For the occasional, not-so-serious baker, any old lump of brown sugar might do: light brown, dark brown or even white mixed with a bit of molasses. But for those who strive for baking perfection — ethereal shortbread, swoon-worthy cakes and Insta-worthy pies — the only brown sugar to use is the very best.
For decades, “the best” was dominated by one brand — C&H, the California and Hawaiian Sugar Refining Company that first began refining sugar in 1906 in the small town of Crockett. It’s the sugar my mom and her mom and her mom’s mom used. And for a very long time, that iconic brand had little competition aside from a store brand or two — until now.
A quick scan of the baking aisle shows a sweet new selection of brown sugar options, including organic, sustainable, fair trade, non-GMO and regenerative. Curious, we put a stack of brown sugars to the test with a simple brown sugar shortbread recipe. Note that, while turbinado is technically a brown sugar, we did not include it, as the large, dry granules are not designed for baking.
One of the key facts to know about brown sugar is that differences between brands have a lot to do with processing. Some brown sugars are minimally refined, allowing the natural molasses content in the sugar to remain. Others are fully refined and get their brown color and flavor by adding molasses back in.
For this reason, some light brown sugars have huge molasses flavor notes. Others have so little, it’s hard to detect. The other big difference between brands of “light” brown sugar is the size of the crystals. Some are so chunky, they’re crunchy. Others offer ultra-fine granules that melt on the tongue.
The big question is how these sugars perform in baked goods. Do they change the texture and flavor? They do. The best light brown sugar has a fresh molasses-caramel note and is ground so fine that it incorporates well into any dough. In cookies, it boosts moisture, yielding delicately crispy edges and tender insides. Bad brown sugar smells strange and has such big crystals, it doesn’t fully incorporate into dough. The result: hard, crunchy cookies that are as appealing as hockey pucks.
Here’s the scoop on the brown sugar that will elevate your bakes, and the sad, coarse options likely to sink even the best baker. Nutrition info is not listed, as all these sugars have about 30 calories per 2-teaspoon serving.
365 Organic Light Brown Sugar
The texture of kinetic sand, this carefully made sugar hits all the right notes. It has a big hit of molasses and crystals that are small enough to play well in tender baked goods. This is a great choice for those who want an organic sugar but don’t want to compromise quality. $4.69 for 1.5 pounds at Whole Foods. (4 stars)
C&H Light Brown Sugar
It’s hard to fault a legacy pantry staple. This finely ground sugar turns out tender, moist cookies that have a touch of brown sugar flavor. A bit more molasses would be welcome, but it’s pretty perfect as-is. $5.49 for 2 pounds at Safeway. (4 stars)
Good & Gather Organic Light Brown Sugar
This molasses-forward sugar is super grainy but moist enough to incorporate well into dough, making for fairly tender cookies. This might not be a go-to for fine pastry, but the flavor would elevate less fussy bakes. $3.69 for 1.5 pounds at Target. (3 stars)
Trader Joe’s Organic Brown Sugar
Bold blackstrap molasses aroma emanates from this bag of sparkly, medium-coarse crystals. Consider this a cross between light and dark brown sugar. This sugar adds a brown color note that’s similar to C&H when baked, but the more rustic texture makes for a crunchy rather than crispy cookie. $3.99 for 1.5 pounds. (3 stars)
Costco Unrefined Organic Brown Sugar
As dry and light in color as this sugar seems, it performs fairly well. The flavor is similar to standard brown sugar and the granules are small enough to incorporate into more delicate cookies. Save this for recipes that don’t rely on rich brown sugar flavor. $8.99 for 7.5 pounds. (2½ stars)
Wholesome Organic Fair Trade Dark Brown Sugar
This brand has a punch of molasses, but the crystals are so large, they’re downright crunchy. In our baking test, this sugar made shortbread dough so hard, it was nearly impossible to slice, and the resulting cookies ranged from crunchy to rock-hard. Save this for rustic cookies with lots of chunky ingredients. $7.49 for 1.5 pounds at Raley’s. (1½ stars)
Signature Select Light Brown Sugar
While not organic, we included this brand because it’s made with sugar, invert sugar — which is a thick glucose-fructose liquid — and molasses. Sadly, while the addition of the invert sugar improves texture, it tends to burn, and the overall flavor is more akin to candy than brown sugar. This might be an OK sub for white sugar in some recipes. $4.99 for 2 pounds at Safeway. (1 star)
O Organics Light Brown Sugar
By far the least delicious-smelling of the lot, this brand is medium-coarse with very few flavor notes, raw or baked. The even bigger issue is that the sugar is so dry it seems to sap all moisture from the dough. $5.99 for 1½ pounds at Safeway. (½ a star)
Florida Crystals Regenerative Organic Light Brown Sugar
While this molasses-added brand has finer crystals that promise a fair bake, it smells funny and turns cookie dough into a crumbly mess. That said, we give a nod to the “regenerative” effort to produce sugar in ways that still support healthy soil and help fight climate change. $5.19 for 1.5 pounds at Raley’s. (½ a star)
Reviews are based on product samples purchased by this newspaper or provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Taste-off columns at www.mercurynews.com/tag/taste-off.