"powdered sugar" news and stories

Recipe calling for powdered sugar, but you're all out? Here's how to make your own.

Melting moment is a name that is applied to many different, yet similar, types of cookies. Some are crunchy, while others tend toward a softer feel. The most common ingredient is cornstarch/cornflour, but they occasionally contain finely ground nuts (this makes them Mexican Wedding Cookies, but I've still seen them called melting moments). The one thing that they all have in common is the property that gives them their name: they are so tender that they melt into your mouth. JenJen, at Milk and Cookies, posted these Melting Moments, which she made with high quality butter and cornflour. They're lightly sweetened, dusted with powdered sugar and, of course, melt into your mouth. I love the jar that she presented them in, too. Not only is it a nice visual touch, but it looks like the cookies are ready to ship out to anyone who wants to taste them, unless you want to try making your own.

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Plain sugar is a granulated sweetener that comes in fine crystals, about the size and shape of salt crystals. There are different degrees of fineness for sugars and they all have different uses.

Superfine sugar is regular (granulated) sugar that has been ground more finely. It is sometimes sold as baker's sugar and is also known as castor sugar. It can be used as a substitute for regular sugar and may produce a slightly finer crumb(texture) in the finished product than regular sugar would, a result that is preferred by many bakers. Regular sugar, however, should not be substituted in the same way. Superfine sugar is almost always called for in recipes that are very light, like meringues and angel food cakes. It contributes to a light, delicate final product because the small grains dissolve into the mixture very quickly, while a coarser crystal might not be incorporated as fully or as quickly. You can make superfine sugar yourself by putting coarser sugar into the food processor and whizzing it around several times to break up larger crystals.