Powdered Sugar
The sugar that dissolves before you even stir it, made for frostings, dustings, and anywhere you need sweetness without any grit.
What It Is
Powdered sugar is just cane sugar ground fine enough to feel like talc, with a small amount of tapioca starch worked in to keep it from clumping. That starch, about 3% of the total, is what makes it flow smoothly out of a sifter or spoon.
The fineness is the whole point. It melts into butter, cream, or glaze without the grainy texture that granulated sugar can leave behind. The "6x" on the label refers to how many times the sugar has been milled. Finer than table sugar, not quite as fine as 10x confectioners' sugar, it works beautifully for almost everything a home kitchen needs.
What To Do
Start with a simple glaze: whisk two cups of powdered sugar with two to three tablespoons of milk of choice and a splash of vanilla. It should ribbon off the spoon. Add liquid a little at a time until you hit the thickness you want. Use it on pound cake, cinnamon rolls, or scones.
For buttercream, beat softened butter until fluffy, then add powdered sugar one cup at a time. It also works as a finishing dust over brownies, waffles, or crepes. Store it in a sealed container away from moisture and it keeps indefinitely.
