I have two bags to make soft and use ASAP

The best idea I have come up with for softening brown sugar, it’s to store brown sugar in a glass or stainless steel container. If the brown sugar still gets hard(which can happen if there is a plastic lid on the jar),
I set a little shot glass with about 1/4”-1/2” of water in the brown sugar & by morning should be perfectly soft again. Any large pieces of brown sugar will easily break up by slicing through with a butter knife.
This way, the brown sugar does not pick up the odors from putting other foods in with the brown sugar.
Otherwise just use granulated sugar & add 1-2 tablespoons of molasses to the recipe, depending on if you want a light or dark brown sugar affect your recipe. This way you don’t even have to keep brown sugar on hand. Brown sugar is just white sugar to which molasses has been added back in.

I've dropped the bag of hard white sugar on the floor for years. It works. Too bad it does for brown sugar.

I have put my brown sugar in an airtight bag, tied it, put an elastic band around it and still have a rock hard lump of sugar. Gonna try some of these other solutions as I would like to use the sugar RIGHT now.

Will be trying this out. I am single and usually end up throwing most of the box out and buying a new box, especially around the holidays. Between ham glaze and brown sugared yams, thats about all I've ever used it for, so most goes to waste

I have used a cheese grader on the smaller side , hard sugar turns powder like

For gluten free people who cannot use bread gf marshmallows will also work.

A large marshmallow works great.

If you buy the brown sugar in the bag all you have to do is twist the bag until all the air is out and tie it with a twist tie as close to the sugar as you can. It will not harden at all.

This doesn't work in all climates (I've tried it in the desert ) but if you put a couple marshmallows in new brown sugar it stays soft much longer.

Add a small piece of lemon or orange rind to your bag of brown sugar and keep it in there. Replace as necessary. Works great to keep the sugar soft!!

My Mom, God rest her soul, ordered my husband to take the hardened bags of brown sugar into the cellar, where he pounded them with a hammer until broken up to her satisfaction. Sigh! :) It worked, but the suggestions on this page would have been helpful.

I like the microwave best but I have also put a cracker in the sugar from day.. But now I just put it in the freezer when I buy it.. take it out when I take out the eggs and butter to soften.. I never have hard sugar now

Good grief. Just put it in one of those big marble mortar and pestles and grind it up. This isn't brain surgery.

Thanks for the great ideas to soften brown sugar. Looking forward to more helpful ideas.

The CH reply to Charlotte said that you can't restore white granulated sugar, but I did it once. I had a 5 lb. bag way back in the cupboard and it turned into a brick. When I found it, I didn't want to throw it away, so I dropped it on the floor a couple of times. It turned right back into those sugar crystals.

You can also grate it with an old-fashioned box grater.

Just keep 2-3 large marshmallows in your brown sugar jar all the time and your brown sugar STAYS soft!!

Please do not tell people to put bread in their brown sugar! This sabotages those of us who MUST be gluten free with unsuspecting bread crumbs in an otherwise gluten free dish!

It's not on their site, but this is what CH Sugar sent me in an e-mail on April 3 when I was totally frustrated on April 2 because two new boxes of their brown sugar with an expiration date still 17 months in the future were both rock hard. (I did include the expiration date in my original e-mail, but their "consumer affairs" person didn't pay attention & lengthily explained expiration dates at the beginning of her e-mail.)

To retain highest quality, the product should be stored under proper conditions. Sugar does not “spoil” but is susceptible to hardening and lumping over long-term storage. Therefore, our packages now display a "Best By" or "BB" date, which is strictly related to lumping or hardening--not spoilage.

Following are some storage hints we hope will be helpful:

Granulated sugar/Baker's Sugar should be stored in a cool, dry area away from moisture and humidity. Moisture causes granulated sugar to become hard and lumpy, and unfortunately, there is no way to adequately restore granulatedsugar when this has occurred.* Because our Superfine Sugar/Baker's Sugar is so finely granulated it is very susceptible to caking and hardening if exposed to moisture or humidity; we do recommend that this product be stored in an airtight container.

With Powdered Sugar, there are a couple of concerns. If it gets moist, it will develop lumps, and a customer would certainly be aware of this when the package is opened. Powdered sugar should be stored in a cool, dry location. Simply because of its physical makeup, powdered sugar has a tendency to absorb strong odors, so it needs to be stored away from any strong-smelling product. It can absorb the odor through the packaging, and would be offensive when eaten.

In order for Brown Sugar to retain its natural moistness, it should be stored in a cool area away from light and heat (and extreme changes in temperature) in an airtight container. Exposure to air will cause it to dry, and as you are undoubtedly aware, it does have a tendency to harden if not properly stored. We do not suggest storing in the refrigerator; however, if you expect to keep it for a particularly long time, you may want to freeze it. It will thaw and be ready for use between two or three hours. If ice crystals form after long freezer storage, stir the sugar as soon as it thaws, as pockets of moisture could be damaging to product quality.

If the brown sugar does harden and you are unable to purchase a fresh package, these methods may help to temporarily restore moisture to the product:

Microwave Method. Place brown sugar is a microwave-safe container. Cover container with a wet (not dripping) white paper towel and then cover tightly with plastic wrap. Heat on high 1 to 1.5 minutes (as microwaves vary in power, you may need to adjust the cooking time). Use caution as the sugar will be hot. Stir. Use sugar immediately as it will harden again as it cools.

Oven Method. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Place brown sugar in an ovenproof container. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Heat for 10 minutes. Use caution as the sugar will be hot. Stir. Use sugar immediately as it will harden again as it cools.

Overnight Method. Place brown sugar in a container. Cover container with a wet (not dripping) white paper towel and then cover tightly with plastic wrap (alternative method: add an apple/bread slice (remove once sugar is soft/moist as it may develop mold) instead of wet paper towel). Let stand overnight at room temperature. Stir.