While I do stock a lot of white sugar, I don’t store a lot of brown sugar. But I do make sure I keep molasses available. And here’s why:

Make Your Own Brown Sugar

(from Alton Brown @ Food Network)

• 1/2 lb. sugar
• 1.5 oz molasses

Whirl it up in your food processor until fully incorporated.

You can adjust the amount of molasses that you need to make it lighter or darker according to your needs and taste. And let me tell you – this tastes SOOOOOOOO much better than store bought!

There you have it! It’s that easy. Store in an airtight container for about 3 weeks (or your best judgement).

What to do if you don’t have a food processor in a grid-down situation? That’s what a hand-mixer is for! You can find many in thrift shops, estate sales, etc., or you can purchase something new like this:

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Why do it, you ask? Because for me, it’s easier to make up some brown sugar for 2-3 uses at a time than trying to stock it and doubling my sugar storage. I can just stock enough regular sugar, some molasses (which doubles for other uses), and save that room. I have other stuff to store, too!

Here’s one way to use it!

Brown Sugar Glazed Salmon

• 1 vanilla bean
• 8 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1 cup firmly packed
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (use real lemon if you stock that)
• Pinch kosher salt

Split open the vanilla pod and scrape out the pulp (if you don’t have vanilla beans, use about 1 tsp of real vanilla extract).*

Add the pod and the pulp to a small saucepan along with the brown sugar, lime juice, and salt.

Whisk together and place the mixture over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring just until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 2 hours before using. Remove the vanilla pod.

Once cool, place the syrup in a squeeze bottle or other sealable container. Store in the refrigerator.

Then use this as a glaze on your salmon or chicken before you bake or grill it. For my fussy kid, this has made him love salmon, and he asks for it often. It is YUMMY stuff!

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS:   If you store brown sugar long term, how do you do it?