Knowledge Base > Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
![Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)](https://d1c8xu194km6ge.cloudfront.net/course_images/6749/square_thumbnail_mail.jpeg)
Char Nolan - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)
This event was on
Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Char Nolan in her virtual office as she welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to ask anything – from cooking techniques to cou… Read More.
Question:
![Alice J](https://d1c8xu194km6ge.cloudfront.net/avatars/1510150/1718571764-FB_IMG_1689256115268_Copy_thumbnail.jpeg)
If a recipe calls for brown sugar how would you substitute that ingredient? And is date sugar alright to use in recipes?
— Alice Jenkins
Answer:
I'll use, uh, refined sugar, I'll use maple syrup or date sugar. But Fran's recommendation is to use coconut sugar because it most resembles brown sugar, which as you know, is a mixture of white cane sugar and molasses. Now, you had asked about date sugar, which is really good. However, it's a little bit more of a drier sugar than coconut sugar. So I think, uh, heading to the grocery store and looking for either Bob's red mill or the wholesome brand of coconut sugar will be exactly what you'll like to try and the flavor-wise, it's really delicious and color-wise, it's a perfect match.
![Char Nolan](https://d1c8xu194km6ge.cloudfront.net/avatars/819666/1588037227-Charglasses_profile.jpg)