Today, we’re focusing on a simple yet effective way to save money at the grocery store.
Over the weekend, while taking inventory of my pantry, I realized I was out of many of my homemade pantry mixes.
So, we’re dedicating this session to the sweet world of sugar.
We’re going to transform regular white cane sugar into three different sugars, saving you the need to buy them from the store. Let’s dive in!
Rather Watch Than Read? Video Tutorial
1. Light Brown Sugar
Our first recipe is light brown sugar. We don’t use a lot of light brown sugar, so we’ll be making a quart jar, which is four cups of sugar.
The key to turning white sugar brown is molasses.
For light brown sugar, the ratio is half a tablespoon of molasses per one cup of sugar.
After mixing the sugar and molasses, you might notice some dark brown chunks. Simply press these chunks against the sides of the mixing bowl to incorporate them into the sugar.
And there you have it—homemade light brown sugar, ready for the pantry shelf!
2. Dark Brown Sugar
Next up is dark brown sugar, which we use more frequently.
For dark brown sugar, you’ll need one tablespoon of molasses per cup of sugar.
The process is the same as for light brown sugar, but the increased amount of molasses gives it a deeper flavor, perfect for your brownies and cookies.
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3. Powdered Sugar
Finally, we’re making powdered sugar. We don’t use powdered sugar very often, so we’ll be making a quart of this as well.
To make powdered sugar, you’ll need a grinding mechanism like a food processor or blender. The second ingredient is either corn starch or arrowroot powder.
The measurements are the same—one tablespoon of arrowroot powder or cornstarch to one cup of sugar. Just add them to your blender, and grind until the sugar turns into a white powder.
The Vitamix Dry Container makes this SUPER easy:
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There you have it!
With just a few minutes and basic ingredients, we’ve created powdered sugar, light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar—all from our plain white cane sugar.
I hope this guide helps you save some money at the grocery store by making your own sugars at home!
Print
Homemade Brown Sugar
This brown sugar has a beautifully moist, crumbly texture. The molasses adds a deep, caramel-like warmth, perfect for baking chewy cookies, rich cakes, or even enhancing savory sauces.
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 5 cups of white granulated sugar
- For light brown sugar: 2 1/2 tablespoons of molasses
- For dark brown sugar: 5-7 tablespoons of molasses
Instructions
- Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl.
- Start by adding 5 tablespoons of molasses for light brown sugar. If you’re aiming for dark brown sugar, add up to 10 tablespoons of molasses instead.
- Use a fork, whisk, or a stand mixer to thoroughly combine the molasses and sugar. Keep mixing until the molasses is evenly distributed, and the texture resembles store-bought brown sugar.
- Store the brown sugar in an airtight container. It should last at least 6 months.
Notes
Adjust the molasses according to how dark you want your brown sugar. More = darker. Less = lighter.
- Prep Time: 5
In the light brown sugar tutorial (#1), you say to use 1/2 tablespoon of molasses per cup of granulated sugar, but in the ingredients list of the recipe below, you say to use 5 tablespoons of molasses & 5 cups of granulated sugar for the light brown version, which comes out to 1 tablespoon per cup, not 1/2. It’s no big deal, I just wanted to let you know.
Thank you for letting me know! It’s updated now. 🙂