My kids and I love baking together. We’re always making cookies, cakes, and other sweet treats. BUT, the brown sugar in my pantry is always hard no matter how quickly I try to use it. Instead of trying to rehydrate my dry unappealing brown sugar, I set out on a mission to find the best homemade brown sugar recipe. Who knew that rich, flavorful brown sugar is made with just 2 simple ingredients. If you have white sugar, molasses, and 5 minutes you can make homemade brown sugar that’s even better than store bought!
How To Make Brown Sugar At Home
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
Step 1 In a bowl, combine 1 cup white granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses.
Step 2 Use a whisk, hand mixer, or stand mixer to combine the sugar and molasses until it is smooth without clumps. I find that a combination of stand mixer and whisk works best. Start with the stand mixer for about 1 minute on medium. After 1 minute, there may still be some clumps. Use a whisk to break up the clumps of molasses and continue to mix until golden brown and clump free!
I love baking with light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon of molasses makes it absolutely perfect! If you’re looking for a darker sugar simply add more molasses. Add additional molasses 1 teaspoon at a time until you get the desired color. If you happen to add too much molasses, add a bit more sugar until the consistency is perfect!
How To Store Homemade Brown Sugar
Don’t you hate when the brown sugar in your pantry gets hard and nearly impossible to use! It’s like trying to cook with a rock. Well that’s one of the things I love about making brown sugar at home. You can make exactly the right amount for any recipe. But if you do happen to have any leftover homemade brown sugar, here are a few tips to keeping it soft and fresh.
- Make sure to store brown sugar in an air tight container with very little head space. Meaning the container is about the same size at the brown sugar. The more air in your container, the quicker it hardens.
- Brown Sugar Bear– These clay bears are not only cute, but when soaked in water and placed in your brown sugar, they will keep it moist for 3-6 months!
- Add a marshmallow – I know it sounds crazy but adding a marshmallow to your brown sugar container will keep the sugar fresh! The marshmallow will get stale and somehow that keeps the brown sugar moist!
- Store unused brown sugar in the freezer in a sealed bag for up to 6 months. Make sure to thaw for 15 minutes before using in any recipe.
Never worry about running out of this key baking ingredient again. I love this baking hack because I can make the exact amount of brown sugar I need for any recipe. No more trying to bake with hard, dried up lumps of brown sugar. With this 5 minute kitchen hack for busy parents, you’ll always have the freshest brown sugar for all your baking needs!
Homemade Brown Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp unsulphured molasses
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine 1 cup white granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon unsulphered molasses.
- Use a stand mixer, hand mixer, or whisk to stir the sugar and molasses together until there are no more clumps and the sugar is golden brown.
- For dark brown sugar, add more molasses (1 teaspoon at a time) until you achieve the desired color.
Notes
- If your brown sugar is too dark for your liking, simply add a bit more sugar until the color is more golden brown.
- This recipe is easily doubled, tripled, or cut in half. Always have the perfect amount of brown sugar for any recipe.
- Make sure to store any leftover brown sugar in an air tight container!
Make sure to save and pin this cooking hack for later!
