Light brown sugar is used to provide a subtle sweetness to baked goods and even to savory dishes. It has a light color and a light flavor that's less sweet than white sugar. It's often used in cookies to help make them soft and moist.
Since both of these can be used in many baking recipes, it's important to understand which one you prefer. The light brown sugar is going to have a milder taste while the dark brown will have more of a smokey flavor. Dark brown sugar is more popular in spice cake recipes and flavors like that.
Can you substitute dark brown sugar for light brown sugar? In general, yes, the sugars are interchangeable in most recipes. Especially in most standard baking recipes that call for a mix of sugars like cookies and/or when brown sugar isn't the star ingredient for flavor, you can use one versus the other.
Generally speaking, “golden” brown sugar has a light, delicate flavour without the heavy molasses notes of darker brown sugars. Regular brown sugar is dark and moist and is used for tasks where you want more of a molasses kick. Demerara sugar is darker still, with large crystals that give it a crunchy texture.
Light brown sugar is what is used more often in baking, sauces and, glazes. I prefer light brown sugar in my favorite Peanut Butter Blossoms recipe. Dark brown sugar, because of the rich molasses flavor, is used in richer foods, like gingerbread. Try dark brown sugar in Savory Sweet Life's Chocolate Chip Cookies.
It's also what distinguishes light brown sugar, which contains 3% to 4% molasses, from dark brown sugar, which contains 6% to 10% molasses. Light and dark brown sugar can be used interchangeably in a pinch, but if you're making homemade brown sugar, it's easy to adjust based on what the recipe calls for.
Brown sugars can come in various forms (e.g., coarse or soft), depending on their moisture content, which can be modified through different processing techniques and by adjusting the amount of molasses they contain.
Using dark brown sugar when a recipe calls for light will give your final product a more robust taste and a darker color, and it might slightly affect the texture. Because acidic molasses reacts with baking soda, using dark brown sugar in place of light might cause a higher rise and/or a wider spread.
There are two main types - light brown sugar and dark brown sugar. Brown sugar is often used in cooking as it brings out undertones of caramel, toffee, and spice flavors, helping to provide richness and depth to everything from cakes and cookies to marinades for meats.
Light, brown, turbinado, muscovado, and more.
The distinction comes from the amount of molasses each sugar contains. Light brown sugar contains around 3.5 percent molasses and dark brown sugar contains 6.5 percent. Regardless, the body processes these sugars the same. While these two sugars are nutritionally almost identical, their tastes can vary quite a bit.
Organic brown sugar from organic cane sugar may be a better choice because it is grown and processed with fewer or no toxic chemicals. However, we should be more concerned about added sugar's negative health impacts because it can lead to obesity and diabetes and may impact cardiovascular health.
So what's the difference between light and dark brown sugar? The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses each contains. Light brown sugar has less molasses per total volume of sugar (about 3.5% according to Rose Levy Beranbaum) while dark brown sugar has more (6.5%).
Granulated sugar: Granulated sugar, also known as white sugar or table sugar, is the go-to sugar in baking and cooking. Granulated sugar is white in color, highly refined, and often fine in texture. Finely granulated sugars are practical for baking because of their ability to dissolve easily into a liquid or batter.
There are two main varieties: golden brown and dark brown. Golden brown sugar (also called light brown sugar) has a less pronounced molasses flavor than dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar is deeper-colored and packs more intense, caramel-like notes than golden brown sugar.
Yes, you can use brown sugar in your coffee. And some prefer the flavor over white sugar. It has a deeper more complex flavor than white sugar and it retains more nutrients, so it may be slightly healthier as well. We'll talk about brown sugar and health a little later in this post.
Light brown sugar is the most common of the five sugars we'll discuss. It's made by mixing together refined white sugar with a small amount of molasses (something you can DIY in a pinch at home). Light brown sugar gets its color, caramel-y flavor, and moist texture from molasses.
Talking about sugar being good for health, then natural sugar or stevia is the best. They have many health benefits to offer apart from weight loss. It has all the essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for your body. While stevia is also known to be the best sugar for weight loss.
Brown sugars that have been only mildly centrifuged or unrefined (non-centrifuged) retain a much higher degree of molasses and are called various names across the globe according to their country of origin: e.g. panela, rapadura, jaggery, muscovado, piloncillo, etc.
Brown sugar essentially does not go bad (unless contaminants have gotten mixed in), making it ideal for buying in bulk, if you do a lot of baking. Hardened sugar isn't bad. It's just in need of moisture. However, brown sugar will perform best if used within two years of purchase.
Brown Sugar | You can use either light or dark brown sugar. The dark version will always taste more like molasses which leads to a richer flavor. Use what you have and don't overthink it. Onion and Garlic Powder | Make sure not to use onion or garlic salt.
You can check to see if you have real brown sugar at home. All you have to do is put a spoonful of sugar in a glass of water and see whether or not the supposed brown sugar turns white.
Bottom Line. The main difference between white sugar and brown sugar is the presence of molasses. This gives brown sugar a distinctive flavor, color and moisture level that makes it stand out from regular white table sugar.
The cookies made with 100% brown sugar would be weirdly porous and take a while to crisp, but they'd be extra malty and delicious. The version made with 100% white sugar may not be as light, but they'd be particularly crisp and spicy, as the ginger would remain untamed by molasses.