How to: Make Perfect Brown Sugar

I would like to tell you a story today.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl who lived in a small town and loved to cook. (Read: when I was little, I loved cooking just as much as I do now. It was for different reasons then though. I loved being in the kitchen with my mom or dad and learning something new. Now I love to cook because it is a way I get to serve my family. I love that it involves all of my senses and allows me to be creative. Before you ask, yes, when I talk in real life I add parenthetical statements to most of my conversations.)

Back to my story. I loved baking with my mom. It was just so fascinating to me that you mix a couple of ingredients together to make bread and if you add a couple of different ingredients you could have cookies or a cake. It still fascinates me. (What a great blessing to have this kind of variety in our food. Imagine with me back to the first conversations about food on this planet. What if they would have decided we could just eat green foods or only foods that grow on trees? Instead, I can eat foods that grow in the ground, foods that are red and foods that come out of Twix wrappers. Delightful. {Man. I did it again. I'll try and do better the rest of this post. Promise.})

One day while my mom was working, I decided I would be a helper and bake cookies. I got out the butter and sugar and started mixing it - with a hand mixer, remember when we used those for everything? - then I realized that I didn't have any brown sugar. I was devastated. Here I was trying to be sweet and make something sweet and I was stuck. I wasn't old enough to drive and there wasn't a store within reasonable walking distance. I called my mom and asked her what to do. She, of course, offered to bring some home when she finished working. It would only have been a couple of hours waiting, but I was already in the mood and had everything else lined up on the counter. She told me that another option would be to make brown sugar. Oooohhhh! Yes! I wanted to do that one. She explained the process of mixing molasses and granulated sugar. Easy. She got a call a couple minutes later from a panicked daughter. I followed the recipe just like she told me to, but it was too gooey and dark and clumped. She gently told me to add more sugar and I would be just fine. I overdid it. It was like cream colored sugar. You can imagine this process went on for a little while until I had two massive bowls of brown (ish) sugar waiting for my mom when she finally got home from work. I don't even remember if the cookies ended up being made.

I will never forget that first day of making brown sugar because I knew I would never make it again. It didn't matter how expensive brown sugar became, I would never try that again.

Like most people, I don't like to lose or fail, so I decided to try again. I was smarter about it the second go-around. I didn't follow the recipe on the molasses jar. (Should someone tell them that their recipe is off?) I started with sugar and added molasses until I had the perfect balance. I like it to have a rich flavor, but not be overly sticky. This recipe is perfect for baking, making BBQ sauce, and for adding a rich/sweet flavor to other sauces. Luckily for you, I will give you the recipe I came up with and you won't have to have a traumatic experience. You're welcome.

Brown Sugar
5 c granulated sugar
2/3 c molasses

This amount fits perfectly into my small KitchenAid mixer and I do two batches to fit into my storage container. I actually tried this two different ways this week to see which worked best. I added half the molasses and mixed it in and then added the next half and mixed that in. I also just dumped it all in. It made no difference. So make it easy on yourself. Just dump it all in and mix it up. The only thing you need to remember is that you need to scrap the sides of the bowl several times because the molasses likes to stick to it instead.

Also, I took pictures so you have an idea of what everything will look like. The pictures are from the time first attempt when I added the molasses in two batches. You'll still get the idea.

You will notice the little chunks of molasses. Don't worry. They will go away as you mix it all together.

Yum.

Scrape several times and you will end up with smooth brown sugar. It is stickier than store-bought brown sugar. Don't worry. That is a good thing. It helps keep it from getting dry and hardening.

Perfectly contained. I just use a measuring cup to put it in my container. Try not to pack it into your container.

Most of the time, I find that the price comparison is pretty even between making brown sugar and buying it pre-made. I prefer making it myself because that way I can buy bulk sugar and use part of it for brown sugar. I also like being able to control the amount of molasses I use. Plus, for those days that you make 5 or 6 different varieties of cookies and run out of brown sugar, you can just make it instead of going to the store. (I did that this week. It was delightful. I will share recipes soon.)

**Update - When I first posted this recipe, I told you to add granulated sugar and brown sugar. That doesn't make brown sugar. I corrected it to molasses. Thanks to a dedicated reader for catching my mistakes!**

Favorite Time of the Year

I love the couple of weeks of fall that Utah gets. I love watching the leaves change color. I love feeling the temperature lower. My husband laughs at me when I watch the news just so I can see how cold it will get the next day. It makes me smile. He laughs at me and bundles up. My poor Southern boy is cold blooded.

We've almost been married two years. They weren't lying: time flies when you are having fun. I love being with my best friend. We are pretty perfect for each other. I wouldn't change anything about our life. (Ok, that was a lie. I'd add a kid or two. That will happen when it is time, and since it isn't time, I'm as happy as can be.) We are celebrating two years by driving the entire day. Yay! Ok, so unlike life, it isn't about the journey. It is all about the destination. I am headed back to the South to eat BBQ. A lot of BBQ. I can't wait to tell you about the places we stop and the weight I plan on gaining. Delightful.

That isn't for a couple of weeks, so I needed something to keep my mind busy until then. Lucky for me, it is time for case lot sales. I hate to admit it, but I've spent the last couple of hours preparing for grocery shopping. No, I'm not using coupons. That scares me. I just study ads. You'd be surprised at the subtle differences in prices. I feel like this is a part of my job as a homemaker. I get to plan menus to feed my family. I feel good about my efforts when I save money and build up my food storage for a rainy day. (Or to eat right before we move again... Haha!) This week is filled win shopping trips that could take hours. I am so excited. Not kidding. My husband may not be as excited. I don't think he has ever been with me shopping at a case lot sale. How fun for him this time!

My tips for case lot sales come from eating food storage and liking to grocery shop.

1. Buy stuff you will use. Buy things you like and will eat. If you are unsure, just buy one can as a sample. I recommend doing that early in the week of case lot in case you like them. That way, you can buy more at a great price.

2. Check prices. Ads might tell you certain products are on sale, even if they are only a couple of cents cheaper. Grocery stores are trying to make money and will do that during case lot sales since we all equate those words with cheap prices. Just be aware of regular prices. I try really hard to keep track of sales prices for most of the items I buy. This helps me determine how good deals are and how much of certain products I should buy at certain price points. Is there a rehab program for grocery shopping addicts? I should look into that.

3. If grocery shopping panics you, go late at night or early in the day. Less people usually means less stress and less waiting around in lines.

4. One way I keep grocery shopping fun is remembering that this is one way I can serve my family. That makes it less like an item on my to do list and more like a way to help others. Perspective changes everything.

Those are my words of wisdom for today. My final thought is to remember to watch LDS General Conference this weekend. It will be amazing, trust me. Yes, I'll tell you all about my favorite talks next week sometime.