toasted sugar

With a jar of molasses on the shelf, you can always whip up a batch of DIY brown sugar in a pinch. It's not necessarily tastier or more convenient than the real deal, but without question, it's better than having to give up on a batch of your favorite cookies.

Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe

sugar

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine sugar and molasses. Mix on low speed until roughly incorporated, then increase to medium speed and mix until light, fluffy, and perfectly homogeneous, with an appearance just like that of real brown sugar. Use in your favorite recipes, or store in an airtight container up to 1 month at room temperature. 

With a hint of caramel from toasted sugar, Belgian cassonade, or light brown sugar, this Swiss meringue–based chocolate frosting is rich, complex, and none too sweet.

Chocolate Swiss Buttercream Recipe

egg eggs

cream of tartar

unsalted butter (4 sticks; 455 grams), softened to about 65°F (18°C)

(5 grams) vanilla extract (plus more if needed)

espresso powder (optional),

Fill a wide pot with at least 1 1/2 inches water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed on the bottom to act as a "booster seat" that will prevent the bowl from touching the bottom of the pot. Place over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over steaming water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites hold steady at 185°F (85°C). This should take only 10 to 12 minutes, so if the mixture seems to be moving slowly, simply turn up the heat. Once ready, transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed for about 10 minutes, until meringue is glossy, stiff, and cool to the touch, around 90°F (32°C).

With mixer still running, add butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Initially, the volume of the meringue will decrease dramatically; it may even seem soupy along the way, but as the cool butter is added, the mixture will begin to thicken and cool. In the end, the buttercream should be thick, creamy, and soft but not runny, around 72°F (22°C). Mix in vanilla extract on low speed until well combined.

Melt chocolate, either in a microwave or over a water bath, until fluid and warm; start at the lower end of the suggested quantity range for a "milk" chocolate profile, or use the maximum amount for the deepest chocolate flavor. Scrape all of the warm chocolate into stand mixer bowl at once, then immediately begin whipping on medium-high until fully incorporated. Scrape bowl with a flexible spatula to ensure there is no unincorporated chocolate lurking around sides of bowl, then continue mixing until homogeneous. If you like, adjust to taste with additional salt, vanilla, or dissolved espresso powder to add depth of flavor.

Use buttercream right away, or transfer to a large zipper-lock bag, press out air, and seal. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to several months. (The main issue with longer storage in the freezer is odor absorption, not spoilage.) Rewarm to approximately 73°F (23°C) and re-whip before using.

Troubleshooting: If warmer than 76°F (24°C), the buttercream will be soft and loose; pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes and re-whip to help it thicken and cool. If colder than 70°F (21°C), the buttercream will be firm and dense, making it difficult to spread over cakes and slow to melt on the tongue, creating a greasy mouthfeel. To warm, briefly set over a pan of steaming water, just until you see the edges melting slightly, then re-whip to homogenize. Full troubleshooting guide and video here.

Toasting sugar in a low oven allows it to slowly caramelize without sacrificing its crystalline structure. The result is a sort of "granulated caramel" that can be used in any recipe as a one-to-one substitution for plain sugar. A mere hour of toasting will dramatically tame the sugar's sweetness, while extended periods of time will build a more intense caramel flavor. This technique works best with large batches of sugar; for smaller batches, check out our guide to quick toasted sugar. Whatever the case, play around and find out what style works best for you.

Toasted Sugar Recipe

(9 cups; 1.8kg) granulated white sugar

Adjust oven rack to center position and preheat oven to 300°F. Pour sugar into a 9- by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Toast until the sugar turns ivory, about 1 hour. Stir thoroughly and continue roasting, pausing to stir every 30 minutes. The sugar will produce steam as a byproduct of toasting, so it must be stirred well to allow that moisture to escape. Stirring should also help move hot sugar from the edges toward the center, and cool sugar from the center toward the edges, for even toasting. Continue toasting and stirring every 30 minutes until the sugar has darkened to the desired degree, from a light beige to the color of traditional brown sugar, between 2 and 4 hours more. 

When the sugar has finished toasting, set aside and cool to room temperature, stirring from time to time to speed the process and allow for continued evaporation of steam. Alternatively, the cooling process can be sped along by pouring the sugar into a large, heat safe container. Once fully cool, transfer to an airtight container and store as you would plain white sugar. It can be used interchangeably, by weight or volume, in any recipe that calls for white sugar.

Troubleshooting: In an oven that runs hot, or when using a different volume of sugar, or a different size baking dish, or a metal dish, the sugar will heat more rapidly, and may begin to liquify much sooner than expected. If this happens, immediately pour the dry sugar into a large stainless steel bowl, leaving the melted caramel behind. If the sugar is not stirred thoroughly throughout the toasting process, it may clump severely along the way and as it cools; should this happen, grind the cooled sugar in a food processor until powdery and fine. 

Brown butter and toasted sugar make an extra-special batch of slice-and-bake shortbread cookies.

Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies Recipe

refined white sugar (shy 3/4 cup; 140 grams)

unsalted butter (about 10 tablespoons; 140 grams)

malted milk powder,

vanilla extract (about 1 1/2 teaspoons; 7 grams)

baking soda

baking powder

all-purpose flour,

Toast the Sugar: Place sugar in a 10-inch stainless steel skillet, then transfer to a cold oven and set oven to 350°F (180°C). Meanwhile, brown butter according to the step below; by the time it is finished, the sugar should be lightly toasted and beginning to smell of caramel. Pour warm sugar into a 2-quart glass baking dish (or similar dish) to speed cooling and let it cool to approximately 75°F (24°C). The prepared sugar can be used as soon as the brown butter has fully cooled, or it can be stored in an airtight container indefinitely.

Brown the Butter: In a 2-quart stainless steel saucier, melt butter over medium-low heat. Increase heat to medium and simmer, stirring with a heat-resistant spatula while butter hisses and pops. Adjust heat as needed so that the dairy solids will not scorch before all the water can boil away. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping up any brown bits that form along the way, until the butter is golden yellow and perfectly silent (an indication that the water has completely boiled away). Pour into the bowl of a stand mixer, along with all the toasty brown bits, and cool until creamy, opaque, and no warmer than 75°F (24°C). Alternatively, the brown butter can be refrigerated up to 3 weeks, then softened to the same temperature before use.

Make the Dough: When the brown butter is creamy and thick, add the cooled toasted sugar, malted milk powder, vanilla extract, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix on low until combined, then increase speed to medium and beat until fluffy and light. Reduce speed to low, then add flour and continue mixing only until well combined.

Scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula to make sure there are no streaks of unmixed dough, then knead lightly against sides of bowl. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and shape into a rough log about 12 inches in length.

Fold parchment over dough, then use a bench scraper to tuck parchment under dough; gently pull on top sheet of parchment to tighten the log. Move the bench scraper down a few inches and repeat, until the log is smooth and tight all around. Roll dough so it wraps up in the parchment, cut away the excess, and secure with a piece of tape. Tie off the ends with pieces of twine. Refrigerate until dough is chilled to about 40°F (4°C), about 4 hours; dough can also be held in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

To Bake: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, preheat to 350°F (180°C), and set chilled dough out at room temperature for about 10 minutes to soften. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut dough log into rounds just shy of 1/2 inch. Arrange on a parchment-lined half-sheet pan and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Stored in an airtight container, the shortbread cookies will keep for several weeks at cool room temperature. 

Fluffier than a French meringue, Swiss meringue whips up with the same ratio of ingredients.

Perfect Swiss Meringue Recipe

Scraped seeds vanilla bean (optional)

Fill a wide pot with at least 1 1/2 inches of water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed inside to act as a "booster seat." Place over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla seeds (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over steaming water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites hold steady at 175°F (79°C), between 8 and 10 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed until meringue is glossy and beginning to ball up inside the whisk, about 5 minutes. Use immediately.

Toasted sugar and salt tame the sweetness of this quick and easy frosting, keeping it flavorful and light.

Old-Fashioned 7-Minute Frosting Recipe

vanilla extract,

For a Stand Mixer With a Bowl-Lift Design: Tear off a long strip of foil and crumple it into a thick ring. Place it in the bottom of a 3-quart saucier, or similarly large, wide pot, and fill with roughly 1 1/2 inches water. Place over high heat until bubbling-hot, then adjust the temperature to maintain a gentle simmer.In a stainless steel stand mixer bowl, combine egg whites, toasted sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Set over the steaming water so that the bowl is resting on the foil ring and touching neither the water nor the pot itself. Cook, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites register 175°F (79°C) on a digital thermometer; this should take no longer than 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer bowl to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

For a Stand Mixer With a Tilt-Head Design: Fill a large pot with a few inches of water. Place over high heat until bubbling-hot. In a large glass or ceramic bowl, combine egg whites, toasted sugar, salt, and cream of tartar. Set bowl over the steaming water, then cook, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites register 175°F (79°C) on a digital thermometer; this should take no longer than 12 minutes. Scrape mixture into the stand mixer bowl and fit stand mixer with a whisk attachment.

Add the vanilla extract, and whip the meringue on high speed until glossy, stiff, and cool to the touch. Along the way, pause mixing to taste the meringue, adjusting the salt and vanilla as needed; if using an extract of another flavor, fold it in with a flexible spatula at the very end, as the oil content of flavors like citrus, almond, or mint may otherwise deflate the meringue. 

Use immediately as a frosting for cake, and serve as soon as possible; at cool room temperature, the frosting will hold for about 24 hours, as the cake will slowly absorb the meringue over time. If desired, after frosting a cake, the exterior layer of meringue can be toasted like a marshmallow using a culinary blowtorch.

Troubleshooting: While the approximate cooking times for the water bath are estimations at best, and will naturally vary from kitchen to kitchen, substantially missing the mark indicates heats that are vastly too high or low. When the meringue cooks much too fast, it is prone to scrambling, regardless of how thoroughly the bowl is scraped, resulting in a lumpy texture and eggy flavor. When the meringue is cooked too slowly, excess evaporation will dry the meringue, making it grainy and dense. In either event, adjusting the heat as needed will resolve the issue.

This light and silky buttercream is none too sweet, and beautifully stable at room temperature. The finished product can be customized with a splash of extract, a drizzle of melted chocolate, concentrated fruit purées, or just about whatever you crave.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe | BraveTart

unsalted butter (5 sticks; 565 grams), softened to about 65°F (18°C)

(5 milliliters) vanilla extract

almond extract (optional)

Fill a wide pot with at least 1 1/2 inches of water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed on the bottom to act as a "booster seat" that will prevent the bowl from touching the bottom of the pot. Place over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla seeds (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over steaming water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites hold steady at 185°F (85°C). This should take only 10 to 12 minutes, so if mixture seems to be moving slowly, simply turn up the heat. Once ready, transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed about 10 minutes, until meringue is glossy, stiff, and cool to the touch, around 90°F (32°C).

With mixer still running, add butter, 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time. Initially, the volume of the meringue will decrease dramatically; it may even seem soupy along the way, but as the cool butter is added, the mixture will begin to thicken and cool. In the end, buttercream should be thick, creamy, and soft but not runny, around 72°F (22°C). Mix in vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) on low speed until well combined.

Use buttercream right away, or transfer to a large zipper-lock bag, press out the air, and seal. Buttercream can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks and frozen for up to several months. (The main issue with longer storage in the freezer is odor absorption, not spoilage.) Rewarm to 72°F and re-whip before using.

Troubleshooting: If warmer than 74°F (23°C), the buttercream will be soft and loose; pop it in the fridge for 15 minutes and re-whip to help it thicken and cool. If colder than 68°F (20°C), the buttercream will be firm and dense, making it difficult to spread over cakes and slow to melt on the tongue, creating a greasy mouthfeel; to warm, briefly set over a pan of steaming water, just until you see the edges melting slightly, then re-whip to help it soften and warm. Full troubleshooting guide and video here.

While not a traditional "white" cake by any stretch, this cake leans on new ingredients to amplify its vanilla flavor.

White Cake With Brown Butter and Toasted Sugar Recipe

For the Cake:

sugar (about 3 cups; 595 grams)

unsalted butter (about 3 sticks; 340 grams)

vanilla

water (about 4 1/2 teaspoons; 21 grams)

eggs,

bleached cake flour,

To Finish:

frosting, any style

Toast the Sugar: Adjust oven rack to middle position, preheat to 350°F (180°C), and place the sugar in a 10-inch stainless steel skillet. Toast in the oven until fragrant and pale gold, like white sand, stirring thoroughly every 20 minutes or so to circulate sugar away from the edges of the pan. The whole process will take about 1 hour, but it can vary significantly depending on oven temperature accuracy, skillet size and shape, and frequency of stirring. Pour warm sugar into a 2-quart glass baking dish (or similar) to speed cooling and let it cool to approximately 70°F (21°C) before use. The cooled sugar can be used right away, or it can be stored in an airtight container indefinitely.

Brown the Butter: In 3-quart stainless steel saucier, melt butter over medium-low heat until fluid. Increase to medium and simmer, stirring with a heat-resistant spatula while butter hisses and pops; adjust heat as needed, so that dairy solids will not scorch before all the water can boil away. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping up any brown bits that form along the pan, until butter is golden yellow and perfectly silent (an indication the water has entirely boiled away). The entire process should take about 15 minutes; substantially shorter or longer times may indicate improper heat settings.

Pour into bowl of a stand mixer (there will be about 9 3/4 ounces or 276g), along with all the toasty brown bits, and cool until thick, creamy, and opaque, or approximately 70°F (21°C). This can be done passively over the course of several hours, or in about 20 minutes with a cold-water bath using a few ice cubes. Alternatively, the brown butter can be refrigerated up to a week in an airtight container and then warmed to about 70°F (21°C) before use.

Getting Ready: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease three 8-inch anodized aluminum cake pans and line with parchment (explanation and tutorial here). If you don’t have three pans, it’s okay to bake the cakes in stages; the batter can be held at room temperature during this time.

For the Cake: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combined the cooled brown butter, the cooled toasted sugar, baking powder, vanilla, water, salt, and baking soda. Mix on low speed to roughly incorporate; then increase to medium and beat until soft, fluffy, and pale, about 8 minutes. About halfway through, pause to scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula.

With the mixer still running, add eggs one at a time, letting each fully incorporate before adding the next. Reduce speed to low and sprinkle in about 1/3 of the cake flour, then drizzle in 1/3 of the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk, working in thirds as before.

When the batter looks smooth, scrape the bowl and beater with a flexible spatula; then fold the batter once or twice from the bottom up to be sure everything is well-combined. The batter should look creamy and thick but not stiff.

Divide evenly between prepared cake pans (about 27 ounces or 765g). Stagger pans together on one oven rack and bake until puffed, firm, and pale gold, about 35 minutes. If oven has uneven heat, pause to rotate the pans after about 16 minutes. Alternatively, bake two layers at once and finish the third later.

Cool cakes directly in their pans until no trace of warmth remains and then run a butter knife around the edges to loosen. Invert onto a wire rack, peel off the parchment, and return cakes right side up (covered in plastic, the cakes can be left at room temperature for a few hours). Prepare buttercream.

For the Crumb Coat: Level cakes with a serrated knife (full directions here) and set scraps aside for snacking. Place one layer on a heavy cast iron turntable. If you like, a waxed cardboard cake round can first be placed underneath, secured to the turntable with a scrap of damp paper towel. Top with exactly 1 cup buttercream, using an offset spatula to spread it evenly from edge to edge. Repeat with second and third layers and then cover the sides of the cake with another cup of buttercream, spreading it as smoothly as you can (tutorial here). Refrigerate cake until buttercream hardens, about 30 minutes.

To Finish: Rewhip remaining buttercream to restore its creamy consistency and then use to finish and decorate the chilled cake as desired. Let the cake sit out until it reaches an internal temperature no cooler than 70°F (21°C) before serving, otherwise it will be too cold and seem greasy and dense. Cut with a chef’s knife to serve and cover exposed edges with leftover buttercream to keep the cake moist. Under a cake dome, the frosted cake will keep for 3 days at room temperature. 

Top 8 toasted sugar recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe

Chocolate Swiss Buttercream Recipe

Toasted Sugar Recipe

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Perfect Swiss Meringue Recipe

Old-Fashioned 7-Minute Frosting Rec...

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe |...

White Cake With Brown Butter and To...

Top 8 toasted sugar recipes from across the web

The most viewed toasted sugar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Homemade Brown Sugar Recipe

Chocolate Swiss Buttercream Recipe

Toasted Sugar Recipe

Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies Rec...

Perfect Swiss Meringue Recipe

Old-Fashioned 7-Minute Frosting Rec...

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe |...

White Cake With Brown Butter and To...

The most viewed toasted sugar recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine