PM

    This is a handy tip! I knew you could make your own brown sugar but I never have seen the proportions. thank you!

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 24, 2020 at 1:02 AM

      You are welcome. I never buy brown sugar. Not when fresh is so easy! Glad my article could help!! Have a great week.

      Reply
  5. blankMelynda Brown says

    April 23, 2020 at 7:48 PM

    Great idea, for a small-batch recipe of brown sugar. Thanks for posting! Melynda @ Scratch Made Food!

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:44 PM

      Thank you Melynda! I am glad you like the recipe. Be safe and stay positive!

      Reply
  6. blankHelen at the Lazy Gastronome says

    April 23, 2020 at 11:43 AM

    What a great tip! I’m pinning this! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party – Hope you’re having a great week.

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 3:04 PM

      Thank you Helen. I never buy brown sugar anymore. I dont need any doorstops!! Enjoy your day and think positive!

      Reply
  7. blankKippi says

    April 21, 2020 at 10:09 AM

    Great idea to make your own. I never think about making my own, but I have pinned this and I am going to make my brown sugar from now on.
    Have baking,
    Kippi

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 21, 2020 at 9:32 PM

      Thank you Kippi! It is so simple. And mollasses is so much easier to keep than brown sugar that turns to concrete. Thank you for the pin. Have a good week and stay positive!

      Reply
  8. blankHelen says

    April 21, 2020 at 1:32 AM

    Pinning this recipe! It is a great thing to know!

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 21, 2020 at 9:24 PM

      Thank you Helen for the pin. I am glad you found it worth saving. Have a good week and stay positive!

      Reply
  9. blankClearissa Coward says

    April 20, 2020 at 12:58 PM

    Marilyn you never cease to amaze me. You make your own brown sugar. Wow! TFS

    Reply
    • blankMarilyn says

      April 20, 2020 at 7:46 PM

      I am needing to do some drastic things lately. Since I have to wait forever for my turn to have groceries delivered. I am learning to be humble. And grateful for what I DO have. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe and positive.

      Reply

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