Brown sugar how is it made

Traditionally, sugar cane is crushed and heated which allows impurities to be separated out. These are removed and the juice is boiled down and solidified. This solidified product is brown sugar. Brown sugar is again dissolved, boiled, and filtered. Molasses is the drainage of the raw sugar. Granulated sugar is brown sugar refined again. What was once black eventually becomes white and in turn black culture is perceived as acceptable only when appropriated by whites as white sugar is given regulated amounts of molasses.

From Elvis and his guitar to Kylie Jenner and her cornrows, black creativity and innovation is repackaged for massive white consumption.

But just as commercial brown sugar is white at is core, cultural appropriators neglect to acknowledge the stories of struggles so prominent in black culture. I tore off a small piece of my sweet confection and popped it into my mouth. Sweet and moist, the drops had the consistency of a brownie but the taste of gingerbread. Brown sugar does not have to be limited to fruitcakes or Memphis barbeque. It can be used wherever white sugar can be used.

You are brown sugar. Blog Roll Commenting Policy. Notes: Kiple, Kenneth F. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, , Mintz, Sidney W. New York: Penguin, , Abreu Galindo, Juan de, and Alejandro Cioranescu. Mintz, Fryer, Peter. London: Pluto, , Eichner, Alfred S.

This post may contain Affiliate Links. Please see my Full Disclosure Policy for more details. Ran out of brown sugar for those chocolate chip cookies you were craving?

No problem, honey, I got the solution right here! Learn how to turn granulated white sugar into brown sugar using 2 simple ingredients. Have you ever been in the midst of making a really crave-able dish, like chocolate chip cookies , and realized that you just don't have enough brown sugar or have completely run around? Me, too, friend.

Me, too. But never fear, your local neighborhood culinary-school-trained expert is here to show you that you probably won't have to buy brown sugar ever again. White sugar is simply sugarcane juice that has been heated, crystalized and filtered and bleached with bone char to create that white color. Commercially brown sugar is made by adding sugarcane molasses back to refined processed sugar crystals. This is different than unrefined 'raw' sugars that retain some molasses from the mother liquor naturally.

Molasses is what gives brown sugar and baked goods that caramel flavor. The reason why brown sugar is made like this is because the newly created white sugar industry in the 's started a smear campaign against brown sugar since they could not regulate or control brown sugar production. The campaign claimed brown sugar was inferior, dangerous, and infested with 'minute insects' Unfortunately because of general ignorance of science overall at the time, this campaign was successful and the white sugar industry overtook the commercial brown sugar business.

Those less-refined or unrefined brown sugars are often called 'raw' sugar, turbinado sugar these sugars are spun in a centrifuge until very little molasses is left and muscavado, kokuto, jaggery, panella, and other names depending on what country the sugar is from these sugars are minimally processed with large amounts of molasses. To make your own brown sugar all you need are two ingredients: white granulated sugar and molasses. Brown and white sugar also have unique flavor profiles.

Brown sugar has a deep, caramel or toffee-like flavor due to the added molasses. For this reason, it works well in chocolate cakes and cookies, as well as rich fruit cakes. On the other hand, white sugar is sweeter, so you can use less of it to attain your desired taste. Its neutral flavor makes it a versatile ingredient in baking, working well in fruit sponges and sweet pastries. White and brown sugar are used similarly in cooking. However, brown sugar contains molasses, which will affect the taste and color of food.

Whether you choose white or brown sugar comes down to personal preference, as taste and color are the main differences between the two. Importantly, sugar is thought to be a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic and major cause of diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease 8 , 9 , However, this should be limited even further for optimal health 11 , When choosing between brown or white sugar, let your personal preference guide you, as they will have equal effects on your health.

Choosing between white or brown sugar comes down to personal preference. They are nutritionally similar, resulting in similar health effects.

While they are produced differently, resulting in distinct tastes, colors, and culinary uses, brown sugar is often simply processed white sugar with molasses. Brown sugar contains slightly more minerals than white sugar but will not provide any health benefits. In fact, your intake of all types of sugar should be limited for optimal health.

Added sugar is associated with many serious diseases, including diabetes and obesity. Here are 10 healthier substitutes you can use instead. Here are 7 clever…. When it comes to honey vs. Among the most used are demerara, turbinado, and muscovado sugar, each with a different flavor profile: Demerara sugar is cane sugar that has a larger grain than average sugar.

It has a pleasant flavor, and it's widely used in baked goods. It has a moderate amount of molasses, thus the light color. Muscovado is a very unrefined sugar that is produced in a more manual way than commercially available white or brown sugar. It has a high molasses content, thus the dark color and deep flavor.

Turbinado sugar is cane sugar stemming from the first press, so it carries a lot more of the cane flavor and has a beautiful golden color. Make Your Brown Sugar Darker or Lighter This recipe uses just 1 tablespoon of molasses for each cup of white sugar, but you can adjust the amount of molasses depending on whether you want your brown sugar lighter or darker: To make dark brown sugar from white sugar, increase the molasses to 2 tablespoons per 1 cup of granulated sugar.

Stir with a fork and keep in an airtight container. To make dark brown sugar from light brown sugar, add 1 tablespoon of molasses to 1 cup of light brown sugar. Other Great Types of Sugar Don't have molasses or just want to try something different? Try these other methods of making "brown sugar": Add a tablespoon of maple syrup to a cup of granulated sugar.

Real maple syrup works best, but maple-flavored syrup could be used in a pinch. Add a tablespoon of agave nectar to a cup of granulated sugar. The flavor will be milder and the color lighter. Add a tablespoon of buckwheat honey to a cup of white granulated sugar. This honey is darker than orange blossom or wildflower honey and has a strong flavor much like molasses that will come through in the resulting sugar.

Recipe Tags: brown sugar homemade brown sugar dessert american. Rate This Recipe.