Can I just start by saying- I love brown sugar! It's white sugar with molasses- and it is so delicious! I have to be honest- anytime I am baking or using a recipe that calls for brown sugar, I take a pinch out and eat it;). Seriously, I love this stuff!

One problem I usually have with brown sugar is the fact that it hardens over time. Because of the presence of the molasses, brown sugar can dry over time as it gets exposed to air. Has anyone else tried to bake cookies with chunky brown sugar? Yeah- it doesn't work.

However, there are some sneaky ways around this dilemma. They key is moisture! Here are a few things you can try to help soften your brown sugar

-put an apple slice in the bag until softened (can take a couple days)

-put a piece of bread in the bag and leave for a few days or until softened

-put the brown sugar in a bowl and cover with a moistened towel

-If you have some pottery pieces laying around, soak one in water for 30 minutes. Then place it in an airtight container with the sugar and let it sit for a few days.

These methods can take a couple days, but they are effective. If you are really in a time crunch, try these:

-Put a moist paper towel in a bag (or a glass bowl with a lid if you are worried about microwaving plastic) with the brown sugar and microwave for 20 seconds. Depending on how hardened the brown sugar is, you may need to crumple it and microwave it for more than one 20 second interval. Keep repeating until the brown sugar has been softened.

-You could try a different microwave method- place the brown sugar in a bowl and place a bowl of water in the microwave as well. Microwave for 30 seconds (may need more time depending on how much brown sugar you are softening).

-If you don't have a microwave or prefer not to use one, try baking your brown sugar for 5 minutes at 250 degrees. Again, you may need to bake it longer depending on how hard the sugar is and how much you are softening.

To prevent hardening in the future, keep a couple marshmallows (or the pottery piece) in a bag with the brown sugar. Simple trick, but certainly helpful! A few people have said they keep their brown sugar in the freezer, and it's soft when you thaw it. I haven't tried it, but I am intrigued! Others said putting a prune in the sugar helps it to stay moisturized. Definitely make sure you keep the sugar in an airtight container to prevent moisture from getting out- put a twisty on the bag, put it in a Ziploc bag, or put it in a completely different airtight container (or do all 3 if you really want to be sure;) ).

Do you guys have any tricks to keep your brown sugar from hardening, or to soften it when it's too late? ;) I would love to hear your ideas!