The 20-Second Tip to Soften Brown Sugar
Maximizing the sweetness of your holiday treats starts with having the right ingredients, but what do you do when you have hardened brown sugar? Don't worry, I have a solution. Whether you find yourself in this situation every year or it's for a one-time
Have you ever had a bag of brown sugar, one that you had never even opened and yet when you went to use it in a recipe it was hard as a rock? If you answered yes to that I am here to help you. I had that happen to me the other day. I was making a Dr. Pepper Barbecue Sauce for some ribs and my brand new bag of brown sugar was hard.....rock like....hard as a brick...in other words, I had a bag of hardened brown sugar. I was really frustrated but remembered a tip I had come across to make brown sugar soft. I had nothing to lose so I gave it a try and it worked!
The tip I read said to do this in a plastic bag but I didn't want to nuke food in plastic so I used a glass measuring cup instead and it worked like a charm.
How to Quickly Soften Brown Sugar
First, place the hard and lumpy brown sugar in a glass, microwave-safe, container. I used a glass measuring cup.
Next, dampen a paper towel with water. I wet my towel and then squeezed it out. You want it damp but not soggy.
Place the dampened paper towel on top of the brown sugar.
Cover your bowl with a lid or plate that is microwave-safe.
Place your covered glass container in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.
Remove from microwave and stir with a fork breaking up the brown sugar chunks. This will not be hard to do as they are now soft chunks, not hard.
Other Posts from The How-To Home You May Like:
If necessary, repeat the cycle until all of the large, hard chunks are gone. I had to do this 3 times for my bag of brown sugar but it worked great and was so worth it.
You now have soft brown sugar that you can use in your recipe!
Did you know it was this easy to soften brown sugar?
Equipment
Instructions
- Place the hard and lumpy brown sugar in a glass, microwave-safe, container. I used a glass measuring cup.
- Next, dampen a paper towel with water. I wet my towel and then squeezed it out. You want it damp but not soggy.
- Place the dampened paper towel directly on top of the brown sugar.
- Cover your bowl with a lid or plate that is microwave-safe.
- Place your covered glass container in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.
- Remove from microwave and stir with a fork breaking up the brown sugar chunks. This will not be hard to do as they are now soft chunks, not hard.
- If necessary, repeat the cycle until all of the large, hard chunks are gone. I had to do this 3 times for my bag of brown sugar but it worked great and was so worth it.
As with any of my recipes, calorie counts and nutritional information varies greatly depending on which products you choose to use when cooking this dish.
great tip! I also do not micro anything in plastic either! I'm always telling my kids not to!
Years ago I didn't realize how dangerous plastic was. I feel sick about all the times I used it UGH!
Now that I know the secret it will take the suspense out of who will get the hard knob of brown sugar in their cookie.
Maybe you could throw a random pebble in the batter just to keep everyone on their toes! 😉
This is a great idea and really does work! A preventive measure that I've been using for years now is a small clay disk that I purchased at BBB that you soak in water and then simply keep in your brown sugar container. I don't use a lot of brown sugar, so this works so well for me. I never have rock-hard brown sugar anymore.
I'll have to buy one of those discs, Carol. Thanks for sharing that tip with me.
Yay!! I needed this tip! I have a whole container full of hard brown sugar. I can't wait to use your tip MaryBeth. Thanks so much.
Make it a great weekend.
Just tried it!! Worked fantastically--one container of hard brown sugar down, two to go 🙂 Thanks Mary Beth.
Visiting via Thurs. Favorite Things,
Diana
Yay!!! Thanks so much for letting me know it worked, Diana. Have a wonderful weekend.
Thanks Mary Beth, I didn't know this tip!!
You're welcome, Heather~ I was happy it worked. I hate throwing good food out.
That's a great tip, Lynette! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing it. Have a wonderful week.
1
1
Get tip...if you're not in a hurry you can put a slice of bread in container overnight...can be done as prevention too. (Bread gets rock hard but sugar is soft. ?
Thanks so much for the tip, Mary! I appreciate it.
1.5
Mary Beth Thank You for the great tip!! I have put up with hard brown sugar for years & this worked very well!!! I just received my Terra Cotta Disk from Amazon yesterday & I will use it & see just how well it works!!
Hi Gary. Thanks so much for letting me know this worked for you and I'm curious to know how the terra cotta disk does as well. Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Two prevention tips: 1) place a piece of bread in the bag and seal tight; and 2) place in a zip baggie in the fridge. Yesterday when making cookies, I found the brown sugar in the pantry opened no bread so this was perfect timing. Thanks!
I am so glad the tip was helpful, Heather!
No venting when you put the plate on it?
Hi Sykvia, I used a measuring cup with a spout that allows for venting but if you are using a bowl I would keep the plate slightly askew.
I find keeping my brown sugar in an airtight container prevents the sugar from hardening. Have done it this way for years without problems.
before storing the brown sugar, place a slice of bread inside the bag and sill it closed. your brown sugar will be soft when your ready to use it. you will find the bread hard like crust. try it.... you'll like it.
Put one grape in your brown sugar bag, it keeps it soft. It will need replaced when it's shriveled like a raisin.
Thank you for this great tip, Mary! I can't wait to try it.
I put a slice of soft bread into my container when the brown sugar hardens. Leave overnight or for several hours and the sugar will be soft when the bread is removed.
Thank you so much for the great tip, Linda!
Very good suggestion. Only question is will brown sugar stay soft if kept in an airtight container and not have to be softened every time you need it?
Thanks
Hi Cheryl! I keep my brown sugar in an airtight container and it usually stays pretty soft but I find that once I get near the bottom of the container it can get hard and lumpy and that's when I use the microwave trick to soften it up.
It work so good! Thanks for sharing
I'm so glad it worked for you, Regina! Thank you for letting me know!
My brown sugar is in a one gallon jar that does not fit my microwave. How can I soften this large amount?
AMAZING! Thank you! How did I live without this trick for so long!!!
AMAZING! Thank you! How did I live without this trick for so long!!!