Demerara is a close cousin of turbinado. Produced in Demerara, Guyana, it’s a slightly moist raw sugar with coarse, large, golden crystals. Use it as you would turbinado—to add texture to the tops of cakes, cookies, muffins, and other baked goods.

Maple sugar is made from boiling most of the moisture from maple sap. It’s a bit moist (it’s often pressed into blocks) and doesn’t crystallize as well as sugar made from sugar cane or sugar beets. It tastes sweeter than granulated sugar, so add it sparingly until you get used to its flavor. You can use it in applications where you’d use brown sugar for a rich maple flavor—in cookies, cakes, or dry rubs for grilled meats.

Muscovado is a dark brown unrefined sugar with a strong molasses flavor. Its crystals are coarser and stickier than regular brown sugar. Also known as Barbados sugar, it is usually produced in small, artisanal mills. Use it in recipes that call for dark brown sugar, such as gingerbread cookies and cakes or baked beans.

Piloncillo is unrefined Mexican sugar that is usually formed into dark brown cones. It’s hardened and must be chopped or crumbled to use. Employ this sugar in Mexican mole sauces, beverages, or moist applications where it can melt down.

Sanding sugar (also referred to as coarse sugar or sugar crystals) is a coarser variety of granulated sugar. It’s usually sprinkled on top of cookies and other baked treats as a sweet garnish—the large crystals reflect light for a glistening effect.