I Made Chocolate Chip Cookies with Powdered Sugar, and What Happened Next Blew Me Away

Chocolate chip cookies are one of my favorite foods. If the number of recipes out there is any indication, there’s a good chance you love them, too. But what makes a chocolate chip cookie perfect to me may not be what makes it the ideal treat for you. And a slight change to the ingredient list or instructions can transform a chewy chocolate chip cookie into one that is crisp and crunchy or soft and cakey. Knowing how and when to make recipe adjustments to get the cookie of your dreams comes with experience and experimentation. 

As a professional recipe developer, I’m the one friends, family, and readers go to for advice on how to use what they have and still end up with something delicious. Recently, a friend asked what would happen if she substituted powdered sugar for granulated sugar in her favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’ve baked hundreds of batches of chocolate chip cookies, but that was a question I hadn’t faced before. I suspected that the sugar switch would result in a more soft and tender cookie, but I couldn’t be sure until I tested it myself. And because a picture (and a bite of warm cookies) is worth a thousand words, I went straight to the kitchen to show her.

For this sugar substitution experiment I used The Kitchn’s basic chocolate chip cookie recipe as a starting point. I prepared one batch of cookies as the recipe is written. The cookies were buttery with a brown sugar and vanilla flavor and a good proportion of chocolate chips distributed throughout the cookies. The cookies spread from a 1-inch ball of dough into a 3-inch cookie. While the cookies cool, they settle into a flatter shape, leaving a cracked appearance and a chewy texture. 

For my second batch, I swapped in the same volume of powdered sugar in place of the granulated sugar, and followed the recipe exactly as before. I chose to do a straight swap, replacing 3/4 cup granulated sugar with 3/4 cup powdered sugar, despite the fact that powdered sugar weighs much less than granulated. Though the cookies will be inherently less sweet, knowing whether a straight swap of an ingredient could work is much more useful in the kitchen than having to remember a ratio. As for the brown sugar, I kept that the same because it contributes a caramelized flavor to the cookie. It also is essential to the texture because the sharp edges of the sugar crystals cut into the butter, aerating and lightening the dough. (Science!)

A 1–to–1 swap totally worked and was delicious. I’ve made and loved Kelli Foster’s Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, which includes a bit of cornstarch in the dough. Those cookies are pudgy and soft, yet still have some chewiness. Since powdered sugar usually contains some cornstarch (to prevent caking), I expected that replacing all of the granulated sugar with powdered sugar chocolate chip cookies would result in some of the same characteristics as Kelli’s soft chocolate chip cookies. But making the sugar swap resulted in an even softer, more tender cookie than Kelli’s cookie. The powdered sugar chocolate chip cookies spread less, just 2 1/4 inches in size and also had a prominent domed shape and less browning than the traditional recipe.

Were the cookies less sweet? Totally. But I suspect that’s an easy fix. If you’re looking for a soft, cakey cookie that has the same sweetness level of the classic, hopefully this experiment has given you the courage to add a bit more powdered sugar to the party until you find your perfect ratio.

• Expect a less sweet cookie. If you do a one-to-one swap of powdered sugar for granulated sugar using your measuring cups, expect a less sweet (but not less delicious) cookie.
• Ideal for soft cookie lovers. The powder-fine sugar plus the cornstarch that’s included in most formulas of powdered sugar turns a once-chewy cookie into one that is soft and cakey. 
• Cookies won’t spread as much. Chocolate chip cookies made with powdered sugar won’t spread as much as those made with granulated sugar. These cookies are taller and have a smaller footprint, so you don’t have to give them as much space on the baking sheet.