Brown sugar doesn’t always behave. One day it’s perfectly soft and scoopable; the next, it’s a solid, unyielding block. Why does this happen, and how should you store brown sugar to avoid hard lumps?

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Brown sugar is a staple in baking. From gooey cookies to rich crumbles, it's a star ingredient in so many recipes, making it something that ...

Here's how to tell if that block of sugar is bad—or still plenty sweet enough to use. Unless you’re a very frequent baker, you’ve probably found a long-forgotten open bag of brown sugar lurking on one ...