Out of Brown sugar, one case

Brown sugar substitute for cookies

5 options, ranked, with the exact amount

Use thisBest of 5 options

Use Granulated sugar + molasses

1 cup + 1 tbsp for every cup of brown sugar

In cookies, replace each cup of packed brown sugar with 1 cup of granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon of molasses, rubbed together until the color is even. That is how brown sugar is made, so the cookies bake the same. With no molasses, 1 cup of granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey keeps the chew, and plain granulated sugar on its own works but gives a paler, crisper, thinner cookie.

Verdict —: Works
The tweak —: Rub 1 tbsp molasses into 1 cup granulated sugar with your fingers, or pulse in a food processor for about 30 seconds, until no dark streaks remain. Use 2 tbsp for dark brown sugar. Do this before the sugar meets the butter.
Best for —: chocolate chip cookies

One casethe full brown sugar card

Every option, one card

Ranked

Brown sugar substitutes compared
#	Substitute	Instead of 1 cup brown sugar	Verdict
1	Granulated sugar + molasseschocolate chip cookies	1 cup + 1 tbspWorks	Works
2	Granulated sugar + maple syrupoatmeal and pecan cookies	1 cup + 1 tbspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
3	Granulated sugar + honeychocolate chip cookies	1 cup + 1 tbspYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
4	Granulated sugarwhen there is nothing else in the house	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
5	Coconut sugaroatmeal and spice cookies	1 cupYou'll taste it	You'll taste it
Not a swap	Maple syrup or honey on its own	not a swapNot for this	Not for this

What changesWhat changes, option by option5 options

Granulated sugar + molasses

the same as brown sugar

White sugar with the molasses put back. It creams with butter the way brown sugar does and holds the same moisture, so the cookies keep their chew, color and toffee flavor.

Best for: chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, molasses and ginger cookies, blondies and cookie bars
Prep: Rub 1 tbsp molasses into 1 cup granulated sugar with your fingers, or pulse in a food processor for about 30 seconds, until no dark streaks remain. Use 2 tbsp for dark brown sugar. Do this before the sugar meets the butter.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: Molasses poured into the dough later streaks and leaves dark patches. Blackstrap molasses is bitter; use regular or mild molasses.

For the ¾ cup of brown sugar in a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, that is ¾ cup granulated sugar plus 2 ¼ tsp molasses.

Granulated sugar + maple syrup

a light maple note in place of dark caramel

A tablespoon of maple syrup does the water-holding job of molasses, so the cookies stay soft and chewy. The flavor is maple, not toffee.

Best for: oatmeal and pecan cookies, chocolate chip cookies when there is no molasses, snickerdoodles
Prep: Stir the syrup through the sugar until the grains are evenly damp, then cream with the butter. Keep it to 1 tbsp per cup.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: Past about 2 tbsp per cup the dough turns slack and the cookies spread thin.

Granulated sugar + honey

faintly floral, slightly sweeter

Honey holds moisture well and is mildly acidic, as molasses is, so it keeps both the chew and the lift in a dough raised with baking soda.

Best for: chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, doughs leavened with baking soda and no baking powder
Prep: Stir 1 tbsp honey through the sugar and lower the oven 25°F, because honey browns faster than sugar.
Suits: gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: At the recipe's full oven temperature the edges darken before the centers set. Not for cookies that will be served to a child under 12 months.

Granulated sugar

cleanly sweet, with no caramel

Plain white sugar sweetens and creams correctly, but it cannot hold water the way molasses does. The cookies are still good; they are a different cookie.

Best for: when there is nothing else in the house, cookies you like thin and crisp, recipes where brown sugar is a small share of the sugar
Prep: Measure it level, not packed. If the dough looks dry and stiff, add 1 tbsp of milk or water per cup of sugar swapped.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free
Where it fails: Cookies spread wider, bake paler and crisper, and are hard by the second day.

If the recipe uses baking soda and no baking powder, add ¼ tsp lemon juice or vinegar per ½ tsp of soda to replace the acid the brown sugar supplied.

Coconut sugar

caramel with a slightly smoky edge, a little less sweet

Dry brown crystals with a caramel flavor near that of brown sugar. It gives the taste and the color but not the moisture.

Best for: oatmeal and spice cookies, chocolate cookies, where the darker color does not show
Prep: Add 1 tbsp of milk or water per cup, and grind coarse coconut sugar for 15 seconds so it creams smoothly.
Suits: vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free
Where it fails: Cookies come out darker, drier and less chewy. A cup weighs about 160 g against 200 g, so the batch is slightly less sweet unless you weigh out 200 g.

Maple syrup or honey on its own

soft, cakey mounds in place of cookies

Replacing all of the brown sugar in a cookie dough with a syrup.

Best for: sauces, glazes and muffins, not creamed cookie dough
Where it fails: Creaming works because sugar crystals cut air pockets into the butter. A syrup has no crystals, so the dough never aerates, and the extra water makes the cookies bake flat and cakey. Keep the sugar crystalline and add only 1 tbsp of syrup per cup.

How it behaves in this recipe

In this recipeBrown sugar

In a cookie, brown sugar does three things: its crystals cream air into the butter, its molasses holds water so the cookie stays chewy, and it adds color and a toffee flavor. A good swap has to stay crystalline for the first job and bring something moist for the second, which is why sugar plus a spoonful of molasses, maple syrup or honey beats any single ingredient.

Tips for substituting brown sugar

5 tips

Standard chocolate chip cookies call for ¾ cup packed brown sugar: use ¾ cup granulated sugar plus 2 ¼ tsp molasses, mixed until the color is even.
If you use all white sugar, chill the dough 30 minutes before baking to limit the spread, and take the cookies out when the edges are set and the centers still look soft.
Out of light brown but have dark brown, or the reverse: swap cup for cup. Dark brown gives a deeper color and a stronger toffee flavor.
All-white-sugar cookies go crisp fast. Store them in a sealed container with a slice of bread to keep them soft for another day.
With honey in the mix, lower the oven 25°F and start checking 2 minutes early.

Questions

5 questions

Can I use white sugar in place of brown sugar in chocolate chip cookies?

Yes, cup for cup. The cookies spread wider and bake paler, thinner and crisper, with no toffee flavor, and they harden by the next day. To keep them chewy, stir 1 tablespoon of molasses, maple syrup or honey into each cup of white sugar before creaming.

What happens if I leave the brown sugar out of cookies?

Leaving it out without replacing it removes a large share of the sugar, and the cookies turn out dry, bready and bland, because sugar also keeps a cookie tender and helps it spread. Replace it with the same amount of another crystalline sugar.

How much molasses do I add to white sugar for a smaller amount?

For light brown sugar: 1 tablespoon per cup, 1 ½ teaspoons per ½ cup, and ¾ teaspoon per ¼ cup. Double those amounts for dark brown sugar.

Can I use powdered sugar in cookies when I have no brown sugar?

It is not a good swap. Powdered sugar contains cornstarch and has no crystals to cream with butter, so the cookies come out dense, pale and tender like shortbread, with no chew. Use granulated sugar if you have any.

Can I make cookies with only maple syrup or honey?

Not in a recipe that creams butter and sugar. Syrup cannot aerate butter and adds water, so the cookies bake flat and cakey. Use granulated sugar for the bulk and stir in 1 tablespoon of syrup per cup for moisture.