It’s slightly nutty, a little bit caramel, and not nearly as sweet as refined white sugar. Most models come with an additional grinding blade (its the one with the blades parallel to the attachment). A very dark brown sugar will take on more of the bitterness and almost coffee-like flavor of molasses, whereas a light brown will be nearly as sweet as white sugar, but with a hint of nuttiness. Coconut sugar isn’t made from the meat, water, or milk of a coconut, as many people may assume. Coconut sugar became wildly popular because it’s lower on the Glycemic Index than conventional white sugar, so many people turn to it as a healthier solution. Brown sugar is readily available in just about any grocery store, though if you’re searching for unrefined brown sugar, the search might be a bit harder. We hope you’ve learned a little something about coconut sugar and brown sugar. Brown sugar has a glycemic index of 64, but coconut sugar has a GI of 35. You can use it as a 1:1 swap in most baked goods. This results in some pastries turning out dry or overly dense. Coconut palm sugar comes from the nectar of flowers from the coconut palm tree. Coconut sugar is a little less sweet than regular sugar but has a subtle molasses flavor that I enjoy. I would only substitute coconut sugar on basic flavored cookies like chocolate chip, oatmeal, molasses and chocolate, where the inherit flavors of these cookies will be complimented by the coconut sugar. It also doesn’t come from the coconut! Coconut sugar is very lightly processed, especially in comparison to white or brown sugar. Use it if you are on a budget or simply cannot find coconut sugar in your local grocery store. Articles are written by food experts, chefs, home cooks, and me, the Food Guy. Gluten Free Banana Chocolate-Hazelnut Coffee Cake. It is still a sweetener, and has a similar calorie count as table sugar. I am not a doctor nor registered dietician, therefore my suggestions or experiences are not a replacement to the advice of your own doctor or medical professional, it is only what has worked for me. It’s just as processed as white sugar, and is made through the same process, with one simple extra step. Substituting brown sugar with coconut sugar will reduce the glycemic index, which is better for your metabolic system. Coconut sugar looks a lot like brown sugar and the two are often considered interchangeable, but are they? I have used coconut sugar in about one hundred baked goods by now. It is usually made from sugar cane, but it can be made from sugar beets. I am not a dietician or nutritionist, just a home baker trying to reduce overly processed foods from my diet. Americas Test Kitchen Naturally Sweet Real Sweet by Shauna Sever. Brown sugar is an excellent all-purpose sweetener that can be used in any recipe where its deep brown color and molasses flavor are desired. Hey, I'm Jaron and I'm a self-proclaimed food expert and author of this website! Discover 500+ spicy recipes and hundreds of pepper profiles, comparisons, cooking tips + more. Your email address will not be published. Vanilla Essence Vs Vanilla Extract – The Differences. These sugars come from two completely different sources, but are still similar in terms of their chemical makeup. Most people know that white sugar is highly processed and unhealthy. There’s a popular trick of placing a piece of bread in with your brown sugar to pull moisture from the sugar to keep it from clumping together. If you were to have small bowls of coconut sugar and brown sugar placed in front of you, you might not visually be able to tell the difference. You can use it as a 1:1 swap in most baked goods. And what about brown sugar – how does that stack up? Coconut sugar tends to be larger individual granules, which will affect the way it dissolves, especially if you’re discussing use in baking. Coconut sugar crystals are typically coarse. Brown sugar has plenty of moisture in it and it dissolves quickly in liquid. The nectar is simply heated until all the liquid evaporates. I have experimented with using it in cakes, tea breads, muffins and cookies with mostly wonderful results. Brown sugar is also more budget-friendly and significantly easier to find in local supermarkets. Just measure it as you would for white sugar. So every time you substitute coconut sugar for another kind of sugar, you’re taking a texture and consistency risk. It is taken from the buds of the coconut tree, not from the coconut itself. Brown sugar is simply granulated white sugar with added molasses for color and a mild flavor. Happy Baking! It is just as good in candies like caramel and toffee, as well as in frostings. You are here: Home / SPICEography Showdown / Coconut Sugar Vs. Brown Sugar: SPICEography Showdown. They said that there is no room left in the world for “another food blogger.”
We humans eat with our eyes! This site is owned and operated by Elli & Tee Inc. Foodsguy.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Brown sugar can be used to replace coconut sugar in all cases as long as you are mindful of the difference in health benefits. You can read more about me here. Coconut sugar and brown sugar are both popular in baking and look a lot alike. The biggest difference between coconut sugar and brown sugar is what they’re made of. Coconut sugar does not come from the sugar cane plant as traditional white and brown sugar does. No, coconut sugar doesn’t taste at all like coconut. Because molasses is used, brown sugar has a moister and stickier texture when compared to that of coconut sugar. Trace amounts of minerals only show up in huge portion sizes, which you don’t want to consume in any type of sugar. Yes, in general, you can substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar and vice versa, cup for cup. Substituting Coconut Sugar for white or brown sugar is easy. Required fields are marked *. This website is full of easy and practical tips on freezing, reheating, dehydrating, or just about anything else you could do with food. Some bakers have found that because of its softer texture, coconut sugar does not blend as well with butter as brown sugar does. The quick answer is no. Before you make your decision, consider each sugar from every angle. It is made by extracting the sap from the flower buds of the coconut palm tree. Coconut nectar is similar in texture to maple syrup and can be used for baking and for drizzling on foods. Coconut Sugar Vs. Brown Sugar: SPICEography Showdown, Shop fiery spices at the PepperScale Spicery. The answer is not as clear-cut as you might think. It is best used in baked goods that are darker in color. Here are a couple of books I found valuable for learning more about using alternative sugars in your baking. Sugar derived from the sugar cane plant will immediately spike your blood sugar after consuming it. To Cane Sugar (aka sugar) Cane sugar is typically sold in crystalline form and is often sprinkled on foods, used to sweeten warm beverages, and used in baking recipes. In applications where it is melted or sprinkled, coconut sugar is virtually identical to brown sugar. Brown sugar also tends toward the sticky side of sugar granules because of the added molasses. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you are just whipping up a batch for yourself and don’t care about how the cookie looks, or you want to experiment, then give it a try. If you’re dissolving coconut sugar in thicker liquids like full-fat milk or oils, you may want to give it an extra 5 minutes to dissolve fully. It was suggested that it be ground into a finer texture before baking with it to reduce grittiness in the resulting baked goods. As you can see the cookies that used the light brown sugar look like the right shade of golden brown, as a chocolate chip cookie should look. This makes is more similar in process to honey, though it’s a granule, not a syrup. Coconut palm sugar has a rich caramel color, tastes like brown sugar, and has a relatively low glycemic index score. Substituting Coconut Sugar for white or brown sugar is easy. It is not to suggest any health benefits to you from using it. The information below reflects my own results of baking with coconut sugar vs light brown sugar. Hi, my name is Karen and I am the creator of The Passionate Table. When taste testing these two batches of cookies, my husband and I ended up preferring the coconut sugar cookies! Results may vary from person to person. It does taste similar to brown sugar and provides very mild caramel notes. I thought I would write a post about my experiences with replacing white and brown sugars in my baked goods with coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is a little less sweet than regular sugar but has a subtle molasses flavor that I enjoy. To decide which one you’ll be reaching for in your next bake-off, let’s look at each element. As far as cookies go, you can substitute coconut sugar in the recipe, they taste quite delicious but they appear to be over baked. Where the biggest nutritional difference occurs is in the glycemic index (GI), and this is primarily why coconut sugar has become so popular in recent years. Use it in dishes where you want brown sugar’s flavor and color with the added nutritional benefit of inulin. Coconut sugar can also be known as coco sugar, coconut palm sugar, coco sap sugar, and coconut blossom sugar. Coconut sugar, interestingly enough, doesn’t taste like coconuts but is most often compared in flavor to a light brown sugar. Coconut sugar is very similar in appearance and flavor to brown sugar, which means that it can serve as an effective substitute for it. What attracted me to trying coconut sugar is it is less processed than its sugar cane counterpart and contains small amounts of vitamin c, and minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc.