How to make sugar free powdered sugar, which works for any recipe that calls for regular powdered sugar. It’s SO easy!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…
Is it snowing where you are?
As usual, Dallas weather doesn’t know what it wants to do. So it vacillates from 25 to 75 and back again.
Shorts one day, fleece pants the next. Always on our toes.
No snow here yet, but I do have white powder of a different sort: sugar-free powdered sugar. (Oxymoron?)
Every Christmas for as long as I can remember, my mom has made multiple batches of pixie cookies (the little chocolate crinkle cookies, dusted with powdered sugar).
Last month I decided it was time to try creating a healthier, vegan version of those crowd-friendly chocolate pixies. In my quest to “healthify” the recipe, I landed on an about.com article describing how to turn Splenda into powdered sugar.
This got me to thinking, “If you can do it with Splenda, why not with other sweeteners?”
So I tried it, first with Sucanat and then with Xylitol.
Both times, it worked!
Sugar Free Powdered Sugar
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sweetener of choice, such as coconut sugar or erythritol
- optional 1-2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch, to prevent clumping when stored
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in a blender. It’ll smoke a little, but that’s okay. You should have powdered sugar in a matter of seconds! Store in a covered container in the pantry, just as you’d store regular powdered sugar.Healthy Glaze Icing:Combine 1 cup of the above powdered sugar with 1 1/2 tbsp milk of choice and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract. Use in place of regular powdered sugar icing, on cookies or cupcakes, etc.
- Shown above on Cinnamon Roll Baked Oatmeal.
Notes
And now I’m going to return to eating my chocolate pixie cookies. Hope you all have a lovely day!
awesome!
i’d love to see granola bars!
wait just a gosh darn minute! i remember my 7th grade chemistry; starch is just two sugar molecules together! this is hardly sugar free; in fact, one tablespoon of corn starcg has 15 more grams of sugar than plain old granulated sugar!! WTF!! the chemicals added in terms of cylitol or splenda hardly outweigh the fact that you are literally eating 150% of the sugar you would have had eith actual sugar. maybe those who eat healthy should actually study nutrition and biochemistry. this is a load of orse manure.
No idea where you are getting your information, but cornstarch has zero grams of sugar, even for a full cup. The cornstarch is also optional anyway, and the recipe does not mention Splenda.
xylitol and Sucanat are not Splenda both are made from plants and are natural.
Xylitol is considered a sugar alcohol, therefore it is not a good substitute for diabetics. How do I know this? I have diabetes and was told by my nutritionist to avoid sugar alcohol as it is worse than sugar.
Sucanat is sugar, albeit less refined. It also costs 50% more than regular sugar. So, again, it is not a good substitute for regular sugar.
Don’t be fooled by the media when it comes to sugars. Just because something comes from a plant, doesn’t mean its healthier for diabetics. Diabetics are told to avoid fruits, sugars, sugar alcohol and many other items. Why? Because they all have an effect on blood sugar.
The type of sugar alcohol makes all the difference and xylitol is very appropriate for diabetics. Erythritol is even better as it has absolutely zero effect on blood sugar. Xylitol and erythritol can both be purchased granular or powdered and for recipes calling for powdered sugar I just use one of these straight out of the bag. I also use these (primarily erythritol) as a direct substitute for sugar in almost everything.
They measure just like sugar. Xylitol is just as sweet as sugar and has 60% of the calories. Erytritol is 70% as sweet as sugar and has zero calories. They do not caramelize like sugar and are poor substitutes in recipes where browning is important (although you can often get away with replacing just part of the sugar). The don’t work well with yeast breads and in some baked goods they result in cakes that are a little dryer and more crumbly if you don’t compensate in other ways.
But sugar-free pumpkin pie with erythritol is easy and awesome! I can’t tell the difference.
Charlie… I think you are very confused as to what “sugar free” is exactly as well as the difference between “Sugar” and “Carbohydrate”. Table sugar is known as Sucrose, there are a few other forms of sugar, and are single carbohydrate molecules. Starches (as well as some other molecules) are lengthy chains of carbohydrates that are bound together often with a different molecule at the cap… this makes them break down and get used slowly in your system giving a consistent low amount of sugars slowly that your body can handle better then a sudden intense rush of pure carbohydrates. By your logic, almost nothing that exists would be sugar free… any vegetable, any meat, any dairy, just about anything I can think of have natural carbohydrates even when they do not contain sugar. Sugar free candies, vegan diets, you name it… still have carbohydrates. The only thing that I can think of that is something other then water that is carbohydrate free would be the flavored waters and drinks which have 0 calories. Now, as far as why the distinction is important, sugar will cause problems as far as insulin response or lack of which is a MAJOR problem for diabetics who’s body cannot handle to much or to little carbohydrates in the system at a given time, it takes a great deal of carbohydrates (or lack of) to have the same issues. There is also a difference in weight gain/loss, but there are so many other factors involved such as other hormones, energy cycles, etc that can have problems that are beyond the intake of carbohydrates that can cause problems… but yes, again, Sugar is worse then general Carbohydrates (although, Carbohydrates in great excess can still cause the same issues that a very small amount of sugar would cause). This recipe, even using starch, is sugar free… it is not carbohydrate free, but for most people that will not be an issue.
It clearly states that you only have to add that if you are storing. If you are using right away you don’t need it
You tell ’em Charlie. I’m all for eating healthy but a little sugar here and there won’t kill ya. These health nuts live in denial and they know everything.
Please do not indulge in meaningless, unhelpful insults. Educate yourself independently and you will achieve respect for yourself and from others.
Thank you for the recipe, Katie, and for the work you put into creating tasty, healthier suggestons.
KATIE – you talking about the Dallas weather reminded me to tell you that I just accepted a job down here so I’ll be staying Dallas instead of moving back to St. Louis as originally planned. I know you live a little outside the city but we have to find a time to do a meet-up or dinner somewhere!
Also my best friend is seriously your biggest fan.
<3 Clare
Awesome! 🙂 🙂
Neat! This is a great invention!
Cool! This is seriously a smart idea! I love how you get so inspired by the regular things to make something really great!
….Granola bars! 🙂
I was actually going to ask you how to do sugar free powdered sugar, thank you so much!
I vote for granola bars!
p.s. where does one find this sucant or xylitol?
Whole Foods… or any health food store :).
Xylitol is fatal to dogs & cats, so please be vigilant about keeping it away from them.
I vote for granola bars!! But I’d also be interested in a good frosting… Thanks!
apparently I didn’t write “cream cheese” frosting.
Granola bars!!
Granola bars, please!
Interesting! I bet powdered sucanat tastes much better than regular powdered sugar 😛 And granola bars all the way
nola bars!!! 🙂
I think that is amazing that sucanat turns white! I’m so anxious to try it! You are a genius!
Sorry for the confusion. The photos are of the xylitol one.
i definitely have to vote for the granola bars. ever since i started this sugar-free detox, i haven’t had a granola bar – would really love to see a sugar free version!
Granola bars all the way!!
Mmmmmmgood~
Cookies! all the way Cookies!