What Can I Substitute for Dark Brown Sugar?

You're beating softened butter with dark brown sugar for chewy cookies and want them soft in the middle with crisp edges.

• brown sugar plus molasses — 205 g brown sugar plus 15 ml molasses for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• brown sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar

Both are still soft, damp crystals, so they cream into the butter and hold water the same way; the molasses top-up brings back the extra toffee flavour and colour, while plain brown sugar gives slightly paler, milder cookies with nearly the same chew.

You're making gingerbread, sticky date pudding or a dark spiced cake where the treacle flavour and deep colour are a big part of the result.

• dark muscovado sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• brown sugar plus molasses — 205 g brown sugar plus 15 ml molasses for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• white sugar plus molasses — 200 g white sugar plus 30 ml molasses for every 220 g dark brown sugar

These dishes lean hardest on the flavour, colour and acidity roles, and all three picks supply enough molasses to cover them; dark muscovado goes a little darker and stickier, which suits these bakes, and the molasses also keeps reacting with the bicarbonate of soda for lift.

You're stirring dark brown sugar into a barbecue sauce, glaze, marinade or stir-fry sauce where it dissolves into liquid.

• white sugar plus molasses — 200 g white sugar plus 30 ml molasses for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• brown sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• coconut sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar

Once the sugar dissolves, the creaming and chew roles no longer matter, so you only need sweetness, colour and flavour; in a liquid you can stir the molasses straight in without pre-mixing, and coconut sugar's dryness stops being a problem.

You're scattering dark brown sugar over a crumble, muffins or porridge, or rubbing it into a streusel topping.

• brown sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• raw sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar
• coconut sugar — 220 g for every 220 g dark brown sugar

A topping mostly needs sweetness and browning, so drier, coarser sugars do the job and raw sugar adds a crunch some cooks prefer; expect a paler, less treacly finish than dark brown sugar gives.

You're adding a spoonful of dark brown sugar to a curry, baked beans, a braise or a salad dressing to balance salt and acid.

• brown sugar — 15 ml for every 15 ml dark brown sugar (3 tsp)
• coconut sugar — 15 ml for every 15 ml dark brown sugar (3 tsp)

At this scale the sugar is there for sweetness and a little roundness, so a milder brown sugar is barely noticeable; measure with the same spoon the recipe means, because an Australian recipe's tablespoon holds 20 ml and an overseas one 15 ml.

Your cookies spread into thin, crisp discs instead of staying thick and chewy.

Why: White sugar or raw sugar was used with nothing added, so the molasses that holds water and keeps the centre soft was missing.

Can't be fixed — next time: The baked batch can't be made chewy again, so serve them as crisp biscuits; next time use brown sugar or add molasses to the white sugar, and chill the dough for 30 minutes before baking to slow the spread.

Your cake or cookies have dark, dense, sticky streaks or spots through the crumb.

Why: The molasses wasn't fully worked into the sugar, so pockets of syrup baked into heavy patches.

Can't be fixed — next time: There is no way to redistribute it after baking; next time rub the molasses into the sugar with a fork or pulse it in a food processor until it looks like evenly damp sand before creaming.

The bake tastes bitter or overly treacly, with a sharp burnt edge.

Why: Too much molasses went in, often from measuring with Australian 20 ml tablespoons when the ratio calls for 15 ml, or from using a strong blackstrap-style molasses.

Can't be fixed — next time: Serve it with cream, custard or ice cream to soften the bitterness; next time measure the molasses in ml and use a regular rather than blackstrap molasses.

Your homemade sugar and molasses mix or leftover brown sugar has set into hard lumps.

Why: The molasses coating dried out as moisture evaporated, gluing the crystals together.

Fix: Seal the sugar in an airtight container with a slice of bread overnight, or microwave it in short bursts under a damp paper towel and break it up with a fork.

What is the difference between dark brown sugar and brown sugar?

The difference is the amount of molasses: dark brown sugar is commonly quoted at about 6.5% molasses, against about 3.5% for ordinary brown sugar. That extra molasses gives a stronger toffee and treacle flavour, a darker colour and a slightly moister, chewier bake.

Can I use brown sugar instead of dark brown sugar?

Yes, you can swap it one for one by weight or by packed cup. Your bake will be a shade or two lighter with a milder caramel flavour, and slightly less chewy, but in most cookies, banana bread and crumbles the difference is small.

How do I make dark brown sugar at home?

Mix 205 g of ordinary brown sugar with 15 ml of molasses or black treacle to replace 220 g of dark brown sugar. Rub or beat the molasses in until the colour is even, and measure the molasses in ml, because one Australian tablespoon holds 20 ml and will add too much.

Is dark brown sugar the same as dark muscovado?

No, they are not the same, but dark muscovado works well in its place at the same weight. Muscovado keeps more of its natural molasses, so it tastes stronger and slightly bitter, and it makes cakes denser and cookies softer, which suits gingerbread and sticky toffee pudding.

Is black treacle the same as molasses?

They are not quite the same product, but they are close enough to use interchangeably when topping up brown or white sugar. Black treacle is the usual choice in the UK, while molasses is more common in Australia, the US and Canada; avoid blackstrap molasses, which tastes noticeably more bitter.

How many grams is a cup of dark brown sugar?

One firmly packed Australian 250 ml cup of dark brown sugar weighs about 220 g. A packed US 240 ml cup weighs a little less, about 213 g, and because packing varies from cook to cook, weighing gives more reliable results.