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Thursday, April 9, 2009

Brown Sugar Confession/Question

This week I went to the store and real brown sugar was on sale. Since I usually buy the generic stuff that is made from beets, I decided I better get some. I also noticed that the dark brown sugar was on sale. I have known about it but never tried it since the generic doesn't carry the dark brown. So I got a package of that too out of curiosity and since it is the same price as the golden.When I got home, I decided to see what the difference was. I opened up the package and tried a pinch. It was REALLY good. I am already very familiar with the taste of regular brown sugar, but I decided to check that too just to compare them side by side. :)

My vote was in. The dark brown sugar won the taste test. I have been continuing to confirm my vote too, so much so that I really need to put the package away.

So now a bunch of brown sugar questions have popped up in my mind. I really like the dark brown sugar (when taken straight) better. It is obvious from the shelf supply that the golden brown is more popular though. Do they bake differently? Also, if you use dark brown, what do you use it for? Are there certain recipes where golden brown is better than dark and where dark is better than golden brown?

I would love to be flooded with your knowledge about the differences. Until then, however, I better go put my package in the cupboard before I get a sugar headache . . .

11 comments:

McKrola Family said...

I pretty much think they are interchangeable. Dark brown is soo delicious in cream of wheat or oatmeal, or Zoom. Dark brown make nice flavor in homemade granola too.

kimchi said...

I like the dark brown sugar - I think it has more molasses in it. I find that it does make my chocolate chip cookies (that uses brown sugar and no white sugar) a lot darker and my husband does not prefer this. I love it in granola, oatmeal, or anything where a molasses flavor would be complemented. It has been fabulous in barbecue sauce, pork rubs, and my Asian marinades. I have experimented with throwing a bag of dark brown with light brown sugar into my container and using the mixture to bake with - I think that might be my solution!

Judy T said...

I use the dark brown for just about everything. Of course, everyone here likes the dark, molasses flavors. My children even like sorghum. I have never noticed that much of a difference in how it cooks, I just like the flavor better.
Judy

Amy said...

I agree with kimchi...I've read somewhere that dark has more molasses. My dad swears by the dark version and only uses it when he bakes or cooks and needs brown sugar. I usually just use whatever type is called for in a recipe. Maybe I'll bake some cookies this weekend and do a comparison and let you know how it turns out.

Becky said...

I love the dark brown in my oatmeal at breakfast.

Cara said...

I use dark in everything. I NEVER buy light brown sugar. It tastes much better. I second the idea that it just has more molasses. I think that is the reason.
I'm sure you know this, but beet sugar is much better for you than regular sugar. If you're used to beet sugar, I'd stick to it!

Kristine Farley said...

I love the dark and buy it when it's on sale. I love the richer, fuller tastes it gives to everything! No recipe changes needed. Yum!!!

Kris said...

I use only dark brown sugar for everything because it is soooo much better than the light. I have no idea why they even have 2 kinds of brown sugar.

Anonymous said...

I make my own "brown" sugar by adding mollasses to white sugar and blending with a fork. It ends up tasting like dark brown and costs pennies extra and is fresh when I need it.

Linda said...

The darker, the better! Why would you buy sugar that has less flavour?

I'll give you ONE exception though.. white bread! If you use dark brown sugar in white bread (you know, just the 10 grams to have the yeast do its thing) it will totally ruin the appearance and make it look very gray-ish....

other than that.. brown sugar, yum!
Greetings from the netherlands ;)

Jamie Allen said...

Thanks for pointing out the difference... I never knew that brown sugar was made from beets. (kinda feel like an idiot now) I personally never have bought the light brown sugar. I was raised in a family that only used dark brown. I never realized the difference there either. I guess it is left to personal taste, or history. Thanks for the info.
Jamie

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