How to Convert an Amount of Brown Sugar to Plain Sugar

Making your own brown sugar will allow you to adjust it to your taste.

The main difference between brown sugar and plain white sugar is taste. Brown sugar has a strong molasses flavor. Brown sugar is used in many baking and cooking recipes. Light brown sugar is also used for making butterscotch and ham glaze. Dark brown sugar has a richer flavor. It is used in making gingerbread, baked beans and plum pudding. Besides flavor, brown sugar also adds bulk and structure and retains moisture in baked goods. When it is heated above its melting point, brown sugar caramelizes, changing color, aroma and flavor.

It is possible to convert an amount of brown sugar in a recipe to white sugar easily. This will save money.

Things You'll Need

• Bowl
• Fork
• 1 cup of plain sugar
• 2 tablespoons of molasses
• Airtight glass container

Instructions

1. Measure a cup of plain sugar.

2. Measure two tablespoons of molasses for dark brown sugar.

   Measure one tablespoon of molasses for light brown sugar.

3. Add the molasses to the sugar. This is equal to a cup of brown sugar.

4. Stir the mixture until it is even.

5. 

   Airtight containers keep moisture out.

   Store in an airtight glass container.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the molasses in the fridge until you're ready to mix it with the sugar so it does not melt the sugar.

• Make sure the fork and the bowl are absolutely dry, as it will make it difficult to mix otherwise.

• You can replace part of the plain sugar the recipe calls for with Splenda (sucralose) to cut calories and sugar content.

• Do not mix the sugar and the molasses in a blender or a food processor. This will ruin the texture of the sugar.

References

• University of Illinois Extension: FAQ ... Baking ... Brown Sugar ... Prevent Hardening etc.
• The Cook's Thesaurus: Sugars