How to Measure Brown Sugar: 2 Ways to Measure Brown Sugar

Bakers must pack and level brown sugar into a dry measuring cup for an accurate measurement. Unlike white sugar or powdered sugar, brown sugar retains a certain amount of molasses, making it relatively moist. The molasses causes the sugar to clump together, so when you measure brown sugar, it’s necessary to pack it into the dry measuring cup or measuring tool you’re using to prevent air pockets.

Unlike measuring dry ingredients such as baking soda, baking powder, or flour, measuring brown sugar requires a few extra steps. Follow these simple steps to measure brown sugar for a recipe using a dry measuring cup or kitchen scale:

1. 1. Scoop: First, get the brown sugar out of the storage container. If you need a small amount, such as a teaspoon or tablespoon, use a measuring spoon to scoop out the required amount. If it’s larger, you can use a kitchen spoon to scoop the brown sugar and place it in the measuring cup.
2. 2. Pack: As you scoop brown sugar into your measuring cup, press it down with the back of a spoon. When you pack brown sugar into your measuring cup, you’ll be sure to fill it and prevent air pockets.
3. 3. Level: Once you’ve filled your measuring cup all the way, packing the brown sugar down as you go, it’s a good idea to level the cup. You can do this with the dull edge of a butter knife. Over your brown sugar container, gently and slowly sweep the straight edge of your knife over the top of the measuring cup, pushing any excess sugar back into the storage container. This will give you an exact amount of sugar.
4. 4. Weigh: Alternatively, you can weigh brown sugar using a kitchen scale. This yields a more consistent measurement than using a measuring cup. One packed cup of brown sugar is approximately seven ounces.

Whether you’re baking chocolate chip cookies or preparing a ham glaze, consider the following tips for measuring and using brown sugar:

1. 1. Use a dry measuring cup. Liquid measuring cups and dry measuring cups have different shapes, and the top of liquid measuring cups feature a spout for pouring liquid ingredients. The spout makes leveling ingredients challenging, so it is best to use a dry measuring cup to measure dry ingredients, like brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, and cornmeal.
2. 2. Mix in the sugar thoroughly. When you empty your measuring cup of brown sugar into the mixing bowl or container, it will usually retain the shape of the measuring cup. This is a good sign since it means you did a good job packing it. Now, use a little elbow grease to get it mixed thoroughly into the rest of the ingredients.
3. 3. Try dark brown sugar for additional flavor. If a recipe calls for light brown sugar, you can generally swap in dark brown sugar. There are different ways of grading and manufacturing brown sugar, but, as the name suggests, dark brown is a darker color and contains a greater amount of molasses than light brown sugar. If you want an extra kick of molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar.

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