No Powdered Sugar? This Everyday Appliance Can Make Some Fast

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Sweetening your homemade desserts can often be a matter of taste, depending on whether you want a subtle sweetness, something with rich caramel notes, or add chewiness from liquid sweeteners. But there are some recipes where you can't make substitutes. A smooth frosting, shiny glaze, or some no-bake desserts rely on the fine texture of powdered sugar for the right results. If you're in a pinch, you can make your own powdered sugar with granulated sugar and a coffee grinder.

It's really as simple as adding the sugar and blitzing it until it becomes a fine powder, but for the best results, there are a few tips to keep in mind. First, this only works with blade coffee grinders, which are sometimes sold as spice grinders, and essentially work like mini food processors. For the fluffiest powdered sugar, start with white granulated sugar — other types of sugar, such as turbinado or coconut sugar, will work too. Just avoid using brown sugar or muscovado, as the high molasses content makes it too sticky to give you a true powder. If you're using the sugar immediately you won't need to worry about clumping, but if you plan to make a big batch for later, add a tablespoon of cornstarch for every cup of granulated sugar you blitz. 

You'll notice that as you grind, the volume of the sugar will increase. A cup of granulated sugar will give you around 1 ¾ to 2 cups of powdered sugar. Grinding the sugar will not affect the weight, however, so if the recipe calls for 5 ounces of powdered sugar, you need to start with 5 ounces of granulated sugar.

A coffee grinder can be a surprisingly handy tool for baking and for cooking in general. Grinding spices is one popular use. Whole spices have a much longer shelf life, and grinding them as you need them will let you experience the flavors at their freshest when working them into spiced treats. Don't overlook using to make custom spice blends for barbecue rubs, either.

This versatile appliance is also the secret to crafting all kinds of homemade flours (albeit in small amounts). Even a budget blade grinder should be able to handle nuts to make almond or hazelnut flour, or grains such as rice or oats to prepare essential ingredients for gluten-free baking. For vegan bakers, a coffee grinder will also make short work of blitzing whole flax seeds, ready to use as an egg substitute.

You might be thinking at this point that all these flavorful ingredients are going to wreak havoc with your next cup of coffee. This is why it's essential that you clean your coffee grinder well in between each use. Or you could do as Bobby Flay does and keep two coffee grinders on hand – one for coffee and one for spices. It's a luxury for sure, but with something like this Bodum C-Mill Electric Blade Grinder priced at just under $15, it's an affordable option.