13 Delicious Recipes That Call For Powdered Sugar

Powdered sugar is a versatile ingredient used in a variety of different recipes. For those that don’t know, powdered sugar is made from pulverized white sugar. It is a sweet ingredient primarily used to enhance desserts.

Its most common use is to make glazes and frostings for sweet treats. The only downside with powdered sugar is that it can be a messy ingredient to work with.

Today, we want to show you just how many wonderful recipes call for powdered sugar. To do so, we’ve listed our favorites in this post. If you’ve got some leftover powdered sugar and don’t know what to do with it, you’ve come to the right place.

We’ll look at everything from cookie dusting to sweet cake glazes, so make sure you stick around if you want to learn more.

This could be hungry work so you might want to grab a snack before we start!

1. Shortbread Cookies

Let’s start with a super simple recipe that helps you make the most amazing shortbread cookies. Sweet, crumbly, soft, and buttery, this shortbread recipe is incredibly easy to follow.

All you need to make the cookies is powdered sugar, flour, salt, butter, and vanilla extract.

With those 5 ingredients, you can make four dozen shortbread cookies. You’ll find that every bite melts in your mouth.

Perfect for the holiday season, the powdered sugar gives the cookies a sweet taste, whilst the vanilla extract offers a creamier flavor.

2. Red Velvet Cake

If you have a celebration coming up soon, you have to give this red velvet cake recipe a try. Aside from being extremely vibrant in color, red velvet cake is wonderfully delicious.

Ridiculously rich, moist, creamy, and sweet, red velvet cake is a true party pleaser.

In this recipe, powdered sugar is used to make a sweet cake frosting. The bright white frosting is then smothered over the top of the cake, adding an extra layer of richness.

The only issue with this cake is trying to stop the fight for the last piece.

3. Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls

If you love cinnamon rolls, you should definitely try these red velvet cinnamon rolls. Giving an old classic a fun twist, red velvet cinnamon rolls are perfect for Christmas. Their bright red color and warm spiced flavor scream Christmas.

The gooey-filling of cinnamon rolls blended with the rich chocolateness of red velvet cake is divine. Again, powdered sugar is used in this recipe to create a super sweet and thick frosting. 

4. Eskimo Cookies

Another Christmasy recipe that calls for powdered sugar is this Eskimo cookie recipe. The best thing about this festive cookie recipe is that it doesn’t require any baking. This will save you a lot of time.

All you have to do to make these adorable cookies is mix the ingredients together, shape them, and leave them in your refrigerator to set.

The combination of sugar, vanilla extract, oats, and cocoa powder helps create a one-of-a-kind sweet taste that you’ll love.

5. French Toast

Next up, we have a classic breakfast dish that is beautifully enhanced with the addition of powdered sugar. French toast is surprisingly easy to make. It’s also very versatile.

You can essentially use any toppings and fruits you like to make the dish better.

This particular recipe calls for a topping of syrup and powdered sugar. Aside from giving the toast an amazing appearance, these two ingredients offer strong flavors.

Of course, the primary flavor coming through is sweetness. This sweetness goes lovely with the fluffiness of the toast.

6. Cookie Butter Buckeyes

A great sweet treat to make for your family and friends at your next get-together are these cookie butter buckeyes. Sweet, chewy, and soft, these cookie buckeyes are topped with rich white chocolate. 

You can easily make these cookies in one bowl. Simply beat the ingredients together, shape your cookies, and dip them in chocolate. You can be as creative as you like with this recipe. 

7. Sugar Cookie Bars

The next recipe on our list is one of the most satisfying powdered sugar recipes there is. Imagine your favorite sugar cookies but double the thickness.

Then, imagine them smothered in a sweet and almost creamy vanilla frosting. That’s exactly what you can expect from this recipe.

Oh wait, don’t forget about the sprinkles either. Immensely good, these cookies are a sugar rush waiting to happen. They will satisfy even the sweetest of sweet tooths. 

8. Mexican Wedding Cookies

Next, we have a more unique cookie recipe that you’ll thoroughly enjoy. This traditional Mexican wedding cookie recipe offers everything we want from a batch of cookies.

They look great, are fun to make, and taste amazing. What more could we ask for?

These cookies have a more unique nutty flavor thanks to the inclusion of almonds. However, the vanilla extract and powdered sugar dusting balances the nutty flavors out with incredible sweetness. 

In terms of texture, these cookies are crunchy and smooth.

9. Sugar Glaze

It’s a good idea to have a reliable sugar glaze recipe at your disposal. This powdered sugar glaze recipe from Tastes of Lizzy T is a useful recipe to add to your repertoire.

You can make this versatile frosting in just five minutes using three basic ingredients. 

Those ingredients are powdered sugar, flavored extract, and heavy cream. Once made, this glaze can be used for a wide range of things. Most people like to use it to top cakes, donuts, bread, or strudels. 

10. Cinnamon Rolls

Up next, we have a classic cinnamon rolls recipe. If you want to keep things classic, this is definitely the recipe for you. Despite the long list of ingredients, making cinnamon rolls isn’t actually that difficult.

You’ll quickly find yourself mastering this recipe.

Soft, spiced, and sweet, these cinnamon rolls can be made without powdered sugar. However, if you want the best cream cheese glaze possible, you simply have to add powdered sugar.

The powdered sugar adds a divine sweetness that can’t be left out.

11. No-Bake Margarita Cheesecake Bars

If you’re looking for the best no-bake recipe that calls for powdered sugar, we strongly recommend giving these margarita cheesecake bars a go. Requiring no baking whatsoever, these cheesecake bars are sweet, refreshing, and creamy.

Made with minimal ingredients in just over an hour, you could easily whip a batch of these up to serve at dessert. We love how they combine zesty, sweet, and savory ingredients to create a well-balanced, addictive flavor.

The crunchy biscuit base adds a lot to the cake bars too.

12. Muddy Buddies

Also known by the name puppy chow, muddy buddies are popular homemade candies loved by children. They don’t particularly sound or look appealing but they actually taste pretty great.

They are made by coating Rice Chex cereal with a mixture of melted chocolate and peanut butter. After that, the muddy buddies are sprinkled with powdered sugar.

This combination of sweet ingredients helps to create a beautifully sweet snack. 

13. Glazed Donut Bread Pudding

The final powdered sugar recipe on our list is this glazed donut bread pudding from Bon Appetit. It consists of fluffy, soft, and crispy donuts coated in a sweet sugar glaze.

A dense pudding, this is a solid choice for parties and family gatherings. After baking, the pudding will rise, similar to a souffle. The final texture sits somewhere between clafoutis and eggy bread. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Powdered Sugar To Replace Granulated Sugar?

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with replacing granulated sugar with powdered sugar. In fact, powdered sugar is one of the best substitutes we can use when baking muffins, cakes, and bread. 

How Is Powdered Sugar Made?

Powdered sugar is actually very simple to make. It is simply granulated white sugar that has been pulverized into a fine powder. White sugar can be easily pulverized using a blender. 

Is Powdered Sugar Healthier Than Regular Sugar?

To put it simply, no powdered sugar isn’t healthier than regular sugar. Powdered sugar is pulverized granulated white sugar. As a result, there is virtually no difference between the two when it comes to healthiness.

Final Thoughts

As you can see from our list, powdered sugar is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a wide range of different recipes. Most recipes powdered sugar is used in are dessert recipes.

Despite never being the main ingredient, it is still well worth keeping in your pantry. 

Powdered sugar not only gives recipes a sweetness but also helps add to the overall aesthetic of a dish. In this post, we showed you 13 delicious recipes that call for powdered sugar.

If you have some leftover powdered sugar, you should now pick a recipe from our list that you can use it in. All of the recipes on our list are great, so we’re sure you’ll be happy with whichever recipe you choose.