Make Simple Desserts Shine With Quick-Toasted Sugar (2024)

By

Stella Parks

Make Simple Desserts Shine With Quick-Toasted Sugar (1)

Editor Emeritus

Stella Parks is a CIA-trained baking nerd and pastry wizard, dubbed one of America's Best New Pastry Chefs by Food & Wine. She was the pastry editor at Serious Eats from 2016 to 2019.

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Updated November 04, 2019

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Make Simple Desserts Shine With Quick-Toasted Sugar (2)

As much as I love the bold caramel flavor of deeply toasted sugar, I'll be the first to admit that it's a huge investment of time. Transforming a few pounds of granulated sugar from snow white to golden brown without melting it (!) can take up to six or seven hours in a low oven. It's not a lot of work, but it does take some babysitting, as the sugar needs to be stirred from time to time to encourage evaporation and promote even caramelization.

When I toast sugar at home, it's not always a daylong affair. Ninety-five percent of the time, I stop after about two or two and a half hours, when the sugar is a soft beige or manila-folder color. At that stage, it doesn't have a pronounced caramel flavor, but it tastes dramatically less sweet, with a richness uncharacteristic of plain sugar. It's sort of like the umami of sweetness, more satisfying in a way that's hard to describe unless you've tasted it for yourself.

Still, two hours is a solid chunk of time. You can passively toast sugar by using it as a pie weight in place of rice or beans when blind-baking a crust, but you can also toast even smaller quantities in just 30 minutes at 350°F (177°C).

The trick is to use a heavy 10- or 12-inch skillet, and limit the sugar to a quarter-inch-thick layer, so it toasts evenly without requiring any stirring.

Make Simple Desserts Shine With Quick-Toasted Sugar (3)

As with toasting a batch of pecans, the exact timing will vary depending on the accuracy of your oven. If it runs hot, you'll have a hot mess in no time. If you don't have the assurance of a reliable oven thermometer, keep a close eye on the sugar your first time around, then adjust the temperature for future batches accordingly.

Toast the sugar until it has a strong caramel aroma, but exhibits a rather subtle color change. Under a dingy oven light, you may not even notice the color shifting at all, so grab a spoonful of plain sugar for comparison.

Make Simple Desserts Shine With Quick-Toasted Sugar (4)

It's important to stop before the sugar looks damp, a change that signals liquefaction is imminent—when you're dealing with small quantities of sugar in a metal skillet inside a 350°F oven, there's only a brief window of time between dry and wet, which will make the sugar lumpy and hard. With larger quantities, lower temperatures, and less conductive materials, like glass or ceramic, that window opens up considerably, allowing for the deeper degrees of caramelization shown in my original post on this sugar caramelization method.

But, on those occasions when you suddenly want a cup or two of toasted sugar for an Angel Food Cake or Sugar Cookies, this technique offers the best ratio of effort to reward, turning plain white sugar into something less sweet and more flavorful in just 30 minutes.

Make Simple Desserts Shine With Quick-Toasted Sugar (2024)

FAQs

What can you do with toasted sugar? ›

A few ways to put it to good use include toasted sugar meringues, whipped cream, and pastry cream. Toasted sugar marshmallows and simple syrup would also be nice.

Is toasted sugar worth it? ›

Although toasted sugar is a tasty sweetener, the flavour is subtle, so it won't shine in busy recipes, such as chocolate chip cookies. You will want to try simple recipes to make your toasted sugar the featured ingredient. Try using it in a meringue, simple syrup, marshmallows, whipped cream or angel food cake.

Is toasted sugar less sweet? ›

At that stage, it doesn't have a pronounced caramel flavor, but it tastes dramatically less sweet, with a richness uncharacteristic of plain sugar. It's sort of like the umami of sweetness, more satisfying in a way that's hard to describe unless you've tasted it for yourself.

How long does toasted sugar last? ›

Despite its innocuous appearance, roasted sugar can be dangerously hot, so take care not to touch it. Store for up to a year in an airtight container at room temperature.

What do you do with roasted sugar? ›

Toasted Sugar Gives These 10 Desserts Even More Flavor
  1. Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix. ...
  2. Stovetop Butterscotch Pudding. ...
  3. Brown Butter Shortbread Cookies. ...
  4. Old-Fashioned 7-Minute Frosting. ...
  5. White Cake With Brown Butter and Toasted Sugar. ...
  6. Toasted Sugar Angel Food Cake. ...
  7. Double-Caramel Sticky Buns. ...
  8. Fluffy and Nutty Almond Layer Cake.
Jan 16, 2020

What can I use burnt sugar for? ›

Using Burnt Sugar is a great way to add depth and bittersweet complexity to your co*cktails. We suggest using it when mixing with aged spirits, and it can also add an exciting foil to tropical or sour co*cktails. Other Tips & Tricks: Use in iced coffee, dripped over ice cream, or as a molasses substitution in recipes.

Can you caramelize sugar in the oven? ›

On the stovetop or under a blowtorch, sugar races through the caramelization process so fast, it liquefies in an instant. But in the gentle heat of a 300°F (149°C) oven, the process is drawn out, revealing myriad stages of caramelization in a crystalline state.

What is the taste of charred sugar? ›

Taking the Sugar to the Brink of Burning

Most recipes instruct you to cook it only until it reaches a golden amber color, but if you take it just a few seconds longer it changes everything. Suddenly the subtle caramel note transforms into a rich, pleasantly bitter flavor that shines.

How to make sugar taste like caramel? ›

Caramel is made by heating sugar (either with a liquid or by itself, more on that below!) in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until it melts and becomes clear. The liquefied sugar is then cooked, without stirring, until it darkens in color, taking on additional flavor notes the longer it remains on the heat.

How to toast sugar in the microwave? ›

Cover sugar with two pieces of wet (but not dripping) white paper towels. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap. Heat in microwave at HIGH for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Divide sugar with fork (sugar will be hot); stir.

Is caramel just burned sugar? ›

Caramel is, simply, burned sugar. We want to let it melt, darken to an amber color and take on a deep and bittersweet flavor. The best, most flavorful caramel starts with this step. You can caramelize sugar two ways— with the dry method or wet method.

Where can I use toasted sugar? ›

You can use it in any recipe that calls for granulated sugar, whether you're baking, cooking, or making drinks. Because its flavor is delicate, toasted sugar works best in simple recipes with few ingredients.

Can you buy toasted sugar? ›

Pretz Toasted Sugar delivers a classic, sweet flavor in every bite. These snack packs are perfect to enjoy anytime, anywhere!

What color is toasted sugar? ›

Toast until the sugar turns an ivory color, about 1 hour. Stir thoroughly and continue baking, checking and stirring about every half hour, until the sugar gets to the color you want. The darker the color, the more intense the caramel flavor. You can bake the sugar until it looks like brown sugar, if you like.

What is caramelized sugar used for? ›

Caramelized sugar is used in everything from caramel sauces, candies, topping flan, ice creams, frostings, and so many more things! It's even used for savory preparations such as the sweet and sour gastrique sauce.

What can you make by melting sugar? ›

Sauces:You can use melted sugar to create tasty sauces like caramel sauce, which is perfect for pouring over ice cream and desserts.

What does heating up sugar make? ›

When the sugar rises above 320°F/160°C, the solid crystals begin to melt together into a colorless syrup. Then another 10 or 20 degrees above that, the syrup begins to turn brown, emits a rich, mouth-watering aroma, and adds tart and savory and bitter to its original sweetness.

How do you dispose of hot burnt sugar? ›

Boil everything until the sugar starts dissolving. and keep on stirring. If you drain it and it's not fully gone, then you can start all over. Or you can let it sit in water for a few hours.

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