Homemade Dark Brown Sugar
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Learn how to make homemade dark brown sugar with 2 simple ingredients. Never buy brown sugar again, and always have fresh, soft dark brown sugar for baking!
If you're looking for more homemade ingredients for baking, try How to Make Light Brown Sugar, How to Make Cake Flour, or How to Make Self Rising Flour.
Table of Contents
Have you ever started a recipe only to find that you are out of a key ingredient, such as dark brown sugar? Or maybe you only have light brown sugar, but the recipe calls for dark. What is the difference between light and dark brown sugar? Are light brown sugar and dark brown sugar interchangeable?
Today I’m going to talk about dark brown sugar — one of my absolute favorite baking ingredients. When I had my bake shop, we solely used dark brown sugar because I’ve always felt it is superior. But light brown sugar is more accessible, easily found in stores, and is what most baking recipes call for. So let’s talk about the difference.
What is the difference between light and dark brown sugar?
Both light brown sugar and dark brown sugar contain the same two ingredients — cane sugar and molasses. Light brown sugar has a lower percentage of molasses and dark brown sugar has a higher percentage of molasses. That is the only difference!
But what does that mean for your baked goods? Well, if a recipe calls for dark brown sugar (or for light) that flavor is going into the entire recipe. Dark brown sugar has more molasses and is darker in color. This translates to a richer flavor in your baked goods as well as a darker color.
Many people say that dark brown sugar is only used for certain things, and that it is not most common for classic baked goods. But I beg to differ. I use dark brown sugar in classic bakes like cookies, brownies, and more. Try it out in my Chocolate Chip Crinkle Cookies or my Coffee Cake Muffins.
How do you make dark brown sugar?
Dark brown sugar is very easy to make, just like light brown sugar. All you need are two ingredients: organic cane sugar and organic blackstrap molasses. In the bowl of your stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, you mix up these two ingredients until uniform. That’s it! And I am going to show you how to make your own dark brown sugar below.
Can you make dark brown sugar from light brown sugar?
Yes, you absolutely can make dark brown sugar form light brown sugar. If you don’t have cane sugar, and you have light brown sugar, you can make dark brown sugar out of light brown sugar instead.
Because dark brown sugar and light brown sugar contain the same two ingredients, you can use light brown sugar to make dark brown sugar. When doing so, you just add in less molasses than you would if you were using cane sugar.
I actually prefer to make homemade dark brown sugar out of light brown sugar because the cost is lower. This is something I just know from owning a bake shop for over ten years! While organic cane sugar is less expensive than organic light brown sugar — organic blackstrap molasses is much more expensive per ounce than both.
So, when I make homemade dark brown sugar out of cane sugar, I need to add way more molasses than if I am making it out of light brown sugar. That larger amount of molasses adds up in cost. So, I always make my homemade dark brown sugar out of light brown sugar instead of cane sugar.
There is no right or wrong way to make dark brown sugar. It’s just a personal preference if you want to make it with cane sugar and molasses or light brown sugar and molasses. Or you can use whatever you have in your pantry at the time!
My beta for how to make your own dark brown sugar is this. I buy organic light brown sugar, usually from Wholesome. And, then I make homemade dark brown sugar out of that light brown sugar. If I am out of light brown sugar and I need it, then I will make light brown sugar from scratch as well.
So I am going to give you a recipe for how to make your own dark brown sugar. This simple recipe for Homemade Dark Brown Sugar is going to give you the option to use organic cane sugar or organic light brown sugar, and the right amount of molasses for each!
I highly recommend using Wholesome Blackstrap Molasses, as that is the molasses I use for these recipes. You can use any kind of organic cane sugar you prefer, my favorites are Costco, Wholesome, and Florida Crystals. And I use Wholesome Light Brown Sugar.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
2 Ingredients: I love this recipe because it only has 2 ingredients, organic sugar and blackstrap molasses.
Never Buy Brown Sugar Again: When know how to make homemade dark brown sugar, you'll never have to buy it again!
Never Run Out: Learn how to make homemade dark brown sugar and never run out again! No last minute trips to the store for this ingredient if you realize it's rock hard in your pantry.
Ingredients
Cane Sugar or Light Brown Sugar: The choice is yours, you can make dark brown sugar with either one! I provide an easy recipe using either sugar. Make sure to buy organic ingredients.
Blackstrap Molasses: Organic blackstrap molasses is the key ingredient to brown sugar.
Tools Needed
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Step by Step Instructions
Step 1
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar (either cane sugar or light brown, whichever you are using) and molasses. It helps if you add the sugar first, then create a small hole in the center and add the molasses in there. This helps because then it won’t stick to the sides right away and it will mix in more easily and more uniform from the start.
Step 2
Turn the mixer on low, and mix until combined. Using a hard scraper spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle to remove excess molasses, and mix again.
Step 3
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
FAQ's
When a recipe calls for brown sugar and it doesn’t specify if it is light or dark, then it is most likely light brown sugar. While most people only use light brown sugar, it can sometimes be left off the recipe notes if written by a home cook. So, in that case, use light brown sugar.
No, light brown sugar does not taste the same as dark brown sugar. Because the molasses content is different, the flavor will also be different. Light brown sugar has a lighter flavor, and dark brown sugar has a richer and more intense flavor.
Yes and no, light brown sugar and dark brown sugar are interchangeable in a recipe as far as the ingredient itself goes. You will not “mess up” your recipe if you replace one for the other. They work about the same in baked goods. The difference in changing out light brown sugar for dark or the other way around is the flavor. When someone is writing a recipe, all the ingredients are considered, and they play a major role. So, if you swap out dark brown sugar for light or light brown sugar for dark — your recipe may either be too rich or not rich enough. So proceed with caution.
Craving More?
Homemade Dark Brown Sugar
Equipment
Ingredients
With Cane Sugar
- 454 grams cane sugar
- 79 grams blackstrap molasses
With Light Brown Sugar
- 454 grams light brown sugar (packed)
- 35 grams blackstrap molasses
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar (either cane sugar or light brown, whichever you are using) and molasses. It helps if you add the sugar first, then create a small hole in the center and add the molasses in there. This helps because then it won’t stick to the sides right away and it will mix in more easily and more uniform from the start.
- Turn the mixer on low, and mix until combined. Using a hard scraper spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle to remove excess molasses, and mix again.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
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