The next time you're fresh out of brown sugar--or strapped with a brick log, scraping sugar crystals out of the bag--why not churn out your own?
Not to be confused with natural raw sugars like turbinado or muscovado, brown sugar is simply refined white sugar with molasses (a byproduct of sugar processing) added back in.
Here's how to make homemade brown sugar:
We use blackstrap molasses to lend a slightly bitter, black licoricetaste to gingerbread and spice cookies; it also makes for a more moistbaked good. For dark brown sugar, add more molasses. Spice it up withcinnamon, cloves, or even cocoa powder, or add some zing with citruszest. A combo of flavors like this will make a great dry rub or fruitsalad topping. If the sugar does dry out, just stick a piece of breadin the bag or jar overnight and you should have malleable brown sugarin the morning.
Here are some recipes to put your homemade brown sugar to use:
Photos by Katherine Kims