This from Fine Cooking might help with how long to process it. I'd probably start checking it after 30 seconds.

https://www.finecooking.com/article/how-to-make-your-own-superfine-sugar

I'd use my Vitamix. Do you know anyone who has one, they would likely be glad to help. You're way too far away from me, or I'd offer.

Be aware that sugar can etch the jar. One batch shouldn't be a big deal.

The reason for using superfine, if you're measuring by weight, is just that it dissolves faster because the grains are smaller. There's more sugar per volume, but there are conversions if you just want to use table sugar.

If you've been having problems, suddenly, make sure the sugar you're buying is pure cane. That makes a big difference in cookies, whereas table vs. superfine isn't as big a deal so long as you cream well and let your batter rest.

For cookies, I wouldn't worry that much about how much processing. Just let it run for a couple of minutes. Real superfine has a better consistency, but processed does the job. I used to do it.

Plllog,

The recipe is by volume, not by weight. calls for 1/3 cup.

I'd been blaming the nuts for the cookie problems. I have not had any problem with any other cookies, just these. If the sugar is not pure cane, what is it? Beet?

I've tried everything with the nuts. Roasting them in the oven first, chopping them rougher, chopping them finer, etc. Adding an egg white to the dough, in hopes they would hold together.

It started when the bulk food store where I used to buy them - a small, 3 store chain called Home Economist - went out of business. I bought them pre-ground. You'd think having to chop the cookies from whole would produce better cookies. But no.

I looked up the conversion. Enough people are saying you can do 1:1 that I wouldn't hesitate for 1/3 cup. I also found something that says 1 1/8 c. granulated table sugar is equivalent to 1 c. superfine--that was for giving you how much to grind up--which, again, is a negligible difference at a third. If you're going grind it, you might need to do a whole cup to make it work anyway, though. But then just measure the ground up sugar as usual.

Yes. Not-cane is beet sugar. Some have no problem with it. Some say the problem is only in the brown sugar. Some just can't bake with beet sugar. The difference is in the behavior as a liquid, which is something sugar does while it bakes, and beet has a drier thing going on. This can probably be made up for by adjusting other ingredients, which some people might do automatically, or perhaps choose moister baking recipes. I don't like the outcome with beet at all.

The nut question is interesting. I tried to find out if there's some kind of stabilizer used in pre-chopped nuts, like the cornstarch in powdered sugar, but had no success finding it. I was wondering if there were a too small to have to list ingredient that was doing something for the cookies. Bulk nuts may be drier than nuts in sealed packages, and may also be older and less fresh.

I've never had a similar problem, but it really could be beet sugar if you used to use cane. If that package doesn't say cane, it's not cane. It could also be something in the fat or liquid. Have you changed your butter brand, or have the makers? Do you add flour to your chopped nuts? That could help. Have you tried a packet of pre-chopped to see if that works? If you chill your dough, do you put the cover right down on the dough, to keep it moist and prevent oxidation? It's definitely possible that the balance for the pecan cookies is delicate enough that the same variables in other cookies don't have the same problem, though, of course, the nuts are most likely.

This is a real puzzle! I wish you well in your attempts!

Excellent!!

If you decide to grind your own superfine sugar:

1. Read your weather report first. Don't do it on a humid day.

2. A blender generates a lot of heat as it blends. You can actually make soup in it. Make sure you check the temperature as you are grinding.

3. A blender with dull blades may work better. Sugar crystals are cracked by impact, not by slicing. That's why a Blendtec may work better than a Vitamix.

dcarch