Brown sugar substitute and method for making

Abstract

The present invention includes a brown sugar substitute. The brown sugar substitute comprises sucrose crystals, a fat and molasses. In one embodiment, the sucrose crystals are coated with the fat and the fat coated sucrose crystals are coated with molasses.

In the claims:  
     
         1 . A brown sugar substitute, comprising: sucrose crystals; a fat; and molasses.  
     
     
         2 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the fat is an oil.  
     
     
         3 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 2  wherein the oil is hydrogenated soybean oil or a partially hydrogenated soybean oil  
     
     
         4 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the fat is shortening.  
     
     
         5 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the fat has a melting point of about 103 to 119° F.  
     
     
         6 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the molasses concentration is a ratio of about 1:20 w/w, molasses to sucrose crystals.  
     
     
         7 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the fat is present in a concentration of about 2 to 13 percent by weight of the brown sugar substitute.  
     
     
         8 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the sucrose crystals have a crystal area of about 0.036 to 0.046 m 2 /cm 3 .  
     
     
         9 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the sucrose crystals are coated with the fat.  
     
     
         10 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 9  wherein the sucrose crystals coated with fat are coated with molasses.  
     
     
         11 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the sucrose crystals are sized so that about 70%, by weight of the sucrose crystals are retained on a No. 100 U.S. standard sieve.  
     
     
         12 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 1  wherein the fat is a solid fat at room temperature.  
     
     
         13 . A dry mix for baked goods, comprising: 
 sucrose crystals;    a fat that coats the sucrose crystals; and    molasses that coats the sucrose crystals once the sucrose crystals are coated with the fat.    
     
     
         14 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising flour.  
     
     
         15 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising an emulsifier.  
     
     
         16 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising peanut butter.  
     
     
         17 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising chocolate chips.  
     
     
         18 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising raisins.  
     
     
         19 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising salt.  
     
     
         20 . The dry mix of  claim 13  and further comprising a substantially air tight container wherein the dry mix is contained within the container.  
     
     
         21 . The dry mix of  claim 20  wherein the container is a pouch.  
     
     
         22 . The dry mix of  claim 13  wherein the baked goods comprise cookies selected from the group of cookies that include oatmeal, oatmeal chocolate chip, chocolate chip, peanut butter, molasses, and sugar cookie premix.  
     
     
         23 . A method for making a brown sugar substitute, comprising: 
 providing sucrose crystals;    blending the sucrose crystals with a fat to coat the sucrose crystals and form fat coated crystals; and    adding molasses to the coated sucrose crystals so that the molasses coats the fat coated sucrose crystals.    
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the sucrose crystals are blended with fat for about 5 minutes in a high speed mixer.  
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the fat coated sucrose crystals are coated with molasses at a temperature of about 90° F. to about 120° F.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 23  wherein the molasses is added to the fat coated crystals over a time of about 5 minutes.  
     
     
         27 . A brown sugar substitute, comprising: sucrose crystals, a fat substantially coating the sucrose crystals to form fat-coated sucrose crystals and molasses adhering to the fat coated sucrose crystals.  
     
     
         28 . A brown sugar substitute, comprising: a solution of molasses and corn syrup or maple syrup and sucrose crystals wherein the solution of molasses and corn syrup coats the sucrose crystals.  
     
     
         29 . A brown sugar substitute, comprising: sucrose crystals and fines from sucrose crystals, a fat and molasses wherein the fat incorporates the sucrose crystal fines and substantially coats the sucrose crystals to form brown sugar substitute particles  
     
     
         30 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 29  and further comprising a container for storing the brown sugar substitute particles.  
     
     
         31 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 30  wherein the container is a flexible pouch.  
     
     
         32 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 30  wherein the container is air tight.  
     
     
         33 . The brown sugar substitute of  claim 29  wherein the molasses coats the sucrose crystals, sucrose fines and fat  
     
     
         34 . A baked cookie or muffin, comprising: 
 a baked main body comprising a baked dough wherein the main body has a substantially uniform texture that is free of unreacted brown sugar and a surface that is free of unreacted molasses.    
     
     
         35 . The baked cookie or muffin of  claim 34  selected from the group that consists of chocolate chip, molasses, peanut butter, oatmeal, oatmeal raisin, sugar cookies, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies or muffins.  
     
     
         36 . A method for preventing “fish eye” and “shotball” formation in dough, comprising: 
 providing sucrose crystals;  
 blending the sucrose crystals with a fat to coat the sucrose crystals, forming coated sucrose crystals;  
 adding molasses to the coated sucrose crystals so that the molasses coats the fat coated sucrose crystals; and  
 admixing the molasses coated, fat coated sucrose crystals with flour to form the dough.  
 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36  and further comprising admixing eggs with the flour.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 36  and further comprising admixing an emulsifier with the flour.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 36  wherein the molasses is added in a ratio of about 1 part molasses to about 20 parts of sucrose crystals and fat.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36  and further comprising admixing supplemental fat with the flour.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 36  and further comprising admixing salt with the flour.  
     
     
         42 . A dough, free of brown sugar lumps, comprising: 
 sucrose crystals;    a fat; and molasses    wherein the fat coats the sucrose crystals to form fat coated sucrose crystals and the molasses coats the fat coated sucrose crystals.    
     
     
         43 . The dough of  claim 42  and further comprising supplemental fat.  
     
     
         44 . The dough of  claim 42  and further comprising peanut butter.  
     
     
         45 . The dough of  claim 42  and further comprising flour.  
     
     
         46 . A method for making a dry mix, comprising: 
 providing sucrose crystals;    blending the sucrose crystals with a fat to coat the sucrose crystals, thereby forming coated sucrose crystals;    adding molasses to the coated sucrose crystals so that the molasses coats the fat coated sucrose crystals; and    admixing the molasses coated, fat coated sucrose with flour to form the dry mix.    
     
     
         47 . A brown sugar substitute, comprising: 
 sucrose crystals in a concentration of about 70 to 95% by weight of the brown sugar substitute;    fat in a concentration about 1 to 5% by weight of the brown sugar substitute; and    molasses in a concentration of up to about 2% by weight of the brown sugar substitute.    
     
     
         48 . A dry mix, comprising: 
 49. the brown sugar substitute of  claim 47  in a concentration of about 5 to 90% of the dry mix; 
 supplemental fat in a concentration of about 0.5 to 12% by weight; and  
 flour in a concentration of about 5 to 30% by weight.  
   
     
     
         49 . The dry mix of  claim 49  and further comprising salt in a concentration of about 0.5 to 4% by weight of the dry mix.