Low Sugar Cookies Recipe | The Bewitchin' Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you don't add enough sugar to cookies? ›

When you decrease the sugar in a cookie recipe, you won't just get a result that's less sweet. You'll get cookies that are harder, drier, crumblier, and spread far less. It was also interesting to note that decreasing the sugar also yielded 1 less cookie dough ball.

Sugar Cookie Ingredients

Flour– use regular all-purpose flour! Baking soda and baking powder– make sure they are fresh!

Using all light brown sugar will yield cookies with a lighter flavor (that's not a bad thing!). They'll be buttery with accents of vanilla and a soft interior, but a lighter molasses flavor. Opting for all dark brown sugar will give you a richer flavor and ever-so-slightly softer centers.

Room temperature butter is just the right consistency to incorporate air when it's creamed with sugar. These trapped air pockets result in risen, fluffy cookies. If the butter is any warmer, it won't incorporate enough air and your cookies will have less rise.

Cutting added sugars can help to keep your blood glucose levels within healthy parameters and makes it easier to control weight, both of which lower your diabetes risk. Added sugars contribute to excess calories, and excess calorie intake leads to weight gain.

Replacing those added sugar calories with complex carbs, as well as foods with natural sugars and fiber like fruit, provides a longer, steadier supply of energy. Also adding to this energy may be the fact that you're getting longer, more restful sleep, an effect seen in individuals who consume less added sugar.

All levels of powdered sugar grind can be used interchangeably with each other in cookie recipes. But take note: powdered sugar is not to be substituted for granulated sugar or brown sugar, since the added cornstarch in powdered sugar changes cookie chemistry and texture.

Use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough: if you're like me and use every bit of your dough, I recommend using powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough.

White sugar, conversely, would fail to react with the baking soda, but after being properly creamed, it'd still aerate the dough well enough to provide some lift. The cookies made with 100% brown sugar would be weirdly porous and take a while to crisp, but they'd be extra malty and delicious.

All-Purpose Flour: The Versatile Choice

If you're looking for a safe bet or are new to cookie baking, all-purpose flour is your go-to option.

Can I use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar? ›

You require approximately half as much granulated sugar as powdered sugar. So for example, if a recipe asks for 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar, you can substitute it with 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar with no change in the overall sweetness of your recipe.

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

1. Cookies. Cornstarch does kind of incredible things to cookies. I mean not only does it give them soft centers, prevents them from spreading, and makes them somewhat thick (in a good way), but it also contributes to the chewiness factor, which, in my opinion, is the most important cookie attribute.

A low proportion of sugar relative to flour reduces spread, keeping the cookies thick. A high proportion of mix-ins helps thicken the dough. Blending chocolate chip styles creates a more dynamic flavor. Overnight refrigeration hydrates the flour, again helping the cookies stay thick.

Sugar creates texture

Sugar easily binds with water, which accomplishes two main things. 1) It locks in moisture, keeping your baked goods from drying out; and 2) It inhibits the development of gluten which keeps your cookies, cakes and sweet breads softer. Variances in sugar type will create different outcomes here.

Brown sugar adds a dense chewiness to certain types of baked goods like cookies. When brown sugar is replaced with white sugar, you may end up with a slightly crispier result. Still, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. White sugar can be used to replace brown sugar, producing only slight changes in texture and flavor.

Too much moisture: Excess moisture, either from ingredients like eggs or butter, can result in soft cookies. Be precise with ingredient measurements. Butter temperature: Using overly soft or melted butter can lead to softer cookies. Ensure your butter is at the right temperature specified in the recipe.