Confectioners Sugar In Cookie Dough

Baking By pinktea Updated 22 Jul 2013 , 8:11pm by pinktea

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pinktea Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 6:00pm
post #1 of 11

NFSC has always been my go to recipe when making cookies. I ran across a recipe that used confectioners sugar instead of granulated sugar and thought I'd give it a try. The cookies did not spread , which was a good thing but the taste was powdery, soft and bland. Has anyone else had those results with this type recipe?

10 replies
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bct806 Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 6:18pm
post #2 of 11

Never made them myself. What recipe did you use? Bland wouldn't have anything to do with the ps vs granular. That would be a recipe problem. Do you cream the ps with the butter like you would a cookie? That is the only thing I can think of that would make it powdery unless there was just too much ps.

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pinktea Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 6:33pm
post #3 of 11

I got it from a cookie blog. I did not want to post the link but this is a copy of the recipe which I followed to a tee. She said the dough did not require chilling however it was WAY too stick to use without it. I did a sample using the dough without chilling , with alot of flouring the surface, and a sample after chilling. The results where the same , powdery and bland. The best way to describe it would be melting in your mouth- soft.

Ingredients

1 c. {two sticks} of REAL unsalted BUTTER, softened 1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar 1 egg 2-3 tsp flavoring {pick what you like, I prefer almond} 2 1/2-2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Instructions

Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring. I use emulsions, but extract also works well. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture. I can tell the dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When I touch it, it has a little give, but does not stick to my fingers.

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MimiFix Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 9:31pm
post #4 of 11

My cutout cookie uses powdered sugar, not granulated, and works perfectly. (It has no egg or baking powder, both of which encourage spread.) And I use a lot of pure vanilla extract so my cookies have a pleasant flavor. I don't know why the recipe you posted doesn't taste right to you, maybe try adding more flour; but at least you have the NFSC which a lot of CC members love.   

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Norasmom Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 9:44pm
post #5 of 11

My recipe calls for superfine sugar.  Works well.  Just run granulated sugar through a food processor.

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FACSlady Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 10:01pm
post #6 of 11

AConfectioners sugar contains cornstarch, which is responsible for that melt in your mouth texture you mentioned. There are recipes for cornstarch cookies, in which the cornstarch seems to replace some of the flour, perhaps to lower the protein content that would be there with AP. I had honestly never heard of using confectioners sugar in baking. Interesting.

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SweetAnnalines Posted 8 Jul 2013 , 10:32pm
post #7 of 11

AHer recipe actually calls for one stick of butter per batch, not two. That's why your dough was so aticky. This is SB's recipe and I use it (with my flavorings mix) and it's delicious. I have been selling over 1000 cookies a month. Try it again and add more flavoring. I use 4 T total per double batch.

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SweetAnnalines Posted 14 Jul 2013 , 11:03pm
post #8 of 11

AOops! Just kidding...it is 2 sticks per batch. Try adding extra flour. I use 5.5 cups for a double batch and that works well. Sorry for the mixup!

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laxgirl715 Posted 19 Jul 2013 , 5:47am
post #9 of 11

A

Original message sent by pinktea

I got it from a cookie blog. I did not want to post the link but this is a copy of the recipe which I followed to a tee. She said the dough did not require chilling however it was WAY too stick to use without it. I did a sample using the dough without chilling , with alot of flouring the surface, and a sample after chilling. The results where the same , powdery and bland. The best way to describe it would be melting in your mouth- soft. Ingredients 1 c. {two sticks} of REAL unsalted BUTTER, softened 1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar 1 egg 2-3 tsp flavoring {pick what you like, I prefer almond} 2 1/2-2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt Instructions Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar. Crack the egg into a separate bowl, and add the flavoring. I use emulsions, but extract also works well. Add that to the butter sugar mixture and mix until the egg is thoroughly incorporated. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, then add little by little to the mixture. I can tell the dough is ready when most of it sticks to the paddle. When I touch it, it has a little give, but does not stick to my fingers.

That's definitely SSB's recipe. Sounds like you didn't add enough flour. When I made my double batch two days ago I also added 5 1/2 cups of flour, but it was still sticky. It was raining at the time. I've noticed this recipe is very sensitive to humidity. I ended up adding about another 1/2 cup flour until the consistency was normal. If the cookie was bland add more flavorings or try a different mix of them.

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gingerbreadtogo Posted 19 Jul 2013 , 4:30pm
post #10 of 11

That is basically the recipe I use exclusively.  People love it, but I do have to refrig dough or it is too sticky. I do adjust flour depending on feel of dough, but basically if it pulls away from sides of mixer it is correct consistency.

 

Good Luck,

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pinktea Posted 22 Jul 2013 , 8:11pm
post #11 of 11

Doing some research , per America's Test Kitchen, granulated sugar adds crunch while confectioners sugar adds tenderness. So using all confectioners sugar  made the cookies too "soft".   They have an ice box cookie recipe that combined both and the taste was wonderful but it spreaded badly even though it states it would not.  They also have a recipe called "holiday cookies" that requires superfine sugar that was made by pulsing granulated sugar  in a food processor.  I am going to experiment with it to see what texture and spread I get.

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