Tag Archives: caramel

Birthday Shortbread

30 Wednesday May 2012

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When I lived in England, one of my favorite desserts was Millionaire’s Shortbread, a bakery treat made of sweet sedimentary layers of cookie, caramel, and chocolate. These cookie bars are, in a word, dreamy — the kind of dessert that requires you close your eyes for a moment after you take a bite.

They start with a tender shortbread base that is everything a cookie by that name should be: buttery, crumbly, and deceptively simple. Shortbread is one of the culinary miracles that first drew me to baking, and it still thrills me to see flour, sugar, butter, and a pinch of salt transformed into something so special. With the help of a food processor, this version comes together in less than five minutes, and that takes into account some dawdling while you measure.

While the cookie base bakes, you have the pleasure of meeting the British cousin of dulce de leche, a thick, milky caramel the color of pale butterscotch. It is just as simple to put together as the shortbread, and never have ten minutes’ stirring been so well-rewarded. Of course, a recipe called Millionaire’s Shortbread has to be over the top, and a layer of silky chocolate ganache takes it there in style. Despite its rich name and taste, Millionaire’s Shortbread has only six ingredients total. Of course, after the first bite, it’s also obvious that there’s butter in every layer. ;)

In deference to its British provenance, I am providing the recipe measurements in both volume and metric weight. I do actually pull out my little electric kitchen scale to make this one, if only because fiddling with buttons and using the word “tare” pleases me. It will turn out deliciously either way, so use whichever version you prefer. And one last note: in my house, this is now known as Birthday Shortbread because the son of a dear friend asked if he could have this recipe as his sixteenth birthday present. What better recommendation could you ask for, really? A dessert fit for millionaires and distinguishing teenagers alike.

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Birthday Shortbread
makes twenty-seven 1″x3″ bars

For cookie:
1 3/4 c. (225 grams) all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1/4 c. (50 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 c. (170 grams or 1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2″ pieces
pinch of salt

For caramel:
14 oz. can (400 grams) sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. (115 grams or 1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 c. (100 grams) granulated sugar
pinch of salt

For chocolate:
6 oz. (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate bar
1/4 c. (55 grams or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
pinch salt

Oven 350F. Start by making the shortbread base: in a food processor, combine flour and sugar and pulse a few times to mix. Add butter pieces and process until uniformly mixed into buttery sand. Pour crumbs in 9″x13″ pan or glass baking dish, spread evenly, and press down until crumbs stick together to form dough. (Quick tip: to be sure it’s tightly packed and you have a nice, flat base, cover the surface of the dough with a piece of plastic wrap and press down firmly with the bottom of a measuring cup.) Bake shortbread for 20-25 minutes, until pale golden brown at edges.

While shortbread cools, prepare caramel filling. In medium saucepan, combine milk, sugar, butter, and salt over medium heat. Stir occasionally to blend ingredients until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly. Cook 10 minutes, until caramel has thickened into a pale golden custard, then pour over cooked shortbread base. Spread with silicone spatula so filling evenly covers cookie and allow to cool to room temperature, at least two hours.

When base and filling are cool, make chocolate topping. In microwave-safe bowl, cook chocolate, butter, and salt until melted and glossy, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent scorching. Spread evenly over cookie bars and allow to cool at least 30 minutes, longer as desired. Cut with a sharp paring knife into nine rows and three columns, for a total of twenty-seven 1″x3″ bars. (Quick tip: to keep your bars neater, dip blade of knife into piping hot water and dry it off between each cut.)

Store leftovers tightly wrapped at room temperature. This recipe is simplicity itself, and my 12-year-old can make it without assistance. This may or may not count as a good thing in your book, depending on your self-control level; regardless, it’s good to have up your sleeve when you want to bake something fantastic without venturing to the grocery store or thinking very hard. :)

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Caramel Apple Butter

08 Tuesday May 2012

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Making apple butter has become a fun Mother’s Day tradition for me, a yummy homemade gift to share not only with Mom, but also with several close friends who consistently bless me in my own beautiful, complicated parenting journey. This year I decided to spice things up a little bit by making a variation of one of my all-time favorite flavors, caramel apple.

The inspiration for this recipe came from one in Paul Virant’s fantastic cookbook, The Preservation Kitchen. His Caramel Apple Jam is a savory shredded apple preserve, flavored with thyme and black pepper, but it begins the same way: by making a deep amber, intensely apple caramel. There we parted ways, as I added chopped apples, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, then reduced and blended the mixture into tangy, sweet fruit butter.

Caramel Apple Butter contains the same amount of sugar and apple juice as traditional apple butter, but the caramelization process brings out the warmth of both. The results are thick and velvety, equally at home slathered on a ginger scone or a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich. I love apple butter on pancakes or cheddar biscuits, and it makes a beautiful sauce for roasted pork loin when added to the pan juices with a bit of grainy mustard.

A note: this cooking process is not one that lends itself to multi-tasking; although not complex, it requires some time and attention. Because making caramel involves hot sugar, this also isn’t a good time to invite little ones into the kitchen. Canning preserves is an ideal late Sunday afternoon activity, just right for when the house is quiet, everyone is absorbed in their own tasks, and the kitchen is otherwise empty. I love this hour of productive peace, with nothing more urgent to do than stir caramel and enjoy the fragrance of warm apples. Because I am a kitchen romantic, I also like to think that a little of my calm and focus seeps into what I am cooking, and what mom couldn’t use more of those?

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Caramel Apple Butter
makes 8 calm and focused half-pint jars

12 sweet-tart apples, preferably Pink Lady, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1/2″ chunks (can substitute Cripp’s Pink, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia, or Fuji apples)
2 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. water
4 c. whole-pressed, unsweetened apple juice or cider (I like Simply Apple or Mott’s Natural)
1 tsp. kosher or coarse sea salt or 1/2 tsp. fine salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

8 half-pint jars with metal bands and rubber-sealed lids (like these)
canning supplies as specified in recipe, including pan, tongs, and funnel

Use a large, deep, wide-bottomed pan, preferably with rounded sides. Stir together sugar and water until sugar resembles wet sand, then cook over medium-high heat until sugar begins to melt, about 6-8 minutes. Do not stir or swirl pan during this stage, just watch. (Movement will cause the sugar to crystallize further and make big lumps. Trust me on this one: don’t leave the kitchen because it’s important you start stirring as soon as it begins to melt, but be your best, most patient self until then and don’t touch! :)

The sugar will turn crispy and crackly, then finally begin to ooze into a pale brown syrup at the edges. Once this happens, begin stirring with a wooden spoon, and continue to stir as the sugar melts completely. Once all the granules are dissolved, allow sugar to caramelize another 5-7 minutes, until it’s deep, dark amber in color and smells rich and nutty. Do not taste or touch it, as hot sugar burns are very painful.

Once the sugar is caramelized, remove it from the heat and stand back a bit as you pour in the apple juice. Once your caramel geyser quits bubbling and frothing enough to safely approach, return it to the heat and stir. The caramel will have crystallized into a solid lump in the bottom of the pan, but patient stirring will help it dissolve again. Continue stirring constantly as the apple juice caramel simmers and reduces by half, about fifteen minutes. Add the salt and ground spices and stir another minute or two to thoroughly combine.

Once the spiced apple caramel has thickened, it’s time to add the fruit. (Quick tip: For practicality’s sake, I often peel, core, and chop the apples the night before, toss them with the juice of a lemon, and then refrigerate until ready to use.) Stir in the apples and cover until it comes to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, until apples are very tender and liquid has further reduced.

While apples are cooking, use a water-bath canning pan to immerse eight half-pint jars in water and heat for ten minutes. (I use a 21 1/2-quart pan and rack, available for less than $20. I also use a set of silicone-lined jar tongs and a wide-mouth funnel, available individually or as part of a set.) This heats the jars enough that the hot apple butter won’t crack the glass.

When the apples are finished cooking/reducing, turn off the heat, and use an immersion blender on its highest setting to process the preserves until completely smooth. (As I explain in these recipe notes, I love my inexpensive immersion blender. If you don’t have one, you can process your apple butter in batches in a traditional blender.)

Once blended smooth, use a funnel to fill heated, dried jars, leaving 1/2″ of space at the top of each jar. Screw on the bands and lids, then process your jars by immersing in boiling water bath for ten minutes. Remove the sealed, processed jars to allow them to cool. When the lids make a popping sound, you know they’re sealed tight. Unopened jars of apple butter can be stored at room temperature for up to six months, but they should be refrigerated after opening. If a jar doesn’t seal after processing and cooling, the apple butter is fine, but it should only be kept in the refrigerator.

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P.S. — If you want a little more apple butter inspiration, check out my recipe for Apple Butter Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting. Yum! :)

Island Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Coconut Caramel Drizzle

05 Monday Mar 2012

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When my husband, Landon, was in kindergarten, someone’s mother brought a batch of coconut cupcakes to share with the class to celebrate her child’s birthday. Landon had never had coconut before, but he knew a thing or two about baked goods, and he positively drooled over the mounds of fluffy white frosting and clouds of coconut. When his turn came, he eagerly stuffed a bite in his mouth, and then proceeded to experience one of the biggest culinary disappointments of his little life. It seemed someone had accidentally switched out his precious cupcake with a mouthful of dry grass, possibly mixed with bits of shredded string. After he was done retching and spitting (I’m sure the mom and teacher just loved that), he was left with one resounding sentiment: I hate coconut.

Finally, three decades later, comes coconut’s redemption. This recipe was inspired by a bag of coconut flour I spied in the baking aisle at Whole Foods. Coconut flour is made of finely ground dried coconut, so it carries the fruit’s sweet aroma without the fibrous texture. Apparently, it also transforms fairly good cake into something so ridiculously moist that you feel the need to talk with your mouth full in order to urge others to eat it too: “Seriously, mmfff, you have got to try this!”

This recipe started life years ago as one from a King Arthur Flour catalogue, but it doesn’t bear much resemblance to the original now. Coconut flour requires extra liquid, so I figured I might as well stick with the theme and use coconut milk. I think the combination of the two is what is responsible for the tender, almost-melting texture — although frankly, after the first bite, you won’t really care. Their diminutive size and the tang of the cream cheese frosting make it a little more reasonable to finish the tops with a drizzle of caramel, in which I also substituted coconut milk for the regular old cow kind.

You would think something with coconut products present in triplicate would be absolutely redolent with its flavor, but somehow these cupcakes manage to come out only barely scented of the stuff. I did feel the need to nod to the coconut flour in the recipe name, but you really wouldn’t know it was there if I didn’t tell you. In other words, this is the perfect recipe for people conditioned by years of shredded coconut with the mouth-feel of lawn clippings. As an added plus, coconut flour has more fiber and vitamins than wheat flour, and it’s a great alternative for people who eat gluten-free. Something that tastes better than it should, transforms the food it’s in, and is good for you to boot: that’s the kind of culinary alchemy that keeps me happily inventing and baking. Now, seriously, mmmfff, you have got to try these… ;)

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Island Devil’s Food Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Coconut Caramel Drizzle
makes about 90 mini-cupcakes

For the cake:
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened (12 Tbsp. or 1 1/2 sticks)
1 c. demerara sugar (also called turbinado or raw sugar, see these recipe notes for more info)
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. salt, not coarse
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract
2 tsp. espresso powder (optional, enhances the depth of the chocolate flavor)
1 c. all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur)
1 c. coconut flour
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 eggs
one 14 oz.-can coconut milk plus enough regular milk to equal 2 1/2 cups

For frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (3/4 stick)
4 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. salt, not coarse
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. coconut milk or regular milk

For caramel:
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 c. demerara sugar
1 c. coconut milk
1/2 tsp. salt, not coarse

Oven 350F. Use electric mixer to blend butter, demerara sugar, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda, vanilla, and espresso powder until light and fluffy, 5 or 6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula once or twice to be sure it blends evenly. Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together both types of flour and cocoa and set aside.

Add the can of coconut milk to a large measuring cup, then add regular milk until it totals 2 1/2 cups. Now whisk them together until evenly mixed. (The coconut milk always separates in the can. Don’t let this put you off, it’s just the water coming out of the thicker part of the fruit puree.) Add a third of the flour mixture to the cake batter, then mix well. Add half the milk, then mix again. Alternate this way until all ingredients are completed blended into a thick, fragrant batter.

Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners, then put one teaspoon of batter in each cup. (I use a small ice-cream scoop for this.) Bake mini-cupcakes for 12-13 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with the faintest hint of moist crumbs. Let cool in pan for one minute, then transfer to baking rack to cool completely. Repeat as needed until all batter is baked, about four batches for my 24-cupcake pan.

While the cupcakes bake, make the caramel. Cook the butter, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sugar melts (3-4 minutes). Carefully pour in the coconut milk — it will bubble and splash furiously, so be careful that you don’t get burned. Some of the melted sugar may solidify in the bottom of the pan or on the whisk. Every time I make caramel, this is the moment that I have doubts, but trust chemistry and soldier on. Keep stirring constantly as it simmers over low heat for seven minutes (use a timer, no skimping). The caramel will smooth and thicken. Turn off the heat, stir in the vanilla, and leave in the pan to cool.

While the caramel and cupcakes cool, it’s time for frosting. Put the butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until lighter and thoroughly mixed, 2-3 minutes. Add half the sifted powdered sugar and mix well. Add coconut milk, mix again, then last half of sugar. Mix until completely combined to a creamy spreading consistency.

Gently frost cooled cupcakes, leaving a bit of a well in the top where the caramel can pool. Drizzle the frosted cupcakes with cooled caramel, then top with chocolate sprinkles or toasted coconut shavings as desired. I made these small for three reasons: I love tiny baked goods; these are very rich; and smaller servings help my family better control portion size. It’s hard to walk away from half a regular-sized cupcake, but having one or two of the minis feels like plenty.

If you prefer a traditional-sized cupcake, I would estimate baking time at around 25 minutes, but start testing a few minutes before to be sure they don’t dry out. If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, use 2 cups coconut flour (instead of 1 c. coconut flour, 1 c. all-purpose) and add an additional 1 c. of either coconut milk or regular milk; bake and assemble as directed above.

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Clementine-Scented Vanilla Caramels

05 Monday Dec 2011

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Things I learned the hard way:
1. Never put on eye make-up while you have the hiccups.
2. If you promise to have six dozen sugar cookies ready in a few weeks, write that down somewhere.
3. You shouldn’t leave a two-year-old alone with a palette of watercolors, even if you think she can’t possibly reach them.
4. Turns out there is such a thing as too much Worcestershire sauce.
5. There are a LOT of ways to mess up homemade caramel.

I learned that last one this weekend after much sugary carnage. I realize now that the key to exquisite caramel is equal parts butter and patience. As you read through the recipe, you might notice I say “stir constantly while simmering for 45 minutes.” That’s not a typo — I really mean three quarters of an hour. My family graciously took stirring shifts, but a half hour in, my husband declared we were never making homemade caramels again. Fast-forward another half hour to his first taste, and that was quickly revised to, “I’m available to stir anytime.” :) These really are just ridiculously, achingly buttery and tender; sweet without being cloying, with a delicate citrus scent from clementine zest steeped in the cream. I foresee many happy hours of stirring ahead.

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Clementine-Scented Vanilla Caramels
makes 196 dreamy little bites

2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. turbinado or demerara sugar (can substitute packed light brown sugar)
1 c. golden syrup (read more about golden syrup in my Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe Notes, can substitute light corn syrup)
1 c. evaporated milk
2 c. heavy cream
1 c. unsalted butter (2 sticks) plus more for baking sheet
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract (see Recipe Notes)
zest of six clementines (or 2 oranges if clementines unavailable)
1 tsp. coarse kosher or sea salt
10″ x 15″ baking sheet, at least 1″ deep
heavy-duty aluminum foil (regular-strength foil will stick to caramels)
wax paper
candy thermometer

Thoroughly butter a baking sheet lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. In a large pot, mix evaporated milk, cream, and clementine zest. Cook on low until barely simmering, then remove from heat. Let mixture sit for 10 minutes more, then strain out zest.

Now add both types of sugar, golden syrup, butter, and salt to the cream in the pot. If you’re using vanilla bean paste, add it now; if using vanilla extract, wait to add it until caramel is finished cooking. (See Recipe Notes to find out why.) Attach your candy thermometer to the side of the pot, being sure the probe does not touch the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, then simmer the ingredients over medium-low heat, stirring constantly for approximately 45 minutes, until thermometer reads 248F.

When thermometer reaches 248F, immediately remove pot from heat. (If using vanilla extract, now is the time to add it.) Very carefully pour the hot caramel on to the buttered, foil-lined baking sheet. (The care is to protect you, not the caramel.) Let the caramel sit until cooled, about two hours. Now would be a good time to cut out the 190-ish pieces of wax paper you’ll need to wrap your caramels. For this recipe, cut your paper wrappers about 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″. Your stirring helpers might also be persuaded to assist here.

Flip the cooled caramel slab out on to a piece of parchment or wax paper and gently remove foil. With a sharp, buttered knife, cut into 14 rows and 14 columns, for a total of 196 little rectangles. Wrap each piece in wax paper and twist the ends to seal. This is another lesson in patience brought to you by homemade caramels, but it’s not as bad as it sounds. I got into a good rhythm and wrapped mine in about an hour. (I also wound up with a half dozen less caramels to wrap, thanks to an innovative self-motivation scheme… ;)

These will keep at room temperature for two weeks easily, but they’ll never last that long.

Recipe Notes + Tips:
This is not the first time I’ve mentioned vanilla bean paste, and I am in love with the stuff. It is another ingredient I discovered by necessity after developing food allergies; since traditional flavor extracts are alcohol-based, they are off limits for those with sulfite allergies. Vanilla bean paste is alcohol-free, which means its flavors do not change with cooking and it’s more palatable in uncooked applications like icing. It has the consistency and sweetness of a thick syrup, and it contains real vanilla beans. It can be used teaspoon for teaspoon in place of vanilla extract, but the paste is much more warm and flavorful and gives your food that beautiful vanilla bean-flecked look. (Feast your eyes on the caramel frosting on these cupcakes.) I use Nielsen-Massey vanilla bean paste, and you can check out their web site for where to buy.

Final caramel words of experience: the caramel will triple in size before boiling back down, so trust me when I say to use a large pot. I know 45 minutes seems like a long time, but the rise in temperature needs to be slow to avoid scorching the sugar, so don’t try to cook it over higher heat to speed up the process. You will notice a steady rise in temperature until about 223F; from then on, the water is boiling out, so the process of achieving the next 25 degrees takes longer than the initial 223 did. (That’s science for you.)

Apple Butter Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting

06 Sunday Nov 2011

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These sweet, spicy treats are a wonderful way to celebrate autumn. I originally conceived this recipe for a friend’s Rosh Hashanah festivities; the cupcakes are a play on the traditional apple slices and honey served to mark the Jewish New Year. I kept fiddling with it until it became the final recipe below, just right for my grandmother’s November birthday. The cake recipe is my own, the frosting an adaptation of one found on the King Arthur Flour web site. It is sugary, warm, and beautifully flecked with vanilla bean.

This recipe may call for a few ingredients you don’t have in your pantry. Please don’t let that stop you — I’ve provided substitutions for each if you don’t have or can’t find the originals, and the recipe notes explain more. If you feel adventurous, I’d encourage you to try one or two that are new to you, though. Some of my favorite current cooking staples are items I’d never even seen a few years ago. If you never try, you’ll never know… Help me be more adventurous too: I’d love to hear about your favorite oddball ingredient or food discovery. :)

Apple Butter Cupcakes with Caramel Frosting
makes 18 cupcakes

For cake:
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. unsalted butter (one stick), softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. apple butter (preferably juice-sweetened, no sugar added)
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract
3/4 c. creme fraiche or all-natural sour cream (see Recipe Notes below)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line muffin pan with paper or silicon liners. (Quick tip: spray insides of paper liners with non-stick spray for easier cake removal later.) In a small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices, then set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg, apple butter, and vanilla, then mix well; add creme fraiche and mix again. Finally, add flour mixture and beat on lower speed, just until evenly combined. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full (I use a large ice-cream scoop) and bake 20-25 minutes, until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on wire rack while making frosting.

For frosting:
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. turbinado sugar, also called demerara or raw sugar (or substitute brown sugar, see Recipe Notes below)
2 Tbsp. golden syrup or light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. milk
2 c. powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or real vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. coarsely chopped pecans, optional

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat, then stir in salt, turbinado sugar, and golden syrup. Cook and stir several minutes until sugar melts. Add the milk and turn up heat until mixture comes to a foamy, rolling boil for about 30 seconds. Pour caramel into mixing bowl and allow to cool for ten minutes. Stir in sifted powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix well until completely smooth. If frosting is too thin to spread, add another tablespoon or two of powdered sugar; it will thicken more as it cools. Spread generously on cupcakes while frosting is still warm, then top with chopped pecans if desired. There will be a little frosting left over to do with as you see fit. (I personally saw fit to eat it with a spoon. ;)

Recipe Notes + Tips:
If you’ve never tried creme fraiche, you’re missing out on a delicious, versatile ingredient. It is similar to sour cream, but sweeter and more buttery, with a thinner consistency. It plays well with both sweet and savory dishes, and I use it in everything from cupcakes, to omelets, to chicken enchiladas. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, ask them to start — creme fraiche costs about the same as sour cream, but you get a much bigger bang for the buck. My favorite is from Vermont Creamery. If you can’t find creme fraiche, feel free to substitute all-natural sour cream or whole-fat plain Greek yogurt.

The Recipe Notes in my post for Peanut Butter Hot Fudge Sauce wax poetic about golden syrup. The other sweetener about which I feel passionately is turbinado sugar, also known as demerara or raw sugar. My initial decision to use turbinado sugar was born of necessity, but it didn’t take me long to fall in love.

Turbinado sugar is natural brown sugar. What the food industry calls “brown sugar” is actually a bizarre reconstruction of turbinado; it is made from further processed, bleached, granulated sugar with sulphured molasses added back to it in order to mimic raw sugar. In the process, brown sugar loses the caramelized, smoky warmth of turbinado sugar and gains sulfites, one of the most common sources of food allergies. Brown sugar is a classic example of food production practices instituted to best serve profit margins, rather than flavor or good health.

Turbinado sugar can easily be substituted for light brown sugar in any recipe without adjusting measurements. It is less moist and much coarser than brown sugar, so it stores better as a result. Turbinado does not melt as quickly as brown sugar because of its texture, so recipes like the frosting above require an extra minute or two cook-time for it to dissolve completely. I can detect a miniscule-but-pleasing sugary crunch in cookies made using turbinado instead of brown sugar, but it dissolves completely in cakes and muffins. If you don’t like that difference, look for raw sugar labelled “demerara,” as it is usually smaller-grained. If a recipe calls for dark brown sugar, simply add an extra tablespoon of unsulphured molasses per cup of raw sugar used.