What is brown sugar?

Brown sugar

Brown sugar is unrefined or partially refined sugar. More precisely, its a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown colour due to the presence of molasses.

How is brown sugar produced?

By adding cane molasses to completely refined white sugar. It differs from light brown colour to dark brown colour based on the percentage of molasses added.

Light brown colour = Delicate flavour
Dark brown colour = Intense flavour

Nutritional value of brown sugar when compared with white sugar

Brown sugar has slightly fewer calories when compared with white sugar in mass due to the presence of water. Though by volume its greater in comparison because of its smaller crystal size.

For culinary preparations,

Add 1tsp of molasses for 1 cup of white sugar.

The batters brown while baking due to the presence of sugar, when sugar reacts with the protein or other ingredients.

Use of brown sugar in baked goods

Sugar reduces the amount of glutan formed in the batter which results in

1. Less glutan in the batter produces a baked good with a more tender crumb. 
2. It also makes the batter lighter, thus when baked it rises more adding more volume to the baked item.                                                                                                                                                                       The ability of sugar to hold moisture makes it a important ingredient as it gives more shelf life to the baked item. And Brown sugar holds much more moisture than the white sugar making it an alternative to sugar in baking goodies. 

I am now gonna bake an yummy chocolate cake using brown sugar for the evening.

Luv,
Ree