The main difference between white sugar and brown sugar is appearance, texture and taste.
Molasses: the game changer
What definitively distinguishes bench sugar from brown sugar? The presence of molasses in brown sugar, also called brown sugar. Traces of molasses, a sweetener, provide the brown color, the wetter texture than that of white sugar and the more complex, almost caramelized flavor of brown sugar. White sugar, on the other hand, is refined sugar, pure and without any trace of molasses. Its taste is therefore simply sweet and its grains white.
Note that what easily differentiates these two sugars (other than color and then taste) is the size of the grains (particularly fine for white sugar and, conversely, thicker for brown sugar). In recipes, brown sugar grains are perfect for adding crunch to cottage cheese, or a more caramelized taste in cookie preparations or any other dessert. Also, mixing the two sugars is quite common! To add a “je ne sais quoi” to sweet preparations, divide the quantity of sugar needed in the recipe: one half will be white sugar and the other, brown sugar.
Two different sensations for the same sugar level
In terms of “sweetening power”, the two sugars are very close. White sugar contains up to 100% sucrose (“sugar”), with 400 kcal per 100g in energy value. For brown sugar, the calories are the same as white sugar, although with a slightly lower sucrose content (between 95 and 99%). The difference is therefore minimal, if not non-existent. If the sensation of sweetness of brown sugar seems different than that of white sugar, it is ultimately only linked to the molasses, which provides something extra.
