How can you soften brown sugar that has hardened?

Answer 1

How to soften brown sugar ideas:Place a piece of bread in the box and close it. Leave it there over night. It will soak out all the fluid that made it hard.

• Place a moistened cloth over the open container and leave it for several hours .

• Hard brown sugar will soften if you place a cut apple piece in the container overnight. Remove apple piece next day and sugar will remain soft.

may sound different but works

• If the brown sugar is in a box, put it in a plastic bag. Run a little square of paper towel under the faucet (smaller than a postcard). Wring it out, then put into the bag, seal, and stick in microwave for 15-20 seconds. You might have to keep checking it. But I guarantee you, it works like a charm.

• Put the brown sugar in a bowl, sprinkle a tiny bit of water on it, cover it, and put it in a microwave for a half minute or so depending on the amount you want softened.

• To keep the brown sugar soft, place a terra cotta (clay) disc in water over night and then in the sugar container. It will slowly release the moisture into the sugar.

• Microwave it for 15-30 seconds on high without any additional water.

• Easiest one I've found to work would be to place a slice of toast inside the container where the brown sugar is. Works like a charm.

• My wife puts in a slice of bread and seals it, and leaves it over night. She says it works.

• The Terra Cotta disc works very well, and only needs to be soaked for about fifteen minutes, patted dry, and then placed ON the brown sugar in a sealed container. There is no worry of mold using this method, and there are no food tastes imparted to the brown sugar! This softens rock hard brown sugar and also keeps brown sugar soft for up to 3 months when the disc can simply be re-soaked.

Another answerHeat up in the microwave for a few seconds but no longer than a minute.

Another answer

Beat with a small mallet <- (This answer isn't entirely true. It doesn't soften it. It just breaks the brown sugar into smaller, more useful pieces)

Yet Another Answer

If your using it to put ontop of something microwavable, just put the brown sugar in a container and heat it up with whatever you are heating up already (just don't keep it in for too long. About 15-25 seconds will do it.) Take it out and it will be warm and soft again.

The BEST Answer a easy!!!!!

Thanks for the microwave idea. It really works:)!!!!!! I had a brown sugar brick and no time to run to the store...yikes! The sugar had dehydrated and become hard. I took my meat tenderizer mallet and broke the brick up into pieces about the size of a grape. I placed it in the microwave in an open bag next to a coffee cup half full of water. I heated to water on high for 3 -4 minutes so the hot water created a steamy environment in the microwave. I let it cool for a few minutes. Removed it from the microwave. The brown sugar rocks were soft and easy to squeeze into granulated brown sugar. The flavor was perfect.

Answer 2

To soften brown sugar that has hardened, put a piece of white bread or an orange peel into the container/bag with the amount of sugar you need to use, and seal it; it should soften in 24hrs or so.

If you need the sugar right away, put the amount you need into a container and microwave for ten to thirty seconds. Check after twenty seconds to be sure the sugar doesn't start to melt. Cover the container and shake well; the sugar should be loose. Don't microwave more than one cup of sugar at a time.

If you need only a small amount, you can just use a kitchen grater to grate off the amount you need.

Answer 3

The easiest way to re-soften hardened brown sugar is by using the microwave. Pull the block of hardened brown sugar out of the box, place it on a plate. Microwave on high for a few seconds, perhaps ten, depending on the wattage of your microwave. Open the microwave, poke the sugar with a spoon or fork to see if it has softened sufficiently. If it hasn't give it another ten seconds in the microwave and test with the spoon again.

Don't leave the brown sugar in the microwave for more than brief amounts of time or it could liquifying, and don't test with your finger -- sugar burns are very nasty indeed.

Answer 4

1. Place the brown sugar in an airtight container with a slice of fresh bread placed on top. Seal and leave overnight. It should be soft and fresh again in the morning, if not just let it sit another day or two.
2. Sprinkle a few drops of water over the chunk of hardened sugar, place in a plastic bag, seal, and let sit for a couple days.
3. Place brown sugar in an open container, then top with a moistened cloth (paper towel works too). Let sit overnight.
4. Place the hardened sugar in an airtight container with a few apple slices. This should soften the sugar within the next day or two. Remove apple slices once sugar is soft again.
5. Use foil or plastic wrap to cover the top of the sugar. Then set a dampened sheet of paper towel (not dripping wet) on top of the foil. Place in an airtight container and seal. Let sit overnight or a few days as needed. Remove foil and paper towel once the towel is dry and sugar is fresh again.
6. Buy a clay disc or if you have a pottery piece on hand (from a broken clay pot, etc.), set it in water for about 30 minutes. Dry the piece so it isn't dripping wet. Put the clay piece in a container with the sugar and seal. Check after a few days. Keep the piece in with your sugar for months if you'd like--will keep it soft.
7. Quick Tip #1: Need the sugar soft now? Put the brown sugar in a container and place in the microwave with a small bowl full of water beside it. Microwave for about 1 minute--check. If it's still hard, try for another 30 seconds. You can keep doing this until the sugar is soft, but watch that you don't melt the sugar.
8. Quick Tip #2: Place the hardened sugar in a baking pan and set in oven (temperature at about 250° F). Check after 5 minutes. If still not soft, continue checking every few minutes until it's soft and ready to use.
9. Quick Tip #3: Place the brown sugar chunk in a microwave safe plastic bag. Take a square of paper towel and moisten with water (not dripping wet--wring out excess). Place the wet paper towel in the bag with the sugar and seal. Place in the microwave for approximately 20 seconds. If still not soft, microwave for a few seconds more, repeating until the sugar is ready to use. Be careful not to melt the sugar.
10. Quick Tip #4: Stick chunks of the brown sugar in a food processor or blender and chop/pulse until usable.

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Answer 5

microwave it for a few seconds

put a piece of bread in the container with the sugar for a day or so

Answer 6

put it in the microwave for 1 minute wet it and then let it sit for 5 minutes and it will be soft

Answer 7

Put it in the microwave for about 20 seconds

Answer 8

you hit it on the counter