Brown Sugar.

[Big Daddy's House]

Did any of you know that you can easily make your own brown sugar at home?

All you need is some regular sugar and molasses.

Just add it a little at a time to the sugar until it is at the shade of color that you want it to be - light, medium or dark. Certainly beats running to the store for brown sugar, and it helps you save money because you don't really need to buy it as long as you have the regular sugar & molasses. And most houesholds usually do!

Also, it avoids that one most aggravating problem; The store-bought brown sugar hardens like a rock in time if you don't use it up soon enough!! That is now a thing of the past with me.

And so, now, when I bake, and I'm using a cookie, cake or other baking recipe that calls for brown sugar, I just make the amount that's needed in the recipe so that there is no hard brown sugar haging around. Works great for me!!

[mcnerd]

Yes, it is always interesting to see science reversed. Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined sugar crystals with some residual molasses content. Or sometimes additional molasses added for consistency in the final product.

Natural brown sugar is a name for raw sugar which is a brown sugar produced from the first crystallization of the sugar cane. As such "natural brown sugar" is free of additional dyes and chemicals.

Cane and beet molasses are the end-products of the sugar manufacturing process and once no more sugar can be crystallised from the raw crop, the residual product is molasses. A hundred tonnes of sugar cane will give 10-11 tonnes of sugar and 3-4 tonnes of molasses, whilst 100 tonnes of sugar beet will give 11-12 tonnes of sugar and 4-6 tonnes of molasses.

:D

[Big Daddy's House]

There is also a product called Sugar in the Raw, which is practically sugar in its natural
state.

[Big Daddy's House]

I first learned about homemade brown sugar when I went to culinary school.

The bakery chef there does it that way to avoid having to buy brown sugar already made.

[cookiefan]

Knowing all these tips and the common substitutions for various ingredients can make cooking and baking so much easier! According to my trusty Betty Crocker Cookbook the substitution for 1 cup of packed brown sugar is 1 cup of granulated sugar mixed with 2 tablespoons of molasses or dark corn syrup.

I also often depend on the buttermilk substitute of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or cider vinegar plus enough milk to equal 1 cup for 1 cup of it. You can also use an equal amount of plain yogurt.
_________________
Martha
http://www.best-ever-cookie-collection.com

[Big Daddy's House]

I didn't even know that was in the Betty Crocker coolbook, and I got several of them!

I knew about the one on how to substitute buttermilk though.

[Sean Penn]

I know about this but never tried to make it...but now that you have posted here thinking of trying it.

[Big Daddy's House]

As long as you have plenty of regular sugar and molasses, you will NEVER have to buy brown sugar again. Of course, unless you want to.

[electrictoaster]

I have been substituting BS for honey lately, we get some great types from Tasmania (particularly Leatherwood).

Although I am going to try and make my own now! Got any good recipes?

ET