Homemade Brown Sugar

Brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added back in — so you can make it fresh anytime instead of buying a bag that hardens into a brick in the pantry.

What You Need

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses (light brown sugar) or 2 tablespoons (dark brown sugar)

Method

1. Place the sugar in a mixing bowl and add the molasses.
2. Mix with a fork, or your fingers, until the molasses is completely and evenly distributed and the sugar looks uniformly moist and golden-brown.
3. Break up any small clumps as you go — it should end up light and fluffy, not sticky-wet.
4. Store in an airtight container. Use exactly like store-bought brown sugar.

Tips & Notes

• More molasses = darker, more robust flavor. Start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.
• To keep any brown sugar soft in storage, add a small piece of bread or a food-safe terracotta "sugar bear" to the jar.
• Blackstrap molasses gives a deeper, slightly bitter-edged flavor; regular unsulfured molasses is milder and more traditional for baking.

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