To help make sure you and I can make homemade chocolate chip cookies or blondies whenever a craving strikes, I tested and ranked eight popular methods to find the very best way to soften brown sugar. Keep reading for all the sweet details.Related: I Juiced Lemons Using 6 Different Methods and the Winner Was Very Clear
Melissa Gaman
The methods were ranked according to ease, length of time to soften and the texture of the revived sugar.
Why Does Brown Sugar Get Hard in the First Place?
Air is the enemy when it comes to keeping brown sugar soft, so whether you use a jar, container or a resealable food storage bag, the most important thing is to ensure the seal is tight and secure.
8 Popular Ways To Soften Hard Brown Sugar, Ranked From Worst to Best
Here's my ranking based on what I experienced in the kitchen.
8. Heat it in the oven
Melissa Gaman
I continued checking on it every three to five minutes until I hit 20 minutes. The sugar was hot and starting to smell toasted. At that point, a few pieces were soft enough to break apart with a fork, but overall, the sugar was still a mixture of dry granules and tough chunks. Attempting to break the pieces apart led to sugar flying all over my stovetop. This method is time and energy-consuming, and it didn't work at all for me.
7. Add marshmallows
Melissa Gaman
Pros: Looks cute, smells nice Cons: Takes a very long time to see minimal changeRating: 1/10The idea here is that the moisture from the marshmallows transfers to the sugar, and as the sugar becomes softer, the marshmallows become firmer. I placed two regular, fresh, squishy marshmallows into the bag of hard sugar and sealed it, pressing out the excess air. I checked on it every 20 minutes, pressing on the hard clumps and firm, loose grains of sugar as well as the marshmallows, to judge any changes. It wasn’t until 40 minutes into the test that a few lumps began to slowly yield when pressed, but when I shook the bag it still sounded like a homemade maraca. Several hours later, the marshmallows were still as pliable as when they went into the bag, and the texture of the sugar wasn't noticeably different. At this point, I set it aside until the next day because small increments of time weren't showing significant progress.At the 24-hour cut-off, some loose sugar had regained a mild tacky softness, but the lumps were still hard. Although not a complete failure, it wasn't very effective. With so many other easy, fast ways to soften brown sugar, it’s hard to advocate for this one. Related: We Just Discovered a New, Better Way to Eat Rice Krispies Treats
6. Heat it in the microwave
Melissa Gaman
Pros: Easy, quick-ishCons: Inconsistent results, not fully softened, need a microwave, fussyRating: 3/10In the second heating method I tried, hard brown sugar is placed in a microwave-safe bowl, covered with a damp paper towel and microwaved in short, 10-second bursts, stirring and mashing after each interval. I was hesitant because the oven method was so unsuccessful, but the addition of a wet paper towel seemed like a key difference.While researching, I found another version of this method that suggested covering the bowl after topping it with a paper towel. However, due to the short cooking times and frequent uncovering and stirring, I didn't feel that the additional step added enough benefit for the extra work. After two minutes and 30 seconds of heating and mashing in short intervals, I was annoyed and unimpressed. The sugar was hot, though not dangerously so, and while some of the grains had plumped, there were still a good number of firm chunks that refused to soften.This method would be acceptable if you just needed to break a large brick of sugar into smaller pieces, but it didn't bring the sweet stuff back to its original texture to make cookie dough or a smooth, light batter or frosting.Related: The Genius Microwave Cleaning Hack We Wish We’d Known About Sooner
5. Add a slice of bread
Melissa Gaman
Pros: Convenient, easy, fairly quickCons: It wastes a slice of bread, possible gluten contamination, a little messy Rating: 7/10As with the marshmallow method, the idea is to introduce an everyday pantry item full of moisture to the sugar so the liquid swaps between the two ingredients. I added a slice of soft bread to my bag of sugar, covering as much as possible, sealed the bag and waited, checking every 20 minutes for changes in texture. After 40 minutes, the sugar lumps were beginning to soften, and the separate grains looked plumped. After an hour, the sugar was like new. I did my best to gently scrape most of the sugar off the bread (some was too deeply embedded) and remove it from the bag. The bread was still too sugared to try and salvage into toast, so I tossed it.Next, I massaged the sugar to make sure the texture was even. While this method is easy and relatively fast, I did see flecks of bread mixed into the sugar, which I didn’t love. If I hadn’t tried to remove the wet sugar from the bread, I would have lost a good amount. These reasons make this a good method, but not the best.
4. Add apple slices
Melissa Gaman
Pros: Easy, quick, uses natural, inexpensive, pantry ingredientCons: Slightly messy, may impart hint of apple flavor, not great for overnight softeningRating: 7/10The premise of adding wet apple slices to the hard sugar is the same as the bread and marshmallows. I added three slices of fresh apple to the bag, spreading them out to cover different sections and, again, started checking the consistency every 20 minutes.Because apples are more perishable than the other foods, I wasn’t sure how long this test could go before the apples started to mush apart. It took an hour for almost all the sugar to soften, except for the corners furthest away from the apples. I massaged the bag to move that moisture around and expose the still-firm sugar to the apples, and after another 10 minutes, it was all soft. I discarded the apples, scraping off the clinging sugar, and then I massaged the bag again. I loved that the apples were still edible (not even browned!), though a little sweet, and I didn't pick up any apple taste or aroma in the sugar itself, which was a critique I'd read about. I wouldn't recommend this for an overnight, set-it-and-forget-it method due to the fresh apples, but if you have an hour and an apple, this method is worth keeping in mind.Related: 25 Types of Apples (and What To Do With Them)
3. Add a wet paper towel
Melissa Gaman
Pros: Simple, uses everyday household supplies, evenly softens sugarCons: Messy to remove the paper towel, some sugar is wastedRating: 8/10This method is another one that introduces water to the sugar, using time rather than heat to promote softening, but no food is needed. I wet a paper towel and then added it to the bag of sugar, covering as much of it as possible before sealing. After 20 minutes, the dry granules were slightly tacky, and some sugar chunks easily pressed apart. Ten minutes later, the entire bag of sugar was soft and fresh again. The trickiest part was trying to remove the paper towel without spilling sugar or wasting it. The sugar will inevitably stick to the paper towel, but throwing away more than a light dusting is counterintuitive to reviving it in the first place. Luckily, most of it shook off with a little patience. The ease of covering the sugar for even softening and the fast result made this one of my favorite methods.Related: The Supersmart Viral Paper Towel Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner
2. Buy a terra cotta disk
Melissa Gaman
It wasn’t initially as fluffy and tacky as in some other methods, but the longer it sat, the better the texture became. Because you can leave the terra cotta disk in the sugar without worry for up to two months, it’s a great long-term option if you plan ahead, but it’s not the quickest solution.
1. Add water and knead
Melissa Gaman
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