Brown sugar is just white sugar with the addition of molasses. That’s where the extra flavor comes from.
In fact, you can make your own by adding a tablespoon of molasses to a cup of sugar. If you like it darker, add 2 tablespoons of molasses.
We use a lot of brown sugar in our house. Partly because Jim and our youngest daughter like it on their oatmeal in the mornings. And partly because we make a lot of chocolate chip cookies.
Here are a few more recipes that use brown sugar:
- Apple Brown Betty Muffins
- Old Fashioned Spice Cake with Caramel Glaze
- Simple Coffee Cake
- Peach Crisp in the Slow Cooker
- Homemade Baked Beans in the Slow Cooker
In case you’re interested in seeing the Ingredient Spotlight Schedule, here is the May-June list. I added in some foods that you might be harvesting from your garden this summer.
Now it’s your turn. Bring on the brown sugar! Link up any recipe on your blog that uses this sweet ingredient. It doesn’t have to be a recent post, just be sure to link directly to your recipe, not just the main page of your blog. I only ask that you include a link back to Eat at Home in your post. You can link directly to this post or use the button in the sidebar.
Remember to visit some of the other links and leave a comment. You’ll make a blogger’s day!
Thanks for hosting the link up 🙂
Yum! I love baking with brown sugar!
Thanks for hosting Tiffany!
Brown sugar, Brown sugar, How I love Thee! Tiffany you have included one of my favorite things in life. I, too, put brown sugar on my oatmeal. I also have been know to butter a slice of bread and spread brown sugar on the butter and eat that when I needed something sweet. Oh heaven! Well, I am going to be a comment hog again today as I have not one but three great recipes to share. One cookie and two main dishes.
This cookie recipe came from Farm Journal’s Homemade Cookies, 1971. It has a shortbread based bottom and a ooey, gooey topping. The original called for coconut, walnuts, dates or semisweet chocolate. I am listing some of the other ingredients I have used over the years. Chopped almonds, chopped dried apricots and white chocolate chips make a great combination as does pecans, dates or figs, and butterscotch chips. Cinnamon chips are great if you can find them.
Treasure Bars
1 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 t. vanilla
1 T. flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, toasted
1 c. shredded or flaked coconut
1/2 c. chopped dates, dried apricots, cherries or figs, dried cranberries
1/2 c. chips, semisweet, milk chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter, or white chocolate
Combine flour, 1/2 c. brown sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Press mixture into bottom of greased 13×9-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees 12 minutes.
Cool on rack 5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggs slightly. Add 1 c. brown sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla. Stir together 1 T. flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into egg mixture. Stir in nuts, coconut, and other ingredients. Spread over baked crust. Return to oven and bake 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack, cutting while still slightly warm. These are rich so I cut 36 bars.
Sweet and Sour Beef Stew and Sweet and Sour Pork are favorites of ours. The stew recipe came from a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, “Good Food on a Budget”, and the pork recipe came from a Bisquick cook book. I often use round steak for the stew and don’t cook it as long. You can double the sauce ingredients, and I think it would serve 6. I sometime add frozen peas toward the end of the cooking time to add color and make it more of a one-dish meal. You could add green beans or other green veggie also.
Sweet and Sour Beef Stew
1 1/2 lb. beef stew meat, cut in 1-in. cubes
2 T. cooking oil
1 C. chopped carrot or halved baby carrots
1 C. sliced onion
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 C. brown sugar
1/4 C. vinegar
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
4 t. cornstarch
Hot cooked noodles
Poppy seed (optional)
Brown meat in hot oil. Add next 6 ingredients, 1/2 C. water, and 1 t. salt. Cover and cook over low heat until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Combine cornstarch and 1/4 C. cold water; add to beef mixture. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Serve over noodles sprinkled with poppy seed. Garnish with carrot curls and parsley, if desired. Makes 4 servings.
I love this Sweet and Sour Pork as you get a crunchy crust on the pork with no deep frying. You can use cubed chicken instead of the pork, but do not bake as long. probably 20 min., turn and then 10 min. I start with 1/2 c. of the Bisquick to coat the pork and add more if I need it. I have found that I usually don’t need a full cup. I prefer the pineapple tidbits or I cut the pineapple chunks in half.
Sweet and Sour Pork-Bisquick
3 T. butter or margarine
1 egg
2 T. water
1 1/2 lbs. pork cut into 1-inch cubes
1 c. Bisquick (start with 1/2 c.)
1/2 c brown sugar
3 T. cornstarch
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple tidbits or chunks
3 T. vinegar (I use rice vinegar)
2 T. ketchup
2 T. soy sauce
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 red or green pepper, thinly sliced
Heat oven to 400 F. Melt butter in a 9×13-in. pan. Beat egg and water together. Dip pork cubes into egg mixture, then coat with Bisquick. Arrange pork in melted butter in pan. Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Turn, bake 15 minutes longer. Meanwhile mix brown sugar and cornstarch. Add enough water to pineapple juice drained from pineapple to measure 2 1/4 c. Combine cornstarch mixture, syrup/water mixture, vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce into a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Stir in pineapple and onion. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5-10 minutes until onion and peppers are crisp-tender. Stir in pork and heat through. Makes 6 servings
Tiffany, thank you for continuing this series. It is so fun, and I am collecting some great new recipes. Now I am off to see what’s new this week.
Loy, you always share great recipes. That’s a very creative use of bisquick in the last one.
I am so happy to have found your linky.Thanks for hosting.I shared my two dishes from my place. Braised Pork and Banana Turon.
What a great collection of recipes with such a useful ingredient! Thanks for hosting!
I knew I was in trouble when I saw Brown Sugar as the ingredient spotlight! I made your simple coffee cake for breakfast this morning and my family devoured it noting just how much they liked it….thanks once again for great recipes!
Brown sugar has long been the secret ingredient in my spaghetti sauce, as recommended to me by a registered dietician. I need to get that recipe on my blog! I had frozen some and sent it home with my single son — later in the day, received this text message: “OMG, your spaghetti sauce is the best ever and I’m totally passing it off as my own right now.”
Suzanne, I’ve always used white sugar in spaghetti sauce, but I am going to try brown next time. Great idea!