Not all sugars are vegan. Some brands use bone char (charred animal bones) in their processing, making non vegan-friendly sugars. Our Florida Crystals® sugars are never in contact with bone char or any animal or animal by-product, making them ideal to vegans (and animal lovers) - plus they’re certified by Vegan Action.

When storing sugar, make sure to place it in airtight containers. But if you didn’t (hey, it happens to the best of us), and ended up with a brick of sugar - here’s how to soften it. Preheat the oven to 250 F, put the sugar in an oven-safe tray and heat until it softens. In most cases it takes about 2 minutes, but check frequently to prevent the sugar from melting. Measure and use right away, as the sugar will harden again as it cools.  

To soften your hard sugar for good, place it in an airtight container with a dampened terracotta disk (available at baking supply stores or Amazon) or two slices of bread (plain sandwich bread works). Set it aside for a day or two (or as long as it takes for the sugar to absorb the moisture) - remove the disk or the bread, and work the sugar with a fork to dissolve any stubborn clumps. Your sugar is ready for use, reseal the container and it should remain soft. 

Sugar tastes delicious. It adds sweetness to your recipes, but it adds so much more. Sugar helps bring out other flavors - enhancing the taste of butter, chocolate, vanilla, you name it! It also affects texture, because sugar can help create air bubbles, attract water and caramelize - your baked goods result in more tender, lighter or crunchier finishes. And because sugar retains more moisture, it can help your cookies, cakes, muffins … last longer.