What Is Brown sugar, light and How Can I Use It?

If brown sugar, light has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 519 recipes to try it in.

What is brown sugar, light?

Brown sugar is often made by adding cane molasses to completely refined white sugar crystals in order to more carefully control the ratio of molasses to sugar crystals and to reduce manufacturing costs.

Brown sugar has a slightly lower caloric value by weight than white sugar due to the presence of water. One hundred grams of brown sugar contains 373 calories, as opposed to 396 calories in white sugar.

However, brown sugar packs more densely than white sugar due to the smaller crystal size and may have more calories when measured by volume. One tablespoon of brown sugar has 48 calories against 45 calories for white sugar.

When a recipe calls for "brown sugar" it is usually referring to light brown sugar; dark brown sugar should be used only when specified.

This is relevant primarily when baking recipes sensitive to moisture and density (such as cakes), because of the difference in moisture content between the two types. In other applications, substituting dark brown sugar over light brown will yield a deeper flavor with more caramel, much like adding molasses would do.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find brown sugar, light: Brown sugar, light is usually found in the baking supplies section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Brown sugar, light is a member of the Sweets US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

红糖，光

British (UK) term

Brown sugar, light

en français

le sucre brun clair

en español

azúcar marrón claro

How much does brown sugar, light weigh?

Related

Sweets

Recipes using brown sugar, light

There are 519 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie with a gingersnap crumb crust, dark rum, heavy cream, and freshly grated nutmeg. The double-boiler trick warms the filling before baking for a smoother, less weepy custard.

Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double chocolate chocolate chip cookies with rich cocoa dough and semi-sweet chips folded throughout. Soft fudgy centers, crisp edges, and an option to add chopped nuts for crunch.

Brownies with Peanut Butter Topping

Brownies with peanut butter topping take fudgy cocoa squares and crown them with melted peanut butter chips spread into a silky icing. Brown sugar deepens the cocoa, peanut butter chips melt right in the pan. A two-layer treat from one bowl.

Newbest Pecan Pie

Chocolate pecan pie spiked with Kahlua and molasses, loaded with toasted pecans and semi-sweet chocolate chips. A grown-up Thanksgiving pie with deep coffee-bourbon undertones.

Mom's Favorite Brownies

Dark chocolate, corn syrup, and crunchy walnuts bake into fudgy brownies with crackly tops that taste like Mom's kitchen in every bite.

Oreo Cookie & Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches

Store-bought chocolate ice cream mixed with toasted walnuts and dried cherries, with homemade oreo cookies make these addictively delicious ice cream sandwiches that will for sure please your sweetest tooth :)

Double Chip Cookies

Double chip cookies pack peanut butter chips and chocolate chips into one buttery dough. A classic drop cookie that yields five dozen of the chewiest, most addictive bake-sale staples around.

Whole Wheat One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Moist chocolate cake made healthier with whole wheat pastry flour, canola oil, and buttermilk. Hot coffee deepens chocolate flavor for 12 servings.

Pear Granola Bars

Pear Granola Bars

Nutty Cocoa Brownies

Chewy cocoa brownies studded with crunchy nuts combine fudgy chocolate flavor with textural contrast in every bite.

Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Deep dark chocolate fudge cookies loaded with three forms of chocolate: cocoa, semisweet, and unsweetened. Dense, fudgy interior with optional powdered sugar coating for crackle-top contrast.

Fudgey Peanut Butter Chip Muffins

Fudgy peanut butter chip muffins blend cocoa, oats, and applesauce for a tender chocolate crumb loaded with peanut butter chips. A bake-sale favorite that doubles as breakfast.

Orange Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Citrus-kissed oatmeal cookies with chocolate chunks, orange juice, and zest. Customize with craisins or walnuts for 36 chewy cookies in just 30 minutes.

Buttery Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Cookies

Buttery brown sugar chocolate chip cookies: a heavy hand of brown sugar gives deep caramel-toffee flavor and a soft, chewy bite, while chilling the dough keeps them thick. Rich and chewy.

Old Fashion Ginger Snaps

Crispy old fashioned ginger snaps made with whole wheat flour, molasses, cinnamon, and cloves. These spiced cookies bake up flat and crackled in just 8 minutes with a warm, snappy bite.

Upside Down Nectarine Muffins

Upside-down nectarine muffins with caramelized brown sugar tops, yogurt-tender crumb, and warm cinnamon spice. A lighter brunch treat that flips out beautifully every time.

Chocolate-Chip Cookie Muffins

Chocolate chip cookie muffins with melted unsweetened chocolate, brown sugar, semi-sweet chips, and pecans. Bakery-style chocolate muffins between a cookie and a cake.

Double-Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies

Double-Chocolate, Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies recipe

Applesauce Cake (Ob'L Dunkes Kucka)

Pennsylvania Dutch applesauce cake (Ob'l Dunkes Kucka) is a one-bowl spice cake with raisins, brown sugar, and three warm spices. A heritage recipe with no eggs and no milk.

Better Than Wolf's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies built on an all-brown-sugar base for deeper caramel notes, loaded with chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Chilled dough bakes into a thick, chewy bakery-style cookie.

Shoofly Pie 2

Classic Pennsylvania Dutch shoofly pie with a rich molasses filling and buttery brown sugar crumb topping. This old-fashioned molasses pie recipe bakes up with a gooey bottom and crumbly top that'll have you reaching for seconds.

Snow Day Choco Chip Waffles

Improvisation on a basic waffle recipe Only 2 min to cook and 10 minutes for a whole plate of waffles.

Kitchen Sink Cookies

Everything but the kitchen sink is here in this recipe that makes scrumptious cookies everyone will love.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Sweet and tart, and sooo good! Adapted from Smitten Kitchen.

Blackberry Crunch Bars

These bars are great with coffee, as a snack, or included in a lunch box. So quick and easy---delicious!

Fourth of July Flag Apple Tart

Instead of using cake mix to make a cake, we use whole wheat pastry flour to make a tart, and we fill up the tart with sliced apples, sprinkling with some sugar, after making this delicious and healthy apple tart, we decorate with fresh blueberries and strawberries. Definitely will impress everyone, and enjoy this delicious flag apple tart without guilt.

Barbecued Flank Steak Sandwiches

Barbecued flank steak sandwiches pile thin-sliced steak tossed in a quick smoky-sweet chipotle BBQ sauce onto hoagie rolls with grilled red onion. Bold, saucy, and built for a fast cookout lunch.

Blueberry Pecan Pancakes

Blueberry pecan pancakes fold dried blueberries and toasted pecans into a cinnamon-spiced buttermilk batter, lightened with whole-wheat flour and whisked egg whites. Fluffy, hearty, and made for weekend breakfast.

Corn Kernal Cornbread

A tender, slightly sweet cornbread studded with bursts of whole corn kernels for added texture and flavor. This classic quick bread is perfect alongside chili, barbecue, or as a cozy side dish. Ready in under an hour with minimal hands-on time.

Zucchini Brownies

Rich and fudgy brownies with a delightful frosting. You'd never know they contained zucchini!

Awesome Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

Chewy chocolate oatmeal cookies loaded with cocoa and nuts. Soft centers that stay slightly moist, ready in 25 minutes from start to finish.

Beverly's Blond Brownies

Thick, chewy blondies with melted butter and a full pound of brown sugar, studded with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and pecans. Baked in a jelly roll pan for crispy edges on every piece.

Wenatchee Applesauce Muffins

Wenatchee applesauce muffins, a Pacific Northwest breakfast bake spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and made tender with thick applesauce. Named for Washington's apple capital, these bake up moist with a domed top.

Hot Onion Chutney

Hot Vidalia onion chutney is a fiery, lemon-bright condiment with cumin, mustard seed, and chili heat. A small-batch canning recipe that yields four half-pint jars for cheese boards and curries.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie cake baked as one big soft round, rich with natural peanut butter and folded full of chocolate chips. Easy to slice, with an almond-flour option for gluten-free.

Fresh Peach Tart

Fresh peaches fill into an almond and flour crust, the sweetness, slightly sourness, and refreshing taste from the peaches go very well with the nutty crusty. It's a light, fruity and delicious dessert that fits a hot summer day wonderfully!

Indian Mango Chutney

This delicious mango chutney is great with any kind of Indian dish.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Bread

Whole grain pumpkin bread loaded with whole wheat flour, bran, and wheat germ for serious fiber, sweetened with brown sugar and molasses. Spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg for cozy fall flavor in every slice.

Glazed Plum Bundt Cake

Glazed plum bundt cake with chopped fresh plums, walnuts, cinnamon, and a warm brown sugar glaze. A late-summer fruit cake with juicy plum pockets and a tender, oil-based crumb.

Old-Fashioned Peach Cobbler

Southern-style peach cobbler with brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon-kissed peaches under a tender drop biscuit topping. Half whole wheat flour gives the crust nutty depth.

Commercial-Style Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Raisin Cookies

Commercial-Style Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, Raisin Cookies recipe

Apple Tart-Low Fat & Low Calorie

Whole wheat flour and walnuts make the crust nutty and tasty, instead of all butter, use some butter and some canola oil to reduce the saturated fat without reducing the yummy flavor and texture. Granny smith and some delicious apricot jam are enough to make this tart shine.

Montreal-Style Bagels

Sweeter and a bit more dense than traditional bagels, these Montreal-style bagels are hand-rolled and boiled briefly in honey water

Caramel Apple Blondies

Forget chocolate brownies. These gooey, caramel-filled blondies are heavenly.

Best Banana Ginger Bran Muffins

Banana ginger bran muffins with ground and crystallized ginger, oat bran, ripe banana, and a tart lemon glaze. A double-ginger muffin with whole wheat flour and high fiber.

Best Banana Ginger Bran Muffins

Banana ginger bran muffins with ground and crystallized ginger, oat bran, ripe banana, and a tart lemon glaze. A double-ginger muffin with whole wheat flour and high fiber.

Baked Pumpkin Donuts

These donuts are healthier as they're baked not fried. Glaze or roll in cinnamon sugar.

Sweet Chili Lime Chicken with Cilantro Couscous

"Chicken breast cubes simmered in a sweet and spicy lime-soy glaze are served with cilantro couscous in this quick and easy supper."

Thai Chicken Satay with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Grilled chicken satay skewers marinated in lime, soy, and fish sauce with a creamy spicy peanut dipping sauce. Ready in under 30 minutes for an easy Thai appetizer or main.

Favorite Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

Instead of letting the Gingerbread Man run away, these scrumptious cookies will make your kids run to the kitchen!

All 519 recipes