Now wait just a second.
Why did no one tell me how dang easy it is to make my own brown sugar?
I sorta blew my own mind this morning. It turns out that granulated sugar and molasses when combined with a bowl and fork (or mixer, if you’re feelin’ fancy) produces the freshest and fluffiest brown sugar. Man… that’s satisfying.
And! Bonus! You can make the brown sugar as dark and flavorful as you like by controlling the amount of molasses.
This is just too good… and I’m just dorky enough to freak out at this kind of thing.
Alright . Let’s put on out big, fat, brainiac caps. This is about to get tough. We’re mixing together two ingredients. In a bowl. With a fork… or a mixer. If you use a mixer, you’ll still need a fork. Don’t fight it.
How to Make Brown Sugar
1 cup granulated cane sugar
1 Tablespoon unsulfured molasses
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the sugar and molasses. It’s that easy. There’s a part in this process where the molasses is super gunky and clumpy. You’ll think to yourself: Joy, you were wrong… this is coming out all wrong. Don’t worry. keep mixing it all together. It will even itself out. Work it until completely incorporated and no big molasses globs remain. For dark brown sugar, add another tablespoon of molasses. Use as you would in your favorite cake and cookie recipes. Store in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag with the air pressed out. Dang that’s easy!
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Healthier Brown Sugar Alternative
I was looking for a healthier way to make a dessert sauce that called for brown sugar and came across Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (which is quite expensive). But I’m interested in using Stevia which is a natural sweetener rather than Splenda.
So here is my recipe (thanks to you) for Stevia Brown Sugar Blend:
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
1T Unsulphured Molasses – Blend the two together as Joy indicates
Stevia equivalent to 1/2 cup Sugar
I think it will probably be wonderful. If you try it in baked goods, please let me know how it turns out.
Joy, The wonder of it all. Son and I were talking about brown sugar in his BBQ recipe. Like many, I thought you bought brown sugar like cane sugar. For 55 years been doing that for all the baking I have done. Well Dah…just like you goggled in” how to make” and you popped up. Read your blog and proceded to run and I mean run to the kitchen and made a double batch. Knocked me over with a chicken feather. It was so easy and took only 10 minutes to make. It is the best and never will I spend another bloody cent for store bought brown sugar. As a matter of fact my other Son made 7 dozen Choc Chip Cookies over the weekend for a house guest who loves them. We had just enough store bought BS. I will never be out of BS again thanks to you. Thank you again for the blog.
Ohmigosh…Peigie, you are stinkin’ adorable! I, too, found Joy’s blog on a “Oh Sweet Mother of Jesus I’m in the middle of making cookies and I JUST RAN OUT OF BROWN SUGAR” moment! Thank goodness for Google!
Oh, and Joy, too! ;)
Mama M, that’s exactly the moment i had too! and there was no way i wanted to miss out on baking during NAPTIME.. Thanks, Joy :)
Yesterday I got set to make a couple of loaves of oatmeal molasses bread but noticed I had run out of brown sugar. I remembered this post you made and so took my molasses out of the fridge to mix it into some cane sugar like you said. It was just too easy! I made about 6 cups of brown sugar total so I now have plenty on hand. I got to make my loaves of bread so I really appreciate you sharing this info! It helped me in a pinch, and since I always seem to have molasses on hand, I have no need to buy brown sugar anymore. Thanks!! :)
you are funny and fancy lol
Thank you so much! I’m home baking in my PJs and you totally just saved the granola bars I’m making. No brown sugar? No prob!
I was buying light brown sugar at Costco to save money, but they don’t sell dark brown sugar and it’s really needed in my baking recipes. I’m going to give this a try.
Question – can you store it for a long period of time, the same as you would with dark brown sugar?
Thanks in advance
Joy, this is awesome. I really enjoy tips like this. Since then I have tried making my own syrup, yum, and sweetened condensed milk, and thing like that. love it!
Bonus, my husband thinks I’m a genius, he is so impressed. Lol
Making your own brown sugar has GOT to be cheaper than buying it at the grocery. Additionally I think measuring brown sugar is a pain. I figure, measure the regular sugar add the molasses and then you don’t have to fight a small plastic bag to pack down the brown sugar you bought from store.
As far as I know, this is how the sugar companies make brown sugar as opposed to demerara and turbinado, which are products of the processing order from sugar cane to granulated white sugar. I agree that making your own brown sugar is cheaper so long as you keep molasses in the pantry anyway.
I wanted to make oatmeal cookies but didn’t have brown sugar. i don’t know how I came across your recipe for br. sugar but I’m glad I did! Thanks-a-stack!!! (-;
thanks
Omg. I love your blog but just saw this post. I live in the Czech Republic and brown sugar is expensive and only available in specialty stores. This is awesome. I am totally making cookies tonight. You rock Joy. :)
Joy,
Thank You for the Blog! I’m in Germany for a year and love to bake. Problem is, scratch that -was- no brown sugar to be found! Like others mentioned I typed how to make brown sugar and there you are! I tried to just put in sugar and molasses like other websites suggesting substitutes said, and my cookies didn’t turn out as well. This last batch turned out perfect, thanks to your recipe for brown sugar.
Happy Baking!
Joy
Same as above for me…….Out of B.Sugar, typed in how to make and there you were! saved me a trip into town (I live in the country)……….Love this site! rock on Joy!!!
I’ve been making brown sugar for a couple years – I use coarser turbinado and process it to a finer grain then stir in the molasses. I use unsulphered blackstrap molasses for a rich and complex flavor.
I knew molasses was in brown sugar; I didn’t know how much until I “googled:and why buy it for just the conveniene when you can blend up some fresh and save a trip to the grocery store!
This just totally saved my life last week. Thank you!
I just made my first batch of brown sugar ,at first I thought this smells like making beef jerky ,but when I let it sit for a while then tasted it . It is great!!! I will never buy brown sugar again. Just ten minutes and you have fresh brown sugar. Thank you so much Joy.
If you are going to be creaming the brown sugar with butter or shortening, can you skip the step of mixing the sugar and molassas and just cream the white sugar, molassas and butter? Just food for thought.
OMG!! – I am equally dorky and fascinated by such tips, …NEVER left a comment before. Love this, thank you. I live abroad and either ‘mule’ over brown sugar or order from insanely expensive expat store. Who knew? Chocolate chip cookies and pecan pie require brown sugar, so let’s see how this works. Hope to remain eternally grateful.
This was great!!! I’ve recently purchased molasses and the smell is super gross to me. Thanks for helping me find a way to use it!
Thank you for your wonderful TIPS. I am looking for a substitute for Brown sugar without using granulated sugar. I have a person with Cancer and he cannot use any granulated sugars or white flour. Any Ideas? I would appreciate any help, even a way to prepare some simple desserts for him.
Thank you
my mother suggested we make our own brown sugar using turbinado sugar and molasses. then i came across your recipe. we also have stevia on hand. wondered if the same proportion would apply for white sugar as for turbinado. thank you for your blog. we also make our own laundry soap and spend half as much as formerly. have a blessed day.
Woo hoo! I used two tablespoons of molasses. Thanks for crossing something else off my grocery list.
So I set out on my voyage to make some chocolate chip cookies. Obstacle #1. No brown sugar. Solution #1. make my own brown sugar using your recipe (but I like mine kinda dark so i modified a little hehe). Obstacle number 2. Only 1/4 cup of butter. Solution #2. Add in 1/4 cup of coconut oil to make it a half a cup. Obstacle #3. No chocolate chips. Solution #3. Throw half a slab of white bakers chocolate in the blender and make my own chips. Results? Best darn cookies I have eaten in a long, long time.
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