'Tis the season for baking, so I'm happy to let my four-year-old show you one of the most basic tips all bakers should know: how to make brown sugar. It couldn't be simpler, and with only two ingredients, this brown sugar is certainly more fresh and moist than store-bought. Brown sugar is also a key ingredient in my all-time favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. Here's the one-minute video:

How to Make Brown Sugar:

You can use white sugar or raw cane sugar, by the way.

Why bother making your own brown sugar?

It's cheaper.
You can use quality organic ingredients.
Knowledge is power--and it can save you a trip to the grocery store!

If it seems odd to keep molasses on hand, you should know that unsulfured blackstrap molasses is very high in iron and calcium and you can take a tablespoon per day as a dietary supplement. (Mix it with water and drink it with a straw if you find the taste too strong.)

Much thanks to Alana Chernila, who taught me how to make brown sugar in her wonderful book The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making. Goodreads named it a finalist for the best cookbook of 2012--it's a must read for every mama. (The cover features Alana's homemade pop tarts. Her children must adore her!)

Happy baking, and bon appétit!