What To Use Instead Of Sugar In Baking

Opting For Natural Low

There are many natural sugar substitutes that come from whole-food sources you should consider adding to your low-sugar or sugar-free eating plan. These sugar substitutes are great swaps for refined sugars, in terms of comparable flavor and their impact on your body. Unfortunately, refined sugar, which is white sugar, gets digested quickly. And over time, thats a recipe for insulin resistance and weight management issues.

Low-glycemic natural sweeteners, on the other hand, dont spike your blood sugar the same way

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Baking With Sugar Substitutes: Which Ones Are Good For Baking

Cakes. Cookies. Brownies. Tis the season for lots of sweets. But lots of treats equal a lot of sugar and calories, which is a recipe for weight gain and inflammation. So whats a person to do during the holidays? Should you forgo all things sweet at the risk of feeling deprived? Is there an alternative to sugar that you can use in your favorite recipes that will allow you to have your cake and eat it too?

In recent decades, along with the rise in obesity and diabetes, we have also seen the creation of numerous artificial sweeteners. Commonly found in diet sodas, sugar-free gum, and other diet and diabetes-friendly foods, artificial sweeteners play the role of a sweetener, but without the increase in blood sugar levels that come with sugar. While there is much controversy regarding the actual efficacy of these sweeteners and their impact on health, many still ask the question, Can you use them instead of sugar in your recipes?

The answer is both no and yes. Lets first understand a little more about the role of sugar in baking. Baking is science. Like a chemistry experiment, all the ingredients in a baked treat work together to create a chemical reaction so that you get the desired end product. Sugar plays a number of roles in baking, including:

• Sweetener
• Leavening
• Imparts chewiness and crispness

The following covers the most common artificial sweeteners and each ones ability to be used in baking:

SACCHARIN:

300-times sweeter than sugar

ASPARTAME:

ACESULFAME POTASSIUM:

What Is A Good Substitute For Granulated Sugar

Brown sugar is the simplest substitute for granulated sugar. You can use light or dark brown sugar as a 1:1 substitute. It makes for darker, denser baked goods with a more caramel or molasses flavor, which is wonderful for classic chocolate chip cookies, but less desirable for delicate cakes.

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Keto Peanut Butter Bread

How to use it: Use a very small sprinkle to sweeten drinks, oatmeal or yogurt. As a substitute in baked goods, youll want to use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon for every cup of sugar. Youll need to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe and replace the volume with ingredients like applesauce, pumpkin puree or powders like mesquite. The easiest thing to do is use recipes that already incorporate stevia.

The Role Of Sugar In Baking And Cooking

Regular or table sugar is known for its sweetness and its calories and carbs. Sugar gets a bad rap and is blamed for many major health problems such as obesity and Type 2 diabetes. But all cooks and bakers know that sugar is an invaluable ingredient in helping to ensure foods not only taste good, but also have the right texture, color, and volume. Sugar does more than just make foods and beverages taste good. In baked goods, such as cakes, cookies, and brownies, sugar creates a light, tender product and adds volume. It also helps trap and hold moisture so that those chewy chocolate chip cookies dont immediately turn into hockey pucks. Sugar also helps with browning and can crystalize to add crunch or texture to baked goods. If youre a bread baker, you probably know that sugar helps to feed the yeast that provides leavening. When sugar is heated, it caramelizes, forming the basis for caramel sauce or flan. And who doesnt appreciate the beauty of a flaming baked Alaska dessert or lemon meringue pie with its frosty white peaks, formed by egg whites beaten with you guessed it sugar!

Sugar also plays a role in cooked dishes to help smooth out bitterness and tartness. For example, spaghetti sauce, barbeque sauce, and some salad dressing recipes often call for a little bit of sugar to help tame sharp flavors.

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What Is The Healthiest Sweetener For Baking

Baking & Cooking With Natural Sweeteners Maple Crystals or Maple Syrup. Health information: Maple syrup is terrific sugar substitute for baking, but you might not be familiar with the dehydrated maple crystals from maple tree sap. Coconut Sugar. Monk Fruit Crystals* Blackstrap Molasses. Jerusalem Artichoke. Stevia*.

A Fabulous Sugar Alternative

I dont know about you, but sometimes I want something decadent to eat despite being diabetic. I want a slice of cake with my cup of tea, especially if Im celebrating with friends and family. Of course, Sweet Life has always shared recipes for treats as well as ordinary food, because we believe that you cant be on a diet your whole life, and diabetes is definitely sticking around for your whole life But still, it made me feel guilty to use sugar in recipes when I know what sugar does to my blood sugar Thats why I was so delighted to be given Natreen artificial sweetener to test out. Ive always been a bit scared of artificial sweeteners because of aspartame, which has been linked to cancer , but Natreen doesnt have any aspartame which makes me very happy! . My next concern, though, was what replacing normal sugar with a sugar substitute would do particularly while baking. Im very happy to report that the result was exactly the same, and my non-diabetic friends didnt even notice the difference! I made our special occasion Flourless Chocolate Tart and it was simply fabulous. Best of all, my blood sugar readings were heaps better than if there had been sugar in the cake. Thats because the sweeteners in Natreen dont have any carbohydrate as opposed to sugar, which is 100% carbohydrate. I actually asked for a breakdown so that you could see exactly what I was talking about take a look below: 8 drops Natreen Liquid = 1 tsp sugar Continue reading > >

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White Sugar With Maple Syrup

There are many substitutes for demerara sugar, but one of the most interesting is white sugar with maple syrup.

This combination can be used in a variety of recipes and provides several benefits.

First, the maple syrup adds a unique flavor to the sugar that can enhance the flavor of any dish.

Additionally, the maple syrup helps to caramelize the sugar, making it perfect for baking.

Finally, the addition of maple syrup makes the sugar less likely to clump, making it easier to work with.

Bulletproof Products Thatll Curb Your Cravings

Dont want to bake, but still craving a sweet treat? Bulletproof products are always made with natural sweeteners, from erythritol to stevia to inulin. Here are a few of our house favorites to satiate that sweet tooth:

• Bulletproof Chocolate Dipped Collagen Bars: Chocolate lovers, rejoice! Sink your teeth into Vanilla Cookie, Double Chocolate or Coconut, where cashew butter offers a shortbread-like texture with every bite. These tasty bars are enrobed in chocolate, which is perfectmorning, noon or nightto satisfy that need for a sweet. Not feeling the chocolate vibes? No problem. Opt for a Vanilla Shortbread Collagen Protein Bar, instead!
• Bulletproof Collagen Protein: Hands down, the best part about Bulletproof Collagen Protein is that it dissolves seamlessly not only into beverages , but baked goods, tootry these Collagen Breakfast Cookies, which feature Vanilla Collagen Protein! Seeking sustained energy benefits? Ramp up your collagen intake with Bulletproof Energy Collagen Protein, which features collagen, plus a Custom Energy Blend.
• Bulletproof Cold Brew Latte: No need to stop at a fancy coffee joint Just crack open an indulgent, refreshing Cold Brew Latte for a collagen boost with fewer cravings, thanks quality MCTs. Sip Vanilla, Dark Chocolate or Original

Looking to cut down on those lengthier keto baking projects? Try these 17 no-bake keto desserts that are ready in no time!

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Tips For Baking With Splenda

As any baker knows, there’s a lot of chemistry involved in baking. Sugar does more than sweeten: It acts as a rising agent, turns cookies and cakes golden brown and helps baked goods become moist and tender, per the Sugar Association.

Expect slightly different results when you use Splenda in place of sugar. For instance, the texture will be different, Gaffen notes. “Splenda can also add an ‘artificial’ taste when used as the only sweetener in a recipe.”

Here are a few other ways using Splenda can transform your baked goods:

Tips To Substituting Sugar In Your Baking

WordsLisa Milbrand

Looking for alternate ways to add sweetness to your desserts? These substitutions are virtually as good as the real thing.

It can be tricky to mess with a baking recipetoo much flour or not enough baking soda, and your favorite chocolate chip cookies become crumbly or fall flat. So its a little daunting to even consider swapping out that most basic baking building blocksugarfor something else sweet. But actually, its OK to give your sugar canister a rest from time to time. Substituting in another sweetener is easier than you might think, and you can do it without compromising texture or flavor in the cookies, cakes and desserts you love to make.

Whether youve run out of sugar or youre looking to mix things up, these smart baking substitutions will help ensure your baking stays delicious.

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Maple Syrup And Maple Sugar

Maple syrup and maple sugar are two other natural sweeteners that are very popular. Maple syrup is typically easier to find in the store than maple sugar, but you can usually find them both at a health foods store. You probably already know what maple syrup is, and maple sugar is actually just a condensed version of the syrup. You can make your own by boiling maple syrup and letting it crystallize at home, or you can purchase it, but it can be a little pricey! Due to the granular shape, you can use maple sugar to cream butter and sugar, whereas liquid sweeteners will not really work well for this purpose. Just remember that the flavor of maple will be in either of these products. Grade A maple syrup has a slightly lighter flavor, and Grade B is preferred for baking due to its richer flavor.

Alternatives To White Sugar

Sugar is commonly seen as the bad guy in baked goods. While it tastes oh so delicious, consuming high levels of sugar can lead to weight gain, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer. So, it is probably a good idea to skip all of those risks and look for a healthier alternative to white sugar in baking.

There are two routes you can go when substituting sugar in baking and that is to choose a natural substitute or a man made one. Natural substitutes are things like honey and maple syrup that are real foods.

A healthier man made substitute would be using something such as Stevia or Sweet N Low. We will look at both options and you can choose your preference based on your dietary goals.

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The Best Way To Reduce Sugar In Your Favourite Cake

• Chocolate cake. Cocoa can be bitter so you’ll need to add some sweetness. Add healthy sweetness with grated fruits or vegetables such as apple or beetroot. This will produce a moist cake that also needs less frosting and added sugar.
• Sponge cake. The light texture and delicate flavour is tricky to achieve without table sugar. Stick with table sugar, but use up to 20% less and incorporate as much air as possible into the batter. Swap 12 tbsp flour for cornflour to further lighten.
• Carrot cake. Grated vegetables add sweetness and a more robust texture. You don’t need much sugar if any especially if your recipe includes dried fruit. The texture suits natural sweeteners such as honey and maple syrup.
• Gluten-free cakes. These cakes often contain ground almonds instead of flour making them very adaptable because of their heavier crumb structure and deep flavours. Ground nuts add sweetness so you don’t need much more. If recipes use beaten egg whites to incorporate air, take care when incorporating thick syrups and honey.

How To Bake With Lakanto Sugar Substitutes

Lakanto Sugar/Sweetener is derived from monkfruit, which looks like a small green gourd. The monkfruit is picked and dried, then the sweetness is extracted from the dried fruit. This means Lakanto is 100% naturally derived, vegan, and no-GMO.

While Lakanto brand monkfruit sweetener provides a lovely sweetness, its zero glycemic in other words, its a zero-calorie alternative sugar making it great to use if you are diabetic or looking to regulate your sugar intake. Lakanto makes brown sugar, white sugar, and even powdered sugar that can be used 1:1 for sugar. I love the ease of baking and cooking with this as it works like a charm and has no bitter aftertaste like Stevia.

In addition to 3 different kinds of powder sweetener, Lakanto also makes a Maple Syrup alternative that I also love to cook with, bake with, and add to raw desserts. The only downfall of this sugar replacement is that after being heated, then cooled, the sugar can crystallize and have a slightly gritty texture. To avoid this, I suggest desserts that are baked with Lakanto that are then cooled should be reheated before enjoying to ensure they have the correct texture!

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Baking With Barley And Rice Malt Syrup

Barley malt syrup and rice syrup are great to use in place of liquid sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, or Lakanto maple syrup. Both are completely unrefined liquid sweeteners made from soaked, sprouted barley and rice. They differ slightly in flavor but both have a consistency that is similar to molasses and golden syrup, but are tasty substitutes for honey.

These can be used 1:1 for other liquid sweeteners.

Sugar Alternatives: Our Baking Guide

Have you noticed the whole new crop of sugar alternatives in the baking aisle? What are they, what do they taste like and, most importantly, do they make a decent bake?

We all know that we should try to cut back the amount of refined sugar we eat and the new generation of natural alternatives are worth a look. You can usually use less of them, and they are often slightly lower in calories than regular caster sugar and many have a comparatively low glycemic index , so theyll keep your blood sugar stable for longer after youve eaten them. But if youre baking with them, can they hold their own? Lots of sugar alternatives are delicious and easy to work with, says Henrietta Inman, Instagram star and author of Clean Cakes . I was inspired to make my baking a bit more natural. I love butter and sugar, but unprocessed sweeteners can be more flavoursome.

Remember that sugar alternatives behave slightly differently to regular caster sugar once you get them in the oven if youre building your baking confidence, pick a recipe that has been written with your chosen alternative in mind. Or, if you feel up to making a few tweaks to an old favourite, weve given you some pointers here.

Panela

A low-GI sugar, this is one of Colombias best-kept secrets. Sugar cane crops are pressed to extract juice, which is filtered, reduced and ground once cool. It contains nutrients, including phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron . Use it in place of brown sugar.

Agave

Date syrup

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How To Bake With Swerve

Swerve is a somewhat natural sweetener that measures cup-for-cup just like sugar. Swerve, similar to Lakanto, is made from ingredients found in select fruits and starchy root vegetables, and it contains no preservatives or flavors and is also a zero-calorie option so this is also great for those who are medically avoiding sugar.

That said, the Swerve sugar substitute is made of a combination of erythritol, oligosaccharides, and natural flavors. While this bakes very similarly to sugar, it CAN have an aftertaste to some people because of erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol. Thats why its my second favorite sugar substitute. You will see that I do use this, but not quite as often as monkfruit-based sweeteners.

Baking And Cooking With Sugar Substitutes

Chances are, youâve tried one or more sugar substitutes in an effort to cut calories or control your carbohydrate intake. Maybe you use a sweetener such as sucralose in your morning coffee, or you might reach for a can of diet soda that contains aspartame to help quench your thirst. But you might be wondering about using sugar substitutes when you cook or bake. Can you use them, and, if so, what works best? Sugar substitutes 101 Sugar substitutes, which are also called artificial sweeteners, nonnutritive sweeteners, or noncaloric sweeteners, are sweeteners that contain virtually no calories and no carbohydrate. These sweeteners are chemicals or plant-based substances that are hundreds of times sweeter than regular sugar and that have little or no effect on blood sugar levels. Sugar substitutes are very popular among people who have diabetes, as well as the general population. Given that a can of regular cola contains 143 calories and 40 grams of carb , itâs easy to understand why one would reach for a can of diet soda with 0 calories and 0 grams of carb. The Food and Drug Administration has approved eight sugar substitutes. ⢠Acesulfame-K ⢠Advantame ⢠Aspartame ⢠Monk fruit extract ⢠Neotame ⢠Saccharin ⢠Steviol glycosides, or rebiana ⢠Sucralose Another class of sweeteners called sugar alcohols also are used as sugar substitutes. These sweeteners contain aboContinue reading > >

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