What to use instead of 1 cup packed brown sugar
Mix with a fork until evenly coloured. Use 2 tbsp molasses for dark brown sugar.
Best for: Everything, closest match
Works in a pinch; cookies spread more and turn out crisper.
Best for: Cakes, sauces
Similar caramel flavour, slightly drier.
Best for: Cookies, crumbles, granola
Substituting in baking
Baking is chemistry, so swaps work best when you change one ingredient at a time and keep everything else exactly as written. Measure the substitute carefully, ideally by weight, and expect small differences in texture or browning. If a bake really matters, such as a birthday cake, try the swap in a half batch first.
Need more or less than 1 cup packed brown sugar? Scale the swap the same way as the original amount, or paste your recipe into the recipe converter to scale everything at once.
