What Is The Difference Between Dark And Light Brown Sugar
Brown sugar adds a rich sweet and nutty flavor to baked goods and desserts and even some savory dishes too.
What is the difference between dark and light brown sugar. The main differences between white and brown sugar are their taste and color. The amount of molasses determines whether it is light or dark. W s middle grove new york both types of brown sugar are a mixture of sugar and molasses with dark brown sugar containing more molasses than light brown sugar. For light brown sugar that usually means 3 5 molasses.
While light and dark brown sugar are interchangeable. Swapping white sugar for brown sugar in recipes will affect the color of foods giving a light caramel or brown hue. This helps dark brown sugar have a deeper more complex flavor that s closer to toffee or caramel. The difference between light brown sugar and dark brown sugar yankee kitchen pixabay the brown in these sugars is a carefully designed form of molasses added at the end of processing rather than leftover from the beginning as many people seem to think.
Light brown sugar has a delicate flavor while dark brown sugar has a stronger more intense molasses flavor. Dark brown sugar is darker in color and looks more like molasses syrup. The major difference between them from a cook s point of view is taste and it s especially noticeable in recipes where the sugar is a star ingredient. However more molasses does mean dark brown sugar has slightly higher levels of acidity and moisture.
The difference between light and dark brown sugar is simply the amount of molasses each contains. The darker the brown sugar the more molasses it contains. This might mean that for example a batch of cookies baked with dark brown sugar instead of light may rise a bit higher and taste a bit more caramel y than those made with light brown sugar. Dark brown sugar actually contains nearly twice as much molasses as light 6 5 as compared to 3 5 which gives it a richer caramel flavor.
For dark brown sugar that amount is nearly doubled 6 5 molasses. Still the difference is ultimately nominal. The ingredient that separates brown sugar from the others is molasses added after white sugar is refined. 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 you can easily see the difference in their makeup using just your eyeballs.
What is the difference between light brown and dark brown sugar. Can they be used interchangeably. Thinking about brown sugar brings to mind sweet potato casserole coffee cake and honeybaked ham recipes that wouldn t be the same with plain ol granulated sugar.