Did you know you can MAKE YOUR OWN BROWN SUGAR!? I didn’t, until recently. What in the heck have I been running to the store last minute for all these years?
Even better, now this is one less thing I have to “have on hand” during baking season. The whole process is super duper simple, and takes about 2 seconds {okay 5 seconds if you include getting out the supplies}.
Ingredients
1 cup plain old sugar
1 Tbsp. molasses {for light brown sugar} and 2 Tbsp. molasses {for dark brown sugar}
Directions
Place both ingredients in a bowl. Beat on low with a hand mixer. It will be a bit sticky and lumpy at first, but press on. After just the tiniest bit of patience, you will have purdy no-one-can-tell-it’s-not-store-bought-brown-sugar.
To store, just pop it into an airtight container and use as needed.
Veronica says
I find it stays crumbly and moist longer than store bought BS. Also you can customize the darkness of your sugar,. I.e. medium brown sugar. I haven’t bought BS in years! Way cheaper for me too!
Lynn says
I use a ninja or food processor and just kind of pulse it. No sugar fiying around in contained mixer. ; )
Alice says
You rock. Thanks for sharing this!
Megan says
Mind=Blown. How I have not known this?!?
Mari says
Keep a small apple in the container and this will keep it soft and moist and easy to use. When the apple gets all wrinkly, remove it and eat it or compost it and replace it. I always have one in my moist sugar jars. When my son was younger, the apples were always going missing out of the jars. He loved them. He finally realised at about age 9 that it was wise to replace the apple and mum was none the wiser lol.
Debby D says
I’m diabetic and avoid using sugar. But I do the same thing with splenda and agave syrup. I find it works great and doesn’t make my bloodsugars spike. good advice.
Barbara says
Oh, Debby D – thank you for this idea! I am absolutely going to try this on my hubby who is diabetic. I’ve never tried agave, but we love mashed sweet potatoes with cinnamon brown sugar butter on them. I use Splenda brown sugar now, and I will buy some agave syrup the very next time I shop! Hugs!
Charla Echlin says
What? How could I have never known this! Wow, thanks!!
Terry Dranitsaris says
Who says you can’t learn something new everyday of our lives. What an amazing way to save money and from the sugar hardening. I am thankful for the person who discovered this method and for the apple trick, you can bet I won’t buy brown sugar at the store anymore.
Thanks for the tip.
Terry
Laura @ All Spice and Yum says
I just had to do this last weekend when I didn’t realize I was out of brown sugar. It worked amazingly!
Sara L says
You are a genius! I believe my first comment ever….but this post deserves it! Wow!
Ronni Kay says
I always keep a piece of bread in my brown sugar. and if i forget or it gets to dry and the sugar dries out i just put a new one in. a piece of bread will soften up a hard dry chunk of brown sugar right back to how it was when you bought it.
Diane says
We use a piece of bread also. It’s also great to keep soft cookies from going hard… or can re-soften hardened cookies.
michelle says
great need to make some
amanda says
Came in real handy when making sloppy joes last night and realized we were out of BS… whipped this in and saved the day!
catherine foster says
I, too, never heard of this before. So I’m adding this to the list of Mavis ideas that are improving my household and wallet. So far, I’ve made the laundry detergent, fabric softener, found more uses for olive oil than I ever knew of, and the list goes on. You’re a godsend! Thank you.
susan says
Hi Mavis,
I wonder if I have a recipe that requires a lot of stirring and cooking (maybe making salsa for canning, for example), could I get by with adding the white sugar and molasses separately? Or is it best to make the brown sugar first and then add it to the recipe that will get cooked down anyway?
If I try it soon, I will report back….:)
Veronica says
I do that all the time. If you cream butter w/ the sugar and Molasses, like for cookies, it works just fine.