This topic does seem to come up frequently...perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to combine this thread with the earlier can I buy brown sugar here thread and rename the thread to brown sugar in Switzerland - which may help those making searches with various search engines....
At any rate, I do have an update on acquiring brown sugar in Switzerland. Jelmoli's in Zürich carries three different types of Billington's Natural Brown Sugar . They range from light to very dark, and they are quite appropriate for any recipe calling for brown sugar. One 500 gram package costs CHF 5. Apologies if this was covered in an earlier posting and to those living anywhere outside of Zürich .
Making your own brown sugar is still my favorite method (covered by myself and plenty of others in previous posts), but this sugar is quite good and adequate for those who do not want to venture into the make-your-own club.
The kind of soft brown sugar available in the U.S. (C & H on the
West Coast, for example) doesn't have a straightforward equivalent in CH; you usually find crystaline, hard brown sugars instead. However, I've discovered a fairly close equivalent (produced by Tate & Lyle in G.B.) in, of all unexpected places, in *Asian* speciality stores in Germany. Might be an alternative to check out in CH, also because it involves thinking outside the box of "where are there stores selling American products?" In the process, I also discovered a Hong Kong manufacturer of Horlicks, a malt tablet/drink that has long since disappeared from the shelves of American supermarkets.
I did some research and "La vergeoise" is the french for what we in the UK call " soft brown sugar " which seems to be like American "Brown sugar" but its impossible to find (so far - only just discovered this) in the shops in Suisse Romande. I've notices a few German stores online sell it to Switzerland as Vergeoise Zucker. Cassonade (top right in the pic) is more similar to Demerara in the UK and just doesn't taste the same in cookiing as you probably know.
I haven't been able to find brown sugar yet. When I ask in the stores, they point me to the raw sugar or crystallized sugar. I'm looking for the soft kind you can get in the US for baking. Any suggestions?
This has been discussed many times before on EF, scroll down to the box entitled "Similar Threads" and you'll find more info. As a side note, " brown sugar " in the States is nothing more than " white sugar " mixed with molasses. If you want to make it yourself you can find how with Google:
Buy the local brown sugar (Rohzucker = raw sugar, Rohrzucker = cane sugar), and for each cup of sugar add about 1 tablespoon of Melasse = molasses - can be bought at Migros where the bread spreads are - makes it softer and moister and tastier and more like U.S. brown sugar.
I buy the rohzucker gemahlen (finely ground raw brown sugar) from Migros. It's a little like Sugar in the Raw sold in the States, only a finer grind.
The closest thing I've found to, say, Domino's Brown Sugar in the US was something called Vergeoise Brune Sucre (by Béghin Say) in France. You'd never even know the difference, honestly. I got it at Carrefour in Mulhouse, which is worth a trip, by the way, to stock up on stuff that's hard to find here in die Schweiz.
Otherwise, Tomcat's suggestion to mix molasses with rohzucker sounds good, too
You've found Béghin Say Vergeoise Brune at COOP? I haven't seen that in my COOP. I haven't even seen Béghin Say, for that matter, here in Switzerland. Maybe I should check out one of the bigger COOPs in the City.
At any rate, I stand by what I wrote, particularly since I just opened a packet of Domino's dark brown sugar and compared it with the Vergeoise Brune, and TO ME , they are almost identical in appearance, taste and texture. If I understood the OP correctly, she is looking for brown sugar à la Domino's, not plain raw sugar.
Coop sells demerara sugar in a clear plastic packet with green writing. The london store in Zug has brown sugar at 4.50 per pack. For pecan pie and toffee sauce I couldn't tell the difference. Raw sugar (Rohrzucker) for toffee sauce works fine too.
Thanks for all the suggestions! Didn't know this was such a hot topic... And yes, I was looking for light/dark brown sugar ala Domino's. I tried Migros and Manor Foods, but not COOP yet, so that will be next.
Okay, I know the LaPerruche one well (I used to buy the cubes in the US sometimes). It's very similar to Sugar in the Raw, but this is not the one I was talking about. The Vergeoise Brune I buy is more like Domino's brown sugar in taste and texture.
I couldn't find a decent photo of the Vergeoise Brune , so I took one of my own:
Hahaha! Here at EF, the most mundane and pedestrian topics have the potential to become hot topics. Stick around and you'll see
I can tell you, you won't find Domino-type brown sugar at COOP either. They just don't sell it here. The closest thing might possibly be Cassonade, but, if you're used to Domino's, you may not care for the flavor of Cassonade. But try it anyway (comes in a plastic bag).
Also, try what Tomcat suggested and see how that works for you. Otherwise, I'd highly recommend the Vergeoise Brune. At least you'll have an excuse for a shopping trip to France