There are various substitutes for brown sugar, including powdered sugar, white sugar and molasses, artificial sweetener and maple syrup blend, and homemade substitutes. The best substitute depends on the recipe and ingredients available. A healthy option is a blend of artificial sweetener and sugar-free maple syrup.
With all the options for brown sugar substitutes, it becomes difficult to know which substitute is best. It depends on what ingredients you have available for substitution. The most common alternatives are powdered sugar, a blend of white sugar and molasses, and a blend of artificial sweetener and maple syrup.
Brown sugar is called for in many cake and cookie recipes. Store-bought brown sugar is made from molasses and white sugar. Light brown sugar contains about 3.5 percent molasses, while dark brown sugar has 6.5 percent molasses. In addition to granulated brown sugar, some stores may offer liquid brown sugar. The specific type you need should be named in the recipe.
If you’re baking with sugar and the recipe calls for light brown sugar but all you have is dark brown, there’s a quick fix if you have white sugar on hand. Simply add white sugar to dark sugar and mix. A one-to-one ratio of dark brown to white sugar is all that’s needed.
There may be times when you decide to bake something last minute and the recipe calls for brown sugar, which you don’t have readily on hand. If you have icing sugar available, you can make an ingredient substitution. The ratio for this substitution is two to one: two servings of powdered sugar equals one serving of brown sugar.
Cooking with brown sugar can be a challenge if you don’t have enough brown sugar. In this situation, the best brown sugar substitutes are white sugar and molasses. After all, that’s how brown sugar is made for store-bought varieties. Homemade brown sugar substitutes are easily found on cooking sites where recipes are plentiful. To make an even swap you’ll need about 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of molasses for every 1 cup (201 grams) of white sugar.
So far, the best brown sugar substitutes cited have been for times when you don’t have the right kind of brown sugar or are completely out of brown sugar. There is another option for brown sugar substitutes that does not use molasses and is relatively low in calories. This option is probably the best choice for healthy cooks.
The best brown sugar substitute for a healthy lifestyle uses no brown sugar at all. The trick is to use artificial sweeteners and sugar-free maple syrup. Mix the two ingredients with a fork in a four to one ratio. In other words, use 0.25 cups (85 grams) of maple syrup for every 1 cup (201 grams) of artificial sweetener. One cup of this low-calorie brown sugar substitute is equivalent to 1 cup (201 grams) of regular brown sugar.
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