What Is Confectioners’ Sugar? 5 Ways to Use Confectioners’ Sugar

Confectioners’ sugar, also known as powdered sugar, icing sugar, or fondant sugar, is an extremely fine-ground white sugar with a texture that’s soft and powdery, not granular. Powdered sugar contains around 3 percent starch (to prevent clumping) and is useful for making frosting or sifting over souffles and crepes.

Confectioners’ sugar and baker’s sugar are both ground sugars, but confectioners’ sugar is more refined. Confectioners’ sugar contains cornstarch as an anti-caking agent, while baker’s sugar does not.

Baker’s sugar, also known as ultrafine sugar, superfine sugar, extra-fine sugar, bar sugar, or caster sugar, has very small crystals. It’s used in meringues and other delicate desserts because its crystalline surface helps aerate fat and eggs during whipping and creaming.

Confectioners’ sugar has many applications, from cake toppings to sweeteners.

1. 1. Frosting and icing: Powdered sugar is the main ingredient in buttercream frosting, icing, whipped cream, and fondant because it dissolves quickly and produces a smooth consistency.
2. 2. Baked goods: You can use powdered sugar to make fudge, cookies, meringues, and other baked goods, as well as candy that calls for superfine sugar.
3. 3. Decoration: Dust powdered sugar on top of waffles, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, and other baked goods.
4. 4. Sweetener: Use powdered sugar made with an alternate starch, such as arrowroot powder, as a sweetener for tea and coffee. (Powdered sugar that contains cornstarch can affect the taste.)
5. 5. Substitute: You can substitute powdered sugar for granulated sugar in baking recipes. To substitute, use one and three quarters of a cup of powdered sugar in place of every cup of sugar.

Follow this step-by-step guide for how to create homemade powdered sugar.

1. 1. Blend granulated sugar. Blend one cup of granulated sugar (also known as cane sugar, refined sugar, or table sugar) in a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender on high until it is a fine powder. You can use coconut sugar or maple sugar for added flavor.
2. 2. Sift the sugar. Sift the sugar to remove any large crystals.
3. 3. Add starch. Add one tablespoon of starch of your choosing with the sugar to prevent it from caking.
4. 4. Place in an airtight container. Store your homemade powdered sugar in an airtight container. It will keep for up to two years.

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