How To Soften Brown Sugar Quickly - The Pioneer Woman

Every home cook has been there: You're getting ready to bake, you reach into your pantry to get your ingredients and you realize your brown sugar is hard as a rock. Don't just toss your brown sugar and use granulated instead—brown sugar has a unique molasses flavor and adds tons of moisture to baked goods. And once you know how to soften brown sugar, you can get back to making treats like Ree Drummond's brown sugar oatmeal cookies in no time.

So what went wrong? The main reason your brown sugar is super hard is because it dried out. After you open a package of brown sugar, you instantly release some of the natural moisture in the sugar. The exposure to open air dries and hardens both the sugar crystals and the molasses in the sugar, making the sugar crystals stick together. The end result: brown sugar that feels more like stone than damp sand!

But the good news is your brown sugar is still totally usable. The even better news is that reviving your solid brown sugar is simple—just restore the moisture. Read on to learn how to soften brown sugar (both light and dark varieties). And to keep your brown sugar from hardening in the first place, store it in a tightly-sealed food storage container. You can also add a brown sugar saver to your container, which can help maintain moisture in brown sugar for up to six months.

How to Soften Brown Sugar in the Microwave

This is the fastest and easiest way to soften hardened brown sugar.

1. Place your block of brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl.
2. Wet a paper towel and squeeze until just slightly damp. Lay the paper towel over the brown sugar and microwave it in 20-second intervals.
3. In between each interval, loosen the sugar with a fork, until the sugar has returned to its normal texture.

How to Soften Brown Sugar With Bread

This method will take a little longer, but it'll do the trick! This method works like magic—the moisture from a slice of bread is transferred to the brown sugar, helping it get back to its normally soft texture. You can also use the same method with a few apple slices.

1. Place your hardened brown sugar in a secure plastic container or bag.
2. Lay a slice of sandwich bread on top of the brown sugar and cover the container with the lid or seal it if using a bag. Let sit for at least 12 hours (or overnight).
3. Remove the bread and discard.

How to Soften Brown Sugar in the Oven

Remember, you don't want to cook or melt the brown sugar, you just want to soften it—so don't try to speed up this process by raising the temperature of the oven.

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Place the hardened pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it in the oven.
3. Check on the brown sugar every couple minutes or so and break it up with a fork until soft.
4. Allow the brown sugar to cool slightly before trying to use it in a recipe.

How Do You Keep Brown Sugar From Hardening?

Chances are, your brown sugar came in either a plastic bag or a box with plastic packaging inside. In either case, once you've opened the sugar, you should transfer it to an airtight container to keep it moist, or stick the whole thing in a large resealable plastic bag. This way, your brown sugar will maintain as much moisture as possible and be "scoopable" and ready for baking. That way, you won't have to resort to using a brown sugar substitute.

Put That Brown Sugar to Good Use

• Ree's Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookies Are a Classic
• Apple Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce
• Apple Betty Is the Best Last-Minute Dessert