We tend to think of sugar only as the white grains we stir in coffee or sprinkle on cereal. But there are many different kinds of sugars and other natural sweeteners. Some are solid (granulated, brown, turbinado), while others are liquid (molasses, corn syrup, honey). What all sugars have in common is sweetness, but different sugars play different roles in cooking, and the success of a recipe often depends on using the right one at the right time.

Granulated Sugar
At the market you'll find two kinds of granulated sugar: cane, derived from sugarcane, and beet, made from sugar beets. They're chemically identical (they're the same sucrose molecule), and they sell equally well in American markets.

Granulated, or white, sugar is the most refined. The juices from sugarcane or sugar beets are processed to remove the molasses and then filtered through charcoal, crystallized, and dried into fine granules that are made of more than 99.9 percent pure sucrose.

Granulated sugar contributes sweetness and moisture to baked goods. It also helps them brown and gives them structure. That means granulated sugar makes pastries tender, gives crunch to some cookies, and is essential in cake batters for aeration. When beaten with butter, sugar granules create tiny bubbles that expand during baking, causing cakes to rise even without chemical leaveners.

As its name implies, superfine sugar is an ultrafine granulated sugar. It's useful in making meringues and angel food cakes, where it dissolves readily and assures a smooth result. To make your own, simply process granulated sugar in a food processor for a minute or two.

Powdered (or Confectioners' Sugar)
Powdered sugar is pulverized granulated sugar. Older cookbooks call it 10x sugar, meaning it's 10 times finer than granulated sugar. It's used mostly to make icings and frostings (since it dissolves quickly) and to dust over baked cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. Because of its powdery nature, it tends to attract water, so a small amount of absorbent cornstarch is usually added before packaging to keep the sugar dry.

Brown Sugar
Brown sugar owes its moist, pliable texture and caramel-like flavor to molasses, a small amount of which is added to granulated sugar to create brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses, and therefore has a deeper, richer, more assertive taste than light brown sugar. For a delicate molasses-like flavor, use light brown sugar in recipes. For a stronger toffee-like flavor, use the dark variety. Many recipes that call for brown sugar specify which to use. (For any Cooking Light recipe that calls for brown sugar, use light brown sugar.)

Raw Sugar
Raw sugar comes from the residue left after sugarcane has been processed to remove the molasses (further refining of that residue creates granulated sugar). Some familiar names are Demerara and turbinado, which are both coarse, dry, and golden, and Muscovado and Barbados, both fine, moist, and dark brown. In general, raw sugar is coarser in texture than granulated or brown sugar; use it when you want extra crunch -- atop cookies or in a crisp or crumble.

Corn Syrup
Available in light and dark varieties, corn syrup is created by combining cornstarch with an enzyme that converts the starch to sugar. Pancake syrups are often made with corn syrup and flavoring. Corn syrup contributes silky smoothness and adds moisture and chewiness to such baked goods as cakes and cookies. When cooked with granulated sugar to make syrups and fondants, it helps prevent crystallization. Dark corn syrup is a mixture of light corn syrup and a darker syrup produced during the refining of sugar; it's often used in pecan pie fillings to provide a deep butterscotch taste. The flavor of light corn syrup is more neutral.

Honey
Honey has a sweet intensity all its own, because its flavor is determined by the source of flower nectar. In general, the darker the honey, the stronger the flavor. Orange blossom, clover blossom, sage blossom, and buckwheat are some of the most common types. Like corn syrup, honey adds moisture to cakes and cookies. Unlike corn syrup, which is fairly neutral, honey imparts a distinctive flavor. Be sure to taste honey before you use it to make sure the flavor is appropriate. A strong buckwheat honey, for example, might overwhelm the Honey Gelato.

Maple Syrup
What would pancakes be without maple syrup, the quintessential American sweetener? The boiled-down sap from the sugar maple has been used as a sweetener for hundreds of years. Maple syrup adds moisture and a unique flavor to cakes, cookies, and frostings. It comes in different grades, ranging in color from light golden to dark brown, almost like molasses. As with honey, the lighter the syrup, the milder the flavor. Use light syrups for anything from pouring over waffles or pancakes to baking in cookies and cakes. The darker grades -- more amber in color -- are also suitable for eating and baking, but the darkest kind is best used in baking when you want to add intense maple flavor -- it works wonderfully in soft ginger cookies and in gingerbread. Whatever maple syrup you buy, be sure the label says "pure maple syrup"; syrups labeled "maple flavored" are usually just corn syrup with artificial maple flavoring. Always refrigerate maple syrup after opening to ensure freshness.

Molasses
Molasses is a by-product of the sugar-refining process. Boiling the juices extracted from sugarcane and sugar beets transforms them into a syrup from which sugar crystals are extracted. The liquid left behind is molasses. Light molasses, as its name implies, is light in both color and flavor; it's often used to top pancakes. Dark molasses -- used in gingerbread, shoofly pie, barbecue sauces, and Boston baked beans -- is darker, thicker, stronger in flavor, and less sweet than light molasses. Blackstrap molasses (also called black treacle) has a strong bitter flavor. Popular with some health-conscious people because of its mineral content (which is actually only slightly higher than that of other types of molasses), blackstrap is more commonly used as cattle feed.