I went to bake a coffee cake yesterday that called for brown sugar. When I went to get it from my pantry, I noticed it was hard as rock. This has happened to me so many times. No matter how I close the bag with this clip or that clip, it always gets so hard that I almost need a hammer to chisel the amount that I need.
So after all these years of hard, clumpy brown sugar, I finally decided to do some research on how to keep brown sugar soft and fresh. These are the hacks I have found to keep brown sugar fresh, but it will also soften the brown sugar that has already gone hard.
1. Throw in a slice of white bread.
This works like magic. Throw in a slice of white bread into your hard clumpy brown sugar and it will become soft. The bread absorbs all of the moisture from the brown sugar, where the sugar can then soften while the bread hardens.
2. Use a food processor.
When you're in a rush and need the brown sugar to become soft right now, pull out the food processor. It will break the large chunks and create that fine texture once again.
3. Throw in a couple marshmallows.
Marshmallows work in the same way that the slice of bread does. Throw in a couple marshmallows into the brown sugar, where they will absorb the moisture and the brown sugar will become soft again or remain soft.
4. Use a microwave.
Place a wet paper towel in with the brown sugar and microwave for 20 seconds. It'll soften it right up!
5. Throw in some apple slices.
If you don't have white bread or marshmallows lying around, apples will do the trick as well. Add a few slices of apple into the brown sugar and let it sit for a day or two. Don't leave them in for longer then that since the apples will rot.