Is baking powder the same as baking soda?
Baking powder and baking soda are slightly different. Baking soda is an ingredient in baking powder, along with several other components. Usually, a baking powder is designed to contain all the needed components to create a leavening chemical reaction, only one of which is baking soda. So, if you want to substitute baking powder for baking soda, you may want to use slightly more than the recipe calls for to make sure that you still get the same amount of baking soda called for. However, this will also change the taste of your cookies somewhat. Swapping out sugar is not as big a deal, although brown sugar has a more complex flavour.
Both are leavening agents which make your baked goods rise. Each has its own application. Baking soda reacts with acids (honey, vinegar, lemon juice, buttermilk etc.) to create a chemical reaction that causes the dough or batter to become infused with carbon dioxide, and thus rise. Baking powder has baking soda in it, so also reacts to acids, but baking powder also reacts to heat, causing your dough/batter to rise when it is put into the oven. The two are not interchangeable. Granulated sugar can be substituted for brown sugar without any effect. As stated before, white, or granulated sugar has molasses added to it to become brown sugar. Brown sugar is more moist than white, so add a tiny bit more liquid to the recipe if you do substitute white in place of brown.
baking soda is a part of baking powder! Yes, you can use it in a pinch but it makes a better product if you go get the soda. sugars are all interchangable! You can use all white sugar, all brown sugar, dark brown instead of light brown, etc. There is a slight flavor change when doing all white sugar in the cookies. Before making any recipe, go through your pantry and determine if you will need to make a grocery store run first! It is always preferable to use the ingredients called for in any recipe. The nuts, chips, fruits called for in recipes can be changed with no problems either.
