Out of Brown Sugar? Here’s How Mom Made It at Home… Plus How to Soften Brown Sugar That’s Hard as a Rock

This was one of those things I knew… but never really stopped to think about.

The brown sugar we commonly buy today is essentially granulated sugar combined with molasses. The molasses gives it that beautiful caramel color, deeper flavor and soft moist texture. Dark brown sugar simply contains more molasses than light brown sugar.

Which means making it at home is ridiculously simple.

You need two ingredients.

That’s it!

This is the version I would make first because light brown sugar is probably the one most of us reach for most often.

You Will Need

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

I recommend regular unsulfured molasses for that familiar brown sugar flavor. Blackstrap molasses can technically be used, but its flavor is much stronger and more bitter, so it would not be my first choice for everyday baking. Food Network recommends the same basic ratio of 1 tablespoon molasses for each cup of granulated sugar when making light brown sugar.

• How to Make It
• Place the granulated sugar and molasses into a food processor.
• Process until the molasses is completely distributed and the sugar has become evenly golden brown and soft.
• Stop once or twice and scrape the sides if you see little streaks or pockets of molasses.
• That is literally it!
• A food processor makes very quick work of the job. Alton Brown’s tested homemade brown sugar method uses this same basic process and takes about a minute in the food processor.
• No food processor?
• You can work the molasses into the sugar with a fork and a little patience. It will look clumpy and slightly alarming at first… keep mixing. Eventually that sticky molasses starts coating all those little sugar crystals and suddenly you have brown sugar.
• I actually think making a little bit by hand would be a fun thing to show the kids or grandkids. It really does feel like a tiny kitchen magic trick.

Want dark brown sugar instead?

Easy.

Use:

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 tablespoons unsulfured molasses

Mix it exactly the same way.

That extra tablespoon of molasses gives you the deeper color and stronger molasses flavor associated with dark brown sugar.

And I have to say… if you are taking pictures of this little experiment, make a bowl of each.

Put the white sugar, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar next to one another and you can really see what that little spoonful of molasses does.

Sometimes yes.

Dark brown sugar has more molasses, so it has a stronger flavor and can bring slightly more moisture and acidity to a recipe. That can make a difference in the flavor and texture of certain baked goods.

So if Grandma’s cookie recipe specifically says dark brown sugar… I would use dark.

If it says light… use light.

In an emergency the two can often pinch hit for one another, but when you have the choice… follow the recipe.

Baking has enough opportunities to humble us without deliberately giving it another one. Lol!

Now let’s talk about the other brown sugar problem.

THE BRICK.

You know the one.

Brown sugar gets its soft texture from moisture associated with the molasses. When that moisture escapes because the sugar is exposed to air, the sugar hardens and those lovely soft little granules eventually become one solid lump.

So if your brown sugar turns hard… it hasn’t necessarily gone bad.

It has basically dried out.

And what it needs is moisture.

Which brings us to one of those Mom tricks…

Yes… it does.

But there is a little catch.

It is not fast.

Place your hardened brown sugar in an airtight container with a slice of bread and close the container.

The brown sugar gradually takes moisture from the bread. Over time the bread becomes dry and the brown sugar becomes softer.

Testing by The Kitchn found that the bread method worked, but it took about 24 hours, which makes it much better as an overnight rescue than an emergency cookie solution.

So Mom was right.

Just don’t expect to put a slice of Wonder Bread in the container at 2:00 and have chocolate chip cookies in the oven at 2:05.

Give it overnight.

Once your sugar has softened, remove the bread.

This is another old fashioned method you may have heard about.

Place a piece of apple in an airtight container with the hardened brown sugar.

The idea is basically the same as the bread method. Moisture from the apple gradually transfers to the sugar.

And yes… this one works too.

But once again, we are talking hours rather than minutes. Testing found that an apple can begin softening some of the sugar within about 12 hours, with more complete softening taking closer to a day.

Personally… if I am choosing between sacrificing a piece of apple and a slice of bread, I am probably reaching for the bread.

I would rather eat the apple!

Now we have entered cookie emergency territory.

Your butter is softened.

The oven is preheating.

You have mentally committed to cookies.

This is NOT the time for someone to tell you to come back tomorrow.

For a fast rescue, put the hardened brown sugar into a microwave safe glass or ceramic bowl.

Cover it with a damp paper towel.

Microwave for about 20 seconds.

Check the sugar and begin breaking it apart with a fork.

If it still needs help, continue in short bursts until it softens.

The moisture and steam from the damp towel help restore moisture to the sugar very quickly. The Kitchn tested this method and found it substantially faster than the bread and apple methods.

Just remember…

You are softening the sugar.

You are not trying to cook it.

Short little bursts are our friend here.

These really can help.

You soak the little terra cotta disk in water according to its directions, dry off the excess water and place it inside the brown sugar container.

It slowly releases moisture and helps keep the sugar from becoming hard.

And yes… this is one of the brown sugar tricks we have actually talked about here at The Cottage Market before.

Which is one reason I wanted today’s post to go much further than simply talking about how to keep brown sugar soft.

Now we can make it, rescue it and store it properly.

Prevention is pretty simple.

Keep the air out.

Once you open your brown sugar, store it in a truly airtight container. If you keep it in a resealable bag, push as much air out as you reasonably can before closing it.

Air exposure is what allows moisture to escape and starts that hardening process.

For homemade brown sugar, I like the idea of keeping it in a small glass jar or airtight pantry container.

It looks pretty.

You can see exactly how much is left.

And if we are being truthful… anything that makes the pantry look a little prettier while actually being useful gets extra points around here.

Store your homemade brown sugar tightly covered at room temperature.

Alton Brown’s homemade dark brown sugar recipe recommends keeping the finished sugar in an airtight container for up to about one month.

Since this recipe takes about a minute to make, I would simply make what you expect to use rather than preparing enormous batches.

Plus… a jar of molasses lasts a lot longer in my pantry when I am not staring at it every day wondering what on earth I bought it for.

Now we know!

If you can practically knock on the counter with it… don’t panic.

Break the block into smaller pieces if you safely can.

Then use one of the moisture methods above.

If you need it tomorrow… use the bread method.

If you need it in the next few minutes… use the damp paper towel and microwave method.

If you want a very controlled approach… use the tiny amount of water method.

What I would not do is throw the sugar away simply because it is hard.

Most of the time that sad little brown sugar brick is completely rescueable.

Homemade Light Brown Sugar

Makes enough to replace approximately 1 cup of brown sugar

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

Instructions

• Place the sugar and molasses into a food processor.
• Process for approximately one minute or until the molasses is completely incorporated and the sugar is evenly golden brown.
• Stop and scrape down the bowl if needed.
• Use immediately or transfer to an airtight container.
• For dark brown sugar, simply increase the molasses to 2 tablespoons.
• Store tightly covered at room temperature.

If you find a brick of brown sugar in the pantry tonight… put a slice of bread in there before you go to bed.

Then check it tomorrow morning.

It’s such a simple little experiment and I think you might be surprised.

And if you are completely out of brown sugar… grab the granulated sugar and molasses and make your own.

Two ingredients.

About a minute.

No emergency trip to the grocery store.

Sometimes Mom’s kitchen really did have all the answers.

Stay tuned for another What Mom Knew Wednesday… because next time we are going to tackle another one of those things many of us have probably thrown away when we absolutely didn’t need to.

Crystallized honey.

Did Grandma know how to bring it back to life?

Oh yes she did.