Pecan Sandies Cookie Recipe With Powdered Sugar (2024)

FAQs

What does powdered sugar do in baking cookies? ›

Powdered sugar can be used for several purposes in baked goods: Sweetener: provides a sweet flavor. Tenderizer: interferes with gluten formation, protein coagulation and starch gelatinization. Shelf life improvement: reduces the amount of water available for microbial deterioration.

According to Pastry & Baking Arts Chef-Instructor Norma Arellano-Salazar, these popular cookies are also called snowballs or pecan sandies on the East Coast of the United States, as they resemble snow or sand thanks to their powdered-sugar dusting. Some even refer to them as Russian tea cookies.

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.

A. It is not recommended to substitute powdered sugar for granulated sugar. Since powdered sugar has a much finer texture, and it contains a small percentage of cornstarch to prevent caking, substituting can give you unexpected results.

Powdered sugar has a much finer texture and a higher cornstarch content, which can absorb moisture and lead to a drier, crumbly cookie texture. If you use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar, you'll likely end up with cookies that are more cake-like and less chewy.

The magic ratio is 1 cup granulated sugar to 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Combine the two in a high-powered blender like a Vitamix, a food processor, or spice grinder, then blitz away until you have a soft, powdery consistency—the total time could be several minutes, depending on the power of your machine.

After baking, I like to roll them in powdered sugar twice so they'll be well covered. The first time when the cookies are still warm, and the second time after they have cooled completely. You can roll them just once if you prefer, but I like just a little more sweetness.

They're called sandies because of their crumbly shortbread texture and of course because they are full of pecans.

Keebler® Sandies® Pecan Shortbread| Keebler.

Where do pecan sandies come from? ›

The name 'sandies” was registered by the Keebler Company in 1955 for their line of flavored shortbread cookies, including the pecan sandy. However, the origins of the sandy cookie can be traced back to medieval France with the creation of the sablé cookie –– French for sandy, which refers to the cookie's texture.

Is Easy Pecan Sandies dough supposed to be so crumbly? Yes. These cookies are meant to have a crumbly texture, similar to shortbread. The dough will come together just enough to form into the ball cookie shapes.

Contains wheat, pecan, egg, milk and soy ingredients. May contain peanuts and other tree nuts.

Keebler Pecan Sandies is a simple "melt in your mouth", nutty, cookie that can be eaten with milk, coffee, hot tea, or any beverage that blends with this cookie of choice.

Powdered sugar has a much finer texture and a higher cornstarch content, which can absorb moisture and lead to a drier, crumbly cookie texture. If you use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar, you'll likely end up with cookies that are more cake-like and less chewy.

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. When I use flour it adds too much flour to the dough and makes it drier.

It has a smooth, powdery texture and a sweet taste, making it perfect for dusting desserts, thickening frostings, and sweetening beverages. Powdered sugar is a staple ingredient in many baking recipes, adding a delicate sweetness and smooth texture to various treats.

You can also use powdered sugar to replace up to 2 cups of granulated sugar, using 1 3/4 cup unsifted powdered sugar for each cup of sugar. This substitution is best for moist quick breads and muffins. Avoid powdered sugar, if possible, for recipes that require creaming together the butter and sugar.