How superfine sugar can transform the texture of your cookies
To achieve tender and delicate cookies, superfine sugar is a key ingredient, because it dissolves quickly and prevents the dough from spreading too much.
Sugar serves many purposes in baking: it leavesns, browns, and sweetens. However, in the texture of cookies, it makes a noticeable difference.
Granulated sugar helps the dough rise and become crispy, but superfine sugar reacts differently during baking.
Superfine sugar is granulated sugar ground to a finer texture. Its grain size falls between that of granulated sugar and powdered sugar, making it an intermediate option for certain baking recipes. This particle size allows it to dissolve quickly and distribute evenly throughout the batter, resulting in a tender and delicate baked good.
It also helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much. With granulated sugar, the dough takes longer to dissolve and spreads more during baking, resulting in a thinner, crispier cookie. Superfine sugar dissolves faster, holds the dough's shape, and produces a lighter, more uniform cookie.
You can substitute granulated sugar with superfine sugar in a one-to-one ratio, but weigh it instead of measuring it by volume. If you prefer a thicker, chewier cookie, granulated sugar might be better.
If you can't find superfine sugar, according to The Washington Post, you can grind granulated sugar in a food processor until you get a finer texture. Don't grind it too much, or it will end up resembling powdered sugar.
Try superfine sugar in your next batch of cookies, for example in cardamom cookies or classic chocolate chip cookies.
