How To Soften Brown Sugar

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This is a step-by-step, very easy guide on how to soften brown sugar. If you have found yourself with rock hard brown sugar, not to worry! This post will show you how to get it back to normal brown sugar that’ll be perfect for these Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies–a crowd favorite!

How to Soften Brown Sugar

The Dilemma of Hard Brown Sugar

Have you ever gone to your pantry wanting to make cookies and then realize that the brown sugar is totally hard and dried out? I recently was craving these Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies and it was such a bummer! Don’t worry because I realized this is a common problem and there are a few fast and easy solutions.

Hard brown sugar.

The Best Ways To Soften Brown Sugar:

  1. Use an apple – You can actually place a sliced apple into your brown sugar bin and the moisture from the apple should transfer to the brown sugar.
  2. Using clay tiles. They sell clay tiles specifically for keeping brown sugar moist. Most bakeries use these and they are very effective. But unfortunately it’s not always something easy and assesble.
  3. Microwaving the brown sugar. You can always add the brown sugar and a drop of water or two to a bowl. And then turn the microwave on high for 1 minute. This works like a charm. (I don’t own a microwave. I know, I know…)
  4. Bread – White sandwich bread works best for this but any bread will work. Add a slice of bread to the bin and all of the moisture from the bread will transfer to the brown sugar.

How to Soften Brown Sugar

My favorite method is with a piece of bread. It’s so simple and I usually have a piece of bread readily available to sacrifice to this endeavor.

  1. I added the blocks of brown sugar to a bowl. If you have a big container of brown sugar, you can simply skip this step and just add the slice of bread to the bin.
  2. Add the bread. Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. And wait. I like to give it at least four hours but ideally just leave it overnight.
  3. Unwrap and it and be stunned at the soft brown sugar.

Brown Sugar FAQs

Why Does Brown Sugar Go Hard?

First we have to discuss, what is brown sugar. Each granule of sugar is coated in a thin layer of molasses. That’s really what brown sugar is: brown sugar coated and mixed with a bit of molasses. When the sugar is fresh and moist, the molasses that coats it, slips against the other granules easily. When it looses its moisture, that molasses hardens.

Is Hard Brown Sugar Bad?

The good news with hard brown sugar is that it can easily be re-hydrated. Molasses can absorb moisture from either bread or a clay plate or water (see above) and then you can proceed to use it in whatever recipe or way you like.

Softened brown sugar.

Cookies That Call for Brown Sugar

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How to Soften Brown Sugar

Prep: 3 minutes
Inactive Time: 6 hours
Total: 6 hours 3 minutes
Servings: 4
This is a step-by-step on the best option to soften brown sugar. There are various methods and ways to do this–all are easy and quick!

Ingredients 

  • 1 hard brown sugar

Different Options:

  • 1 slice bread, (white bread works great)
  • 1 sliced apple
  • 1 clay tile , (for brown sugar softening)

Instructions 

To Soften Brown Sugar:

  • Add the brown sugar to a large bowl (or if your brown sugar is stored in a big bin, you can just add the things to that) and place the apple or bread right on top. Wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
  • When you wake up, you can unwrap the bowl and you'll be met with soft brown sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 19kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 10mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 0.3IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Like this Recipe? Please Rate & comment below!

Cozy Latin-Inspired Comfort Food Recipes

Hi! I'm Adrianna and this is my cozy space on the internet that is super-charged by butter, flour and copious amounts of pasta. Stay awhile, will you!

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81 Comments

  1. I’ve got some stuck in a canister & microwaving didn’t help. I’m going to try they other tricks!

    1. I use this trick all the time and it works wonders on keeping those soft, chewy cookies just they way they are meant to be for days on end!

  2. wow – who knew – bread. what a great thing to know. Ever since I saw Joy the Baker’s post about making brown sugar yourself (just add molasses to regular sugar) I stopped buying the stuff. Saves a lot of headache in doing what you just had to do up there.

  3. “3. Microwaving the brown sugar. (I don’t own a microwave. I know, I know…)”

    YAY!! Ours blew up a few weeks ago and we haven’t been able to replace it… it’s annoying when you need the coffee to be /just a bit warmer/ but otherwise, it hasn’t been missed… makes me think we may not replace it. But then I’d have to buy bread just to keep the brown sugar soft! Hmmm…

  4. I will definitely try this, even though I only have rye bread, but then the package says to use immediately….so how do I Keep it from hardening? Or do I have to go through all this more often?

    1. Hmm…rye bread doesn’t have a ton of moisture. You could add a slice and see if it works. I bought super cheap white bread from the drug store for like 99 cents. Worked like a charm.

  5. That’s very helpful advice! Thanks! Now I just need your same enthusiasm for Spring Cleaning, any tips for that? 😉 Just kidding

  6. Amazing tip!! I always throw away the dry brown sugar haha. I have used the clay tile trick before and it sadly did not work. It worked for maybe a few days but once the clay tile dried it was over.

  7. If you leave a slice of bread in the container with your brown sugar, all the time, it will never get hard. Just check the bread every month or so to see if its gotten hard. If it has, simply replace it. Never fails to work.

      1. I do this too and no, it doesn’t, surprisingly! Maybe because the brown sugar sucks all the moisture out of it?

  8. This is SO much better than the 7-part method I have been using:
    1. Smash brick-hard bag against counter
    2. Pound bag with hammer
    3. Ice hand (which was inadvertently banged after bag slipped off counter)
    4. Call superintendent to discuss repairing the crack in the counter
    2. Curse myself for not checking said bag prior to baking adventure
    3. Throw said bag in garbage
    4. Run to the supermarket for a new bag.
    6. Return home with lost ambition.
    7. Turn on the TV

    Thank you! Brilliant.

    1. O.K. O.K. Well done, you made a mouthful of coffee dribble down my chin and squirt out of my nose, thank you.