Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is white sugar combined with molasses, giving it a moist texture and a warm, caramel-like flavor used throughout baking, glazes, and marinades.
How to buy
Light brown sugar has less molasses and a milder flavor, while dark brown sugar has more molasses and a deeper, more robust taste; pick based on the intensity you want. It should feel moist and clump slightly, not dry and crumbly, which signals it has dried out.
How to store
Keep in an airtight container or sealed bag to prevent it from drying out and hardening, since the molasses that keeps it moist evaporates in open air. If it does harden, a slice of bread, a damp paper towel, or a few seconds in the microwave under a damp cover can soften it again.
Culinary profile
- Flavor
- Warm, caramel-like sweetness with molasses's deeper notes of toffee and a faint bitterness underneath. Dark brown sugar tastes more robust and almost smoky compared to the milder flavor of light brown sugar.
- Texture
- Moist and slightly clumpy from its molasses coating, unlike the dry, free-flowing texture of white sugar, and it packs down firmly when measured, which is why recipes usually call for it "packed."
- Aroma
- A rich, caramel-and-molasses aroma that becomes more pronounced and toasty once baked or melted.
How to prepare
- Creamed with butter — Beaten together as the base for cookie and bar doughs.
- Melted into glaze — Cooked with butter or liquid into sticky glazes and sauces.
- Rubbed onto meat — Mixed into dry rubs for a caramelized crust on grilled or smoked meats.
- Sprinkled and broiled — Topped onto dishes like sweet potatoes or oatmeal and broiled until bubbly.
Classic dishes
American
- Chocolate chip cookies — A chewy cookie whose soft texture and caramel notes come largely from brown sugar.
- Brown sugar glazed ham — A baked ham coated in a sticky glaze built from melted brown sugar.
- Pecan pie — A rich, gooey pie filling built on brown sugar and corn syrup.
- Boston baked beans — Slow-baked beans sweetened and darkened with brown sugar and molasses.
- Gingerbread — A spiced cake or cookie whose deep, warm sweetness comes from brown sugar and molasses.
- Brown sugar oatmeal — Cooked oats sweetened with a spoonful of brown sugar stirred in or sprinkled on top.
- Candied sweet potatoes — Sweet potatoes baked in a sticky butter and brown sugar glaze.
- Barbecue dry rub for ribs — A spice rub that uses brown sugar to help form a caramelized bark during smoking.
- Candied bacon — Bacon strips coated in brown sugar and baked until crisp and caramelized.
- Blondies — A dense, chewy bar cookie whose butterscotch flavor comes directly from brown sugar.
German
- Lebkuchen — Spiced German cookies whose dark sweetness comes from brown sugar and honey or molasses.
Cajun & Creole
- Cajun pralines — A pecan candy cooked with brown sugar and cream until thick and caramelized.
Caribbean
- Caribbean rum cake — A dense, rum-soaked cake whose caramel notes rely heavily on brown sugar.
- Jamaican brown stew chicken — Chicken browned in caramelized brown sugar before being stewed with vegetables and spices.
British & Irish
- Sticky toffee pudding — A moist date cake served with a rich toffee sauce built on brown sugar and butter.
- Shortbread with brown sugar — A variation on classic shortbread using brown sugar for a deeper, toffee-like flavor.