If a recipe calls for white sugar and you only have brown, you can make a substitute in a pinch.
For every one cup of white sugar, use one cup of brown sugar, but reduce the liquid in the recipe by about two tablespoons. This balances the moisture.
Or, just ignore that advice and live dangerously. Your cookies will be a little softer, but that’s a happy accident, right?
A Note on Different Browns
Light brown sugar is milder, like a polite whisper. Dark brown sugar is bold, like a shouted caramel secret.
For most swaps, light brown is your safest bet. Dark brown can overwhelm delicate flavors. Think of it as the difference between a hug and a bear hug.
Both are great. One just leaves you a little breathless.
