Brown sugar: dark or light?

[Janie Grace]

Even though I love to bake and do so pretty often, I never feel sure about what "color" to buy. I haven't read anything about how they differ in terms of final product, or if there are certain foods that call for a certain shade of brown. I always just end of grabbing one randomly. I think I have both shades mixed together in my canister right now. So, how about you? Dark or light, and why?

[Sara in AZ]

Dark! Chocolate chip cookie does not taste the same with light. It's almost like using all white. I try never to buy light.

[Donna]

I always buy dark.

[Janie Grace]

I wish the people who use them each for different things would weigh in and explain!

[Hwin]

I buy light unless I have a recipe that calls for dark.

[tearose]

I have both, but I default to light unless the recipe says otherwise. Mostly because I buy the light brown from Costco, and it's a lot cheaper.

[dbmamaz]

i dont care much. the difference is just how much molasses there is in it, and its just a different taste. most recipes that specify say light, but sometimes i buy dark just for variety.

[Caitilin]

Dark, always. :)

[Ali in OR]

Light always. I can't even remember ever tasting dark, but just because I know it has more molasses (and I don't really mind molasses--I like molasses cookies), I just think I would prefer the lighter taste. Less strong. One of these days I should try the dark to see the difference!

[nmoira]

Usually light (cheaper), and I add a bit of molasses if a recipe calls for dark.

[Truscifi]

Dark, because it has more flavor.

[TheReader]

Dark. But really what I get is rapadura, which is a block of what would become brown sugar if it were more refined. I love love love getting it in a big block and shaving off what I need; it is so much better.

 

Definitely a perk of living where I live, and I guess a fair enough trade off for crazy-expensive maple syrup. (I can get molasses, cheap, but not maple syrup).

[Harriet Vane]

Definitely dark--sooooooo much more gorgeous flavor.

[xixstar]

I have come across recipes by the Cooks Illustrated / Americas Test Kitchen folk where light vs dark does make a difference but they're few and far between and they even say that the majority of the time they are completely interchangeable. In that case I prefer dark over light.

[nertsmommy]

I make my own. I make it light. I don't care for molasses and with the darker it has more molasses.

[catz]

I use dark unless I have a recipe that calls for light (and I might use dark anyway!).

[redsquirrel]

When I buy it, I use dark.

 

For the person who asked the difference, dark brown simply has a touch more molasses added back in than the light.

 

Brown sugar is simply white sugar that has had some molasses added back in. If it is just a bit, it is light brown. If it is slightly more it is dark brown. I often don't have either in the house but I do have white sugar and I always have molasses. I just measure out the amount called for in white sugar and then add a couple tablespoons of molasses.

 

I don't know how brown sugar is made in the rest of the world. In North America it is white sugar with the molasses added back in. I am guessing some of the nicer varieties of brown sugar are not made that way. During the holiday season my local grocery store used to carry a variety of brown sugars from the UK. I would buy a couple of them and use them as needed.

 

The sugar I really love is those brown sugar lumps for tea. I can't find them for sale around here.

[Orthodox6]

When I cook and bake with brown sugars, I use Demerara, turbinado, Muscovado, light, dark . . . anything except the kind made by taking stark white sugar and recoloring it with a bit of molasses. I enjoy the varieties of sugars and of results.

[Amira]

My mom would usually buy dark so we'd put less on our oatmeal since it would turn darker and look like there was plenty of sugar. In Kyrgyzstan I used date sugar (or something labeled date sugar) which had a strong flavor and now I've gotten back in the habit of buying dark brown sugar because it's a little more like that sugar. I don't really have a strong preference though.

[lllll]

..

[Mabeline]

I make it myself. I add in enough molasses to make it dark. I like the extra flavor.