Substitute natural sweeteners like maple syrup for white sugar.
Sugar, specifically white sugar, does more than just sweeten foods. It enhances the flavor, color and texture of baked products. If you have health concerns, consider substituting white sugar with other alternatives. There are several natural and artificial substitutes that you can use to sweeten food. Proportionately adjust the quantity of the substituted ingredient when substituting white sugar. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Instructions
1. Replace white sugar with an equal amount of brown sugar. Brown sugar is a good substitute, providing volume and moisture that keeps your baked product soft. However, as brown sugar has a brown hue and is not as finely granulated as white sugar, your baked product will have a darker color, coarser texture and a slightly different taste.
2. Sweeten foods with honey. Add 1 tsp. of honey to 1 cup of breakfast cereal, 1 glass of tea or a cocktail, or over desserts such as pancakes and waffles. Substitute 3/4 cup of honey for every cup of sugar while baking. Reduce the total quantity of liquid in the recipe by 3 tbsp, and add 1/2 tsp. of baking soda to neutralize the acid in the food produced by honey. Foods baked with honey have a moist and dense texture, and brown faster compared to foods prepared with white sugar. Honey is nutritious, has a distinctive flavor and is sweeter than sugar. Do not use honey if you suffer from diabetes, as it is high in sucrose.
3. Use erythritol, a sugar alcohol, if you prefer the same taste and granularity as sugar. Since erythritol is 30 percent less sweet than sucrose, use a slightly larger quantity. Substitute 1-1/2 tbsp. of erythritol for 1 tbsp. of white sugar in beverages, cooking and baking. Sugar alcohols such as erythritol, sorbitol, xylitol and maltitol have fewer calories than the same amount of sugar. They occur naturally in certain fruits and vegetables and are produced through a natural fermentation process.
4. Add 3/4 cup of maple syrup for every 1 cup of sugar in cooking and baking. Decrease the total quantity of liquid you use in a recipe by 3 tbsp. while baking with maple syrup. Add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda for every cup of maple syrup to improve the texture of the baked product.
5. Substitute 1 cup of granular sucralose for every 1 cup of white sugar when cooking or baking. Sucralose is an artificial sweetener that contains few calories and nutrients. Adjust cooking times, as foods bake faster when prepared with sucralose.
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