Unrefined Powdered Sugar
By Cat, June 2014 (Photo, right, from ThankYourBody.com (1))
I prefer to use unrefined, dehydrated sugar cane juice (such as Rapadura brand) as the sugar in most of my recipes. Rapadura makes a granulated version and a powdered (confectioners) version, but the latter can be hard to find.
No worries – if you have a blender, you can make your own powdered Rapadura (or other unrefined dried sugar cane juice, which I call ‘Rapadura’ in the instruction, for simplicity. This same method works also for coconut crystals.
Making your own powdered Rapadura sugar
When and why include a starch with the sugar? It is added to prevent caking (6). If you are making up a large batch to use over a period of time, I recommend adding the starch. But if you plan to use what you make right away, you can skip the starch.
If you use cornstarch, be sure it is Organic, to avoid GMO corn. Tapioca starch or arrowroot powder are alternatives.
I used references 1 – 5 (see below) for these instructions.
- The first step is to thoroughly dry the inside of your blender container with a cotton cloth.
- Work in batches, using 1 cup of sugar and 1 Tbsp food starch (see above) for each batch. Using more than this will overload your blender (however, if you have a VitaMix, you could use 1 ½ – 2 cups sugar at a time).
- Place sugar and starch in blender; cover with lid. Blend a few seconds until the mix resembles regular powdered sugar. If your blender has a “pulse” option, you may wish to use that to get it started.
- Pour powdered mix into dry storage container.
- Repeat with another batch of sugar and optional starch.
References
- Thank Your Body.com (thankyourbody.com/homemade-powdered-sugar)
- Heavenly Homemakers.com (heavenlyhomemakers.com/make-your-own-powdered-sugar-with-sucanat)
- The Coconut Mama.com (thecoconutmama.com/2013/08/how-to-make-powdered-sugar)
- Keeper of the Home.com (keeperofthehome.org/2010/12/how-to-make-your-own-unrefined-powdered-sugar.html)
- Seasoned Advice.com (cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/22785/why-is-there-cornstarch-in-powdered-sugar)
