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! Show
And yet, some recipes demand light and others dark. 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. But let’s take a step back: What even is brown sugar? Refined brown sugar (as opposed to raw brown sugars like turbinado or muscovado) is simply white sugar with the addition of molasses. And the amount of molasses is what distinguishes light brown (less molasses) from dark brown (more). 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. While light and dark brown sugar are interchangeable, they’re not exact substitutes. 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. 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. 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. 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. If you’re whisking together a marinade and you only have light brown sugar, NBD. 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. All that being said, if you’re only going to keep one kind on hand, let it be light brown sugar. 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. Just add it to the mental list, right after the toilet paper. A muffin!
Like the best possible Morning Glory muffins but with grated butternut squash instead of carrot. View Recipe Jump to Recipe In the middle of making a recipe only to realize you’re out of brown sugar? Not to worry, try this simple brown sugar substitute in a pinch!  This post contains affiliate links. There have been far too many times when I’ve been smack in the middle of making a recipe only to realize I am out of an ingredient. Sometimes I can quickly run to the store to get the missing ingredient. But more often than not, I either just can’t run out or I don’t want to. That’s when having some simple substitutes up your sleeve comes in handy. Knowing things like how to whip up a simple buttermilk substitute or how to make self-rising flour can save not just your recipe, but also your sanity. If you find yourself in a pickle and without the right kind of brown sugar for making anything from peanut butter blossoms to apple crumb pie, give this brown sugar substitute a try! WHAT IS BROWN SUGAR?Brown sugar is white sugar that has had cane molasses added to it. Brown sugar is one of the most popular types of sugar for a reason. In addition to bringing a rich flavor to your baked goods, it helps makes certain recipes – such as cornflake cookies – more chewy. Because baking is a science, there’s usually a real reason why a recipe is calling for brown sugar. That means you can’t necessarily just swap in granulated sugar and get the same result. It’s likely that either the texture, the flavor, or both will be off. So rather than risk your recipe turning out wrong, whip up this simple brown sugar substitute instead. IS THERE A SUBSTITUTE FOR BROWN SUGAR?Thankfully, when it comes to recipes that rely on the flavor and texture of brown sugar, there’s a simple substitute that you can make. All you’ll need is some granulated sugar and molasses. Depending on whether your recipe calls for light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, there are a couple of ways you can whip up what you need on the fly. LIGHT BROWN SUGAR SUBSTITUTETo make light brown sugar, you will need:
Combine the sugar and the molasses together in a bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the two ingredients together until they are well combined and the sugar is brown. You can now use your substitute in any recipe calling for light brown sugar or store it for later use. DARK BROWN SUGAR SUBSTITUTEThere are two ways you can make dark brown sugar. If you only have granulated sugar on hand, you can combine:
If you have light brown sugar on hand and need dark brown sugar, you can combine:
Mix the sugar and molasses together in a bowl and rub them together with your fingertips. You’ll know it’s ready to use when the sugar is moistened and dark brown. Use either of the above mixtures in any recipe that calls for dark brown sugar or store your homemade dark brown sugar to use later. HOW TO STORE BROWN SUGARThe bummer about brown sugar is that it will harden if it’s left open to the air, so you want to make sure you store it correctly. Always store brown sugar in an airtight container. One way to lengthen the shelf-life of brown sugar is to use a piece of terra cotta. Soak the terra cotta in water for 20 minutes. Pat it dry and then place it in the container with the brown sugar. I like to use a brown sugar keeper with a terra cotta disk that snaps into the lid. It’s easy to use and keeps my brown sugar soft and fresh, ready for the next time I want to make apple coffee cake, brown sugar frosting, or maple streusel cheesecake bars. IngredientsFor light brown sugar:
For dark brown sugar:
To make dark brown sugar from light brown sugar:
Instructions
Can you switch light brown sugar to dark brown?While light and dark brown sugar are interchangeable, they're not exact substitutes. 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.
How much dark brown sugar equals light brown sugar?when using light sugar for dark. If the recipe calls for light but dark is all you have, use a packed 2/3 cup dark and 1/3 cup white for every packed cup of light sugar needed.
What is the difference between light brown and dark brown sugar?So what's the difference between light and dark brown sugar? The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses each contains. 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%).
Is dark brown sugar sweeter than light brown sugar?Flavor: Light brown sugar has a mild sweet flavor similar to white sugar or mild caramel. On the other hand, dark brown sugar has a deep, almost bitter flavor similar to toffee.
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How to make dark brown sugar from light brown sugar
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