Sugar

Brown sugar and white sugar originate from the same crops, sugarcane or sugar beet plant.

Most brown sugar is a mixture of white sugar and molasses, which is a type of sugar-derived syrup. Molasses is responsilbe for its darker color and slightly increases its nutritional value.

The most notable nutritional difference between the two is that brown sugar has slightly higher calcium, iron, and potassium contents.

That said, the amounts of these minerals in brown sugar are insignificant, so it’s not a good source of any vitamins or minerals

Brown sugar also contains slightly fewer calories than white sugar, yet the difference is minimal. One teaspoon (4 grams) of brown sugar provides 15 calories, while the same amount of white sugar has 16.3 calories

Produced differently: White sugar is produced through a purifying process that removes a brown syrup called molasses. On the other hand, brown sugar either undergoes less processing to retain its molasses content or is produced by mixing white sugar with molasses.

The molasses in brown sugar retains moisture, so using it will result in baked goods that are softer yet denser.

Swapping white sugar for brown sugar in recipes will affect the color of foods, giving a light-caramel or brown hue.

Contrarily, baking with white sugar will result in a lighter-colored product. Thus, whichever you choose will depend on your desired end result.

Brown and white sugar also have unique flavor profiles. Brown sugar has a deep, caramel or toffee-like flavor due to the added molasses. For this reason, it works well in chocolate cakes and cookies, as well as rich fruit cakes.

On the other hand, white sugar is sweeter, so you can use less of it to attain your desired taste. Its neutral flavor makes it a versatile ingredient in baking, working well in fruit sponges and sweet pastries.