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So, now that you’re eating real foods, you’ve realized that you can’t really use store bought powdered sugar from the store shelves anymore, simply because it is made with white refined sugar. When this thought crossed my mind, I began trying to come up with acceptable substitutes. I love using powdered sugar on occasion in frosting recipes and I absolutely love making peanut butter balls for the holidays each year. But both of those things use…..you guessed it, powdered sugar.
So I had some Sucanat in the pantry and tried grinding some in a coffee grinder, and guess what? IT WORKED!
I had previously tried to grind the sugar using my mini food processor and it just didn’t work. Not enough power, I guess. But the coffee grinder worked well and very quickly! Now, because of the size of the coffee grinder, you will need to do several batches in order to get enough of the powdered sugar to use for a batch of frosting. But I was able to grind down one batch of sugar in about 20 seconds.
Also, be aware that there will be a taste difference when using these powdered sugars, especially if you use Sucanat. Sucanat has a stronger, brown sugar taste that may not be appealing to you. It really is a personal preference. If making a caramel flavored drizzle, icing or frosting, then the brown sugar taste of the Sucanat is absolutely perfect!
There is also a difference in the color. The Sucanat based powdered sugar is a deeper tan color, and may not do well with natural food colorings. Just be aware!
Also be aware that you should use this powdered sugar in moderation. I only use this recipe a few times a year, typically for foods that I am making for special occasions. But it works well for those things.
Brilliant! I have been combing the internet for the best way to grind. I had thought of a coffee grinder, but wanted to see if there was another way I should be doing it (before I bought a coffee grinder). We are going GMO-free and the sugars I have found through the NON-GMO project (http://www.nongmoproject.org) are all turbinado sugar. I LOVE to bake and I wanted to be able to take the sugar and make it useful for any project.
Thanks for the help!
P.S Peanut Butter Balls are a staple for the holidays at my house too!
This actually works with coconut sugar too!