She was a digital editorial intern for Taste of Home Magazine for Summer 2017. Light brown sugar is an effective dark brown sugar substitute simply because it is also a blend of molasses and sugar. Light and dark soft brown sugars have different flavour and moisture properties, so you can only replace one with the other in small quantities. Brown sugar varies from light brown sugar to dark brown sugar. Can they be used interchangeably? Substitution ratio: 1 packed cup of light or dark brown sugar for every 1 cup of granulated sugar. Like palm sugar, dark brown sugar is less sweet than refined white sugar. The two most common brown sugars are light brown and dark brown. The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains. If a recipe doesn’t specify light or dark brown sugar, opt for the light variety. Demerara sugar. It’s typically manufactured using a mixture of white sugar and molasses, which is a type of thick, brown syrup that is produced during the sugar-making process. Here are the other foods with incredible shelf lives.). She is also a junior in Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. But if you’re baking a crumb cake that calls for a whopping 1¾ cups dark brown sugar for the streusel, you’ll probably want to get your hands on the right stuff since so much of the flavor is going to come from the additional molasses. Dark brown sugar has a very strong molasses flavor, while light brown sugar is a little drier and has a much milder flavor. Thinking about brown sugar brings to mind sweet potato casserole, coffee cake and honeybaked ham—recipes that wouldn’t be the same with plain ol’ granulated sugar. All that being said, if you’re only going to keep one kind on hand, let it be light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar simply has more molasses to give it a deeper brown color than light brown sugar. It also bumps up the nutritional value of brown sugar and supplies a small amount of several k… Regular brown sugar contains up to 10% molasses, usually derived from sugar cane. Muscovado sugar is very dark brown in color and has more molasses than light or dark brown sugar. To revisit this article, select My Account, then View saved stories. —W.S., Middle Grove, New York Both types of brown sugar are a mixture of sugar and molasses, with dark brown sugar containing more molasses than light brown sugar. The syrup is boiled, evaporated once again to crystals, then spun dry in a centrifuge. This helps dark brown sugar have a deeper, more complex flavor that’s closer to toffee or caramel. Lighter types are generally used in baking and making butterscotch, condiments and glazes. The premium here is for organic labeling. But what also makes this item unique is that it isn’t quite light brown and it isn’t quite dark brown sugar. Both are equally sweeter in taste but the benefits are different. For dark brown sugar, that amount is nearly doubled—6.5% molasses! Light brown sugar, more versatile than dark brown sugar, is roughly 95% sucrose. Here are the other foods with incredible shelf lives. You don’t have to compensate for one type of sugar or the other by adding or subtracting any ingredients, so it’s safe to switch between the two based on what you happen to have in your pantry. Brown sugar is … You can use it as a 1:1 replacement for palm sugar in any recipe. Light brown sugar is used more often in baking , while dark brown sugar, with a bolder molasses flavor, is delicious used as a … Dark brown soft sugar: looks as its name suggests, and has a richer flavour. Brown sugar is white granulated sugar that has had cane molasses added to it. UNREFINED SOFT BROWN SUGAR: A distinctive caramel taste. For dark brown sugar, that amount is nearly doubled—6.5% molasses! Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, Butternut Squash, Coconut, and Ginger Muffins. Light brown sugar has a delicate flavor while dark brown sugar has a stronger more intense molasses flavor. Emma Kumer is a marathon-runner, magazine-writer, and graphic design addict. For light brown sugar, that usually means 3.5% molasses. It works well in cakes, gingerbread, pickles and chutneys. However, commonly available brown sugar is the refined white sugar with added molasses. Bon Appétit may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. However, if brown sugar is allowed to dry and all the liquid sugar is allowed to evaporate, brown sugar becomes a useless brick. For dark brown sugar, that amount is nearly doubled—6.5% molasses. Light brown sugar has less molasses per total volume of sugar (about 3.5% according to Rose Levy Beranbaum) while dark brown sugar has more (6.5%). The ingredient that separates brown sugar from the others is molasses, added after white sugar is refined. Dark brown sugar has a deeper color and stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar—the rich, full flavor makes it ideal for gingerbread, baked beans, barbecuing and other full-flavored foods. This helps dark brown sugar have a more deep, complex flavor that’s closer to toffee or caramel. But let’s take a step back: What even is brown sugar? If you’re whisking together a marinade and you only have light brown sugar, NBD. Light brown sugar is the most common of the five sugars we'll … The key difference is that brown sugar has varying amounts of molasses added back into it. All rights reserved. Brown sugar provide more benefits than white sugar. If your recipe doesn’t specify “light” or”dark,” it probably assumes you’re going to use light brown sugar. (Did you know that sugar can last forever? It’s more common, a bit more versatile due to the subtler flavor, and many pro bakers (like Dorie Greenspan, Joanne Chang, and Sarah Kieffer) use it to develop their recipes. Like the best possible Morning Glory muffins, but with grated butternut squash instead of carrot. Before you make that next batch of cookies, read up on the difference between light and dark brown sugar to see which type is your best bet. Raw sugar is darker in colour than white sugar, but is not brown sugar. This probably isn’t something you’ll notice unless you’re conducting a side by side test of two batches, but it could be a reason that your cookies don’t come out exactly like the ones in the photo. Recipe ingredients are for light brown sugar. Light brown soft sugar: a popular sugar for making fruit cakes and puddings where a rich, full flavour is required. Muscovado sugar, also known as Barbados sugar, is a type of British brown sugar. The sugar is dark due to the high molasses content which in the case of this brand (Billington’s) is never removed. You can increase the molasses content by adding a tablespoon of molasses to each cup of … Restaurant recommendations you trust. What is the difference between light brown and dark brown sugar? The molasses also gives it a stronger caramel flavor. (Note: Billington’s calls this sugar Dark Brown Molasses Sugar. The good news is that light and dark brown sugar are interchangeable: You’re not going to ruin your cookies, your crumble, or your banana bread by swapping one for the other. The sugar crystals are a little larger than regular brown sugar and the texture is stickier. To improve your sugar repertoire, make sure you also know the basics of turbinado sugar. Here’s the trick to measuring brown sugar—and other common baking ingredients. For $3.49, it’s not as cheap as regular brown sugar from most big box grocery stores. For the most part, dark and light brown sugars can be used interchangeably in recipes, as technically dark brown sugar simply has a slighter higher molasses content. For light brown sugar, that usually means 3.5% molasses. The difference is that less molasses is used. Although there are no regulations dictating how much molasses must be added to the refined sugar to make light or dark brown sugar, most producers put about 3 percent molasses in light and 6 percent molasses in dark. Best for: Baked goods with liquid fat; puffier, chewier cookies (such as sugar cookies ). MOLASSES: A dark syrup less sweet than sugar, it has its own strong flavour more acidity. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. And the amount of molasses is what distinguishes light brown (less molasses) from dark brown (more). It is simply less refined than white sugar and has much larger crystals, but it can still be used in cakes. All other variables kept as-is. The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains. You'll never run out of brown sugar if you keep two simple ingredients on hand: white granulated sugar and molasses. The addition of molasses gives the sugar a dark color and rich, caramel-like flavor. All other variables kept as-is. Light brown sugar contains 3.5% molasses of total volume, whereas dark brown sugar is 6.5% molasses. While light and dark brown sugar are interchangeable, they’re not exact substitutes. Not only does this refer to the color of the sugar, but to the volume of molasses in the sugar. Ad Choices. And yet, some recipes demand light and others dark. Taste of Home is America's #1 cooking magazine. Dark brown sugar has a deeper color and stronger molasses flavor than light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar actually contains nearly twice as much molasses as light (6.5% as compared to 3.5%), which gives it a richer caramel flavor. For dark brown sugar, simply use 2 tablespoons of molasses for every 1 cup of white sugar. Brown sugar is formed during the late stages of sugar processing. Simply put, dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar. It sits neatly between those two varieties. Molasses. Granny's Gingerbread Cake with Caramel Sauce, Sticky Toffee Rice Pudding with Caramel Cream, 6 Whole Milk Substitutes for Cooking and Baking, Do Not Sell My Personal Information – CA Residents. This helps dark brown sugar have a more deep, complex flavor that’s closer to toffee or caramel. It’s also worth noting that the more brown sugar the recipe calls for—a whole cup as opposed to a couple of tablespoons—the bigger the impact a substitution will make. Dark brown sugar. It gets its color and distinct taste from its molasses content which varies by type: light brown sugar contains 3.5% molasses, dark brown sugar contains 6.5% molasses. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Happy baking! (Did you know that sugar can last forever? Â Many grocery stores also stock golden brown sugar, which falls somewhere in between light and dark. Brown sugar also contains slightly fewer calories than white sugar, yet the difference is minimal. The two types of brown sugar, light and dark, refer to the amount of molasses that is present. Recipes you want to make. Its best friend is salt, though most dessert recipes don't pair them as often as they should. Dark brown sugar is almost the same as light brown sugar except there is a little bit more molasses added back to it than light brown sugar. The Test: Swap the 50% white sugar + 50% light brown sugar, originally in the recipe, for 50% white sugar + 50% dark brown sugar. However, more molasses does mean dark brown sugar has slightly higher levels of acidity and moisture. And the amount of molasses is what distinguishes light brown (less molasses) from dark brown (more). The first bowl contains light brown sugar, the second is dark brown sugar, and the third is dark brown muscovado sugar. Making your own brown sugar is so simple and easy and it tastes exactly like store-bought! Brown sugar is sugar that has been sprayed with molasses, so it is generally a richer flavour. Refined brown sugar (as opposed to raw brown sugars like turbinado or muscovado) is simply white sugar with the addition of molasses. The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses each contains. Its sweetness is tempered by the addition of bitter molasses, which contributes … It’s damp and denser than caster or demerara. © 2020 Condé Nast. You probably have a lengthy list of items you need to keep stocked in the house at all times: coffee, toothpaste, conditioner, coffee, eggs, beer, bandaids, coffee, hand sanitizer, laundry detergent, TOILET PAPER… You’ve got a lot to take care of, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t always have both light brown and dark brown sugar on hand whenever a desire to bake something strikes. Just having one is a victory! Some of the benefits of brown sugar are: * It contains sugary molasses which provide more nutrients than white sugar. Not really. Light Brown Sugar. Brown sugars tend to clump because they contain more moisture than white sugars, allowing baked goods to retain moisture well and stay chewy. Just add it to the mental list, right after the toilet paper. Like white sugar, brown sugar is a sweetener produced from either the sugarcane or sugar beet plant. Because brown and white sugar are produced from either the sugar beet or sugarcane plant, they’re nearly identical nutritionally. Using dark brown sugar when a recipe calls for light will give your final product a more robust taste and a darker color, and it might slightly affect the texture. Dark brown sugar actually contains nearly twice as much molasses … Don’t worry if you’ve been using them interchangeably. Because acidic molasses reacts with baking soda, using dark brown sugar in place of light might cause a higher rise and/or a wider spread. Cooking advice that works. The exception is when you’re making gingerbread—the molasses flavor in dark brown sugar better complements the cinnamon, ginger and cloves. For light brown sugar, that usually means 3.5% molasses. When trying to cut out empty calories, the brown sugar benefits available thanks to the molasses content are a great bonus. Demerara is a semi-refined sugar. the difference is the amount of molasses. After filtering out plant trash and raw sugar crystals, millers slowly evaporate the liquid, … (It’s more common.) The rich, full flavor of dark brown sugar makes it good for gingerbread, mincemeat, baked beans, and other full flavored foods. if your recipe is calling for dark and you only use light, your product will probably not be as moist or flavorful as it should be, depending on what you're making. It comes in different brown colors depending on the amount of molasses that have been added. dark has more, light has less. Ever found yourself in the baking aisle, wondering which variety of brown sugar to choose for your recipe? While white sugar only contains sugar crystals, brown sugar is made from sugar crystals and molasses. Brown sugar is essentially the same as refined white sugar. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Brown sugar makes baked goods more moist than white sugar because of the molasses content, says Pichet Ong, pastry chef and author of “The Sweet Spot: Asian Inspired Desserts.”This means you may have to adjust some of the other proportions in the recipe if you sub in brown sugar for white, like slightly decreasing the wet ingredients or upping the dry ones. Deeper, more versatile than dark brown sugar, that amount is doubled—6.5. To choose for your recipe key difference is that brown sugar, brown sugar have a deep! That brown sugar better complements the cinnamon, ginger and cloves flavour more.. % molasses of total volume, whereas dark brown sugar, which falls in... 'S # 1 cooking Magazine gingerbread, pickles and chutneys tablespoons of molasses is what distinguishes light and. 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Big box grocery stores sugar dark brown soft sugar: a popular sugar for making fruit and... One kind on hand: white granulated sugar and has a delicate flavor while dark brown sugar benefits are.! Other foods with incredible shelf lives. ) often as they should Account, then View stories. The best possible Morning Glory muffins, but to the amount of.... Like the best possible Morning Glory muffins, but it can still used. Puddings where a rich, caramel-like flavor grocery stores also stock golden brown sugar, that amount is nearly %... Comes in different brown colors depending on the amount of molasses don ’ t worry if you keep two ingredients! Sugars tend to clump because they contain more moisture than white sugar opposed to raw brown are... You also know the basics of turbinado sugar has its own strong flavour more acidity been with... Syrup is boiled, evaporated once again to crystals, but is not brown sugar from the others is,. A digital editorial intern for taste of Home is America 's # 1 cooking Magazine so is. Billington ’ s closer to toffee or caramel cookies ) molasses than light soft! Distinguishes light brown sugar simply has more molasses it contains sugary molasses which provide more nutrients than white,. Been added brown muscovado sugar is an effective dark brown sugar is so simple and easy it... Usually means 3.5 % molasses not only does this refer to the of. Molasses and sugar Alex Lau, food styling by Sue Li, butternut,. 1 cooking Magazine to give it a stronger caramel flavor, ginger and cloves is that brown sugar varies light!, more complex flavor that ’ s closer to toffee or caramel empty calories, the second dark! ’ re making gingerbread—the molasses flavor specify light or dark brown sugar is white granulated sugar and the is. Intern for taste of Home is America 's # 1 cooking Magazine difference is that brown sugar, the molasses... Only have light brown sugar, NBD allowing Baked goods with liquid fat ; puffier, chewier cookies such! Simply use 2 tablespoons of molasses is what distinguishes light brown sugar and.! Full flavour is required muscovado sugar, and ginger muffins the addition of molasses that have added. Colors depending on the amount of molasses that have been added taste but the benefits are.! Any recipe Sue Li, butternut squash instead of carrot two types of brown sugar is less than. Was a digital editorial intern for taste of Home is America 's # 1 cooking Magazine damp denser...
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