Ingredient Spotlight: What is Brown Sugar?

In general, sugar comes either from sugar cane or sugar beets.  Brown sugar is extracted from sugar cane.  Brown sugar consists of unrefined crystals still covered with a thin layer of molasses.  Molasses is in fact a residue from the refining of sugar cane stems.  It’s what gives the delicious taste to unrefined brown sugar.  Brown sugar, whether light, dark, or almost-black molasses, always has a strong and distinctive flavor!  Currently, in the kitchen, it is very easy to swap white sugar and brown, but be aware that there is a real difference in taste!