Most sugar is easy to measure–just pour it in the measuring cup and level it off. But moist brown sugar is a different story. Brown sugar (not to be confused with sugar that is still brown like Sucanat) is simply white sugar with some of the molasses added back to it. Light brown sugar has less added molasses than dark brown sugar, but it’s a minimal difference. For our recipes it doesn’t matter which one you choose.
Adding molasses back into refined sugar gives it moisture and weight, as well as color. Cookies (for example) are usually chewier when made with brown sugar, but you need to measure it correctly for the recipe to work. Here’s how:
First, fill a measuring cup about halfway with brown sugar. Press the sugar down with the back rounded side of the spoon. Add more sugar, pressing down and repeating until filled and level. This is often (but not always) specified in a recipe with the words “firmly packed brown sugar.”
And that’s all there is to it! Happy baking.
