The Best Types Of Sugar For Baking Cookies And When To Use Each One

Providing structure and sweetness, sugar is a staple in any good cookie recipe. And while chances are the white variety is the first thing most folks think of when a cookie recipe calls for sugar, there are actually several different kinds that may be included — and for different reasons. (To get you better acquainted with them, here are 15 types of sugar and how to use them.)

Because there's as much science involved in baking as there is creativity, the type of sugar you use can have a profound effect on the final product. Speaking with Mashed, "Milk and Cardamom" author Hetal Vasavada dishes on which kinds of sugar you should keep stored in your pantry for versatile cookie-making — calling out white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, and powdered sugar, in particular — and gives us the scoop on which types we should use for various recipes. You may even try using some of these tips for Challenge Butter's upcoming holiday challenge to raise awareness and support for Cookies for Kids' Cancer!

Made from the juice of sugar cane and sugar beets, white sugar can be found on every restaurant table in America and in most of the baked goods we hold dear. That's at least in part because unlike brown sugar or coconut sugar, it adds sweetness without any distinctive flavor. As it undergoes more processing, which rids it of more moisture than brown or raw sugar, white sugar tends to have a firm structure and extends that characteristic to the cookies it goes into. 

"White sugar is great if you're looking for a crispy, crunchy cookie or a cookie that holds its shape, like a cut out sugar cookie," Hetal Vasavada tells us. Because white sugar is always so ready and willing to undergo the caramelization process, using it in your favorite Christmas cookie recipe also helps with browning, ensuring you get those tasty well-done edges. Creaming this type of sugar with butter — an essential step for sugar cookies — also invokes a chemical reaction that will make for airy cookies with just the right amount of rise. 

Although it's made from the same stuff as granulated sugar, brown sugar differs greatly in taste and texture from its paler counterpart. That's due to the presence of molasses — an icky, sticky, and oh-so-sweet byproduct of manufacturing sugar. If you want more of the nutty notes of toffee and caramel that molasses brings to the party, opt for dark brown sugar. Otherwise, light brown sugar has just a touch of molasses added.

This sweet syrup also changes the moisture level in your cookie dough, making it slightly less structured than your average cookie made with white sugar. Hetal Vasavada says, "Brown sugar works best for when you want a softer cookie, where the shape of the cookie isn't a concern," says Hetal Vasavada. This makes it an ideal candidate for your deluxe Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, which need only be scooped onto the baking sheet by the spoonful.

Much like white sugar or brown sugar, raw sugar comes from sugar cane or sugar beet plants, and the process of making it also begins with transforming sugar cane juice into molasses. However, the real difference between white sugar and raw sugar, said simply, is that the former is processed more heavily than the latter. In the case of raw sugar, the process stops after the molasses is boiled down, evaporated, and spun in a centrifuge. This produces coarser crystals with more impurities and a bit of molasses left on them. With such large and irregular crystals, this type of sugar is less apt to dissolve and integrate into dough and batter.

"Raw sugar is great for cookies where you want texture," says Hetal Vasavada. "I typically avoid using raw sugar as the main sugar in a recipe, and use it more for decorating!" Sprinkled on top of your favorite Swedish thumbprint cookies, raw sugar's large crystals add a touch of sparkle and a noticeable crunch. This would be the ideal type of sugar to use when decorating for the upcoming cookie challenge!

Different from caster sugar, which is finely ground granulated sugar and Gordon Ramsay's favorite sugar for baking, the powdered variety has sugar completely pulverized to a flour-like consistency. Because of its ultra-absorbent capabilities, cornstarch is also added to the mix — typically about 3% to 5% of the weight — to prevent the sugar from clumping. Although it's just a small amount, the addition of cornstarch can greatly impact the texture and structure of the cookie.

"Powdered sugar works great for molded cookies," says Hetal Vasavada. Thanks to the cornstarch, cookies made with powdered sugar tend to hold their shape, even throughout the baking process. This added density isn't exactly ideal for a recipe that requires the sugar to be creamed with butter. However, it works like a dream in a shortbread cookie recipe, which is intended to be neither light nor airy. If you're looking to take the decorating in a less crunchy direction, powdered sugar also works well sifted atop your favorite baked treats.