Sugar - Part 4
How to Use Healthy Sugars in Recipes
This can feel really intimidating at first, at least it was for me! Some of my clients quickly got to work reconfiguring all of their favourite recipes…but that’s not how I roll. I work much more slowly, and the truth is, it all works. Go at your own pace is always best :)
I find Google is my best friend. I don’t have many recipes from my past that I want to change, so it’s easy for me to look up new ones instead. I find that googling exactly what I’m looking for is helpful, like “peanut butter cookie healthy maple syrup” and up will pop a bunch of options.
But you may have recipes that you really love and you want to incorporate new unrefined sugars. That’s great, there are many ways to rework your recipes and with a few little tricks, it can become easy.
A little trick – add a crack of salt
One thing that helps all of my baking is I always add a pinch of salt. Salt brings out sweetness, so you need to use less.
Liquid vs Granulated Sugar –
Baking is a chemistry experiment, which is why you can’t always use a liquid sugar, like maple syrup, instead of granulated sugar and have the recipe work out. Usually, you need to adjust the liquid portion.
I find it’s easier to use coconut sugar or unrefined cane sugar in those recipes, there’s less adjusting need :)
General Guide to Using Healthy (Unrefined) Sugars
Dates –
This is the ultimate whole food sugar but can be tricky to add to an old favourite recipe, so I tend to use dates in recipes that specifically call for them. If you’d like to try it out, grind your dates into a paste first. Use 2/3 of ground dates for each cup of sugar. Dates work really well in energy bars, cookies, and brownies. There are tons of date sweetened recipes online if you’d like to try one out :)
Banana –
Another totally whole food sugar! The ripeness of your banana will affect the sweetness of your recipe, so keep that in mind. Use ½ cup of mashed banana for each cup of sugar in your recipe. Reduce the liquid by 2 – 3 tbsp.
Apple Sauce or other fruit purees –
This won’t work in all recipes due to the natural fibre content and moisture, but it can make DELICIOUS baked goods :). Use ½ cup of fruit puree for every cup of sugar, and reduce the liquid portion by about 2 tbsp.
Honey –
It’s very sweet so you don’t need a lot of honey to make something taste delightful. Aim for ½ cup of honey for each cup of sugar. Reduce the liquid portion by about 2 tbsp.
Maple Syrup –
Use ½ - ¾ cup for every cup of granulated sugar in a recipe. You’ll have to reduce the liquid portion by 2 to 4 tbsp. It cooks faster than other types of sugar too, so you may want to lower the temp by 25 F. It’s better for unbaked desserts and you may want to avoid using maple syrup if you’re a strict recipe follower…this is better for those who like to experiment.
Coconut Sugar –
Can be used cup for cup in recipes and is a great substitute for brown sugar. I find it has a very sweet taste and usually ½ cup is enough for most recipes…but your recipe might need more.
Molasses –
It’s less sweet than most sugars, so you need to add more to your recipe. Use 1 1/3 cup for every cup of sugar in your recipe. Reduce the liquid by 2 tbsp. Its dark colour & burnt flavour works best in savoury food, like baked beans and bbq sauce.
Low or Zero Calorie Sweeteners
Warning – these can be tricky!
Monk Fruit –
This is a bit trickier than most, although you can find cup for cup versions of this sweetener sometimes. The manufacturers add starch to allow you to use it cup for cup, just be aware. Unless the package says otherwise, aim for ½ cup for each cup of sugar in a recipe.
Stevia –
It’s so sweet that you only need 1 tsp for every cup of sugar. But your other ingredients will need to be adjusted to make up for the missing sugar. Adding fruit puree can bring in extra moistness to a stevia-sweetened dish.
Xylitol Powder –
You can usually get this sweetener in a cup for cup option. If you’re using xylitol crystals, use ½ cup for each cup.
In Conclusion
Life can be sweet!! A healthy and happy body can include delicious sweet treats!
I hope you feel a bit more comfortable with the different types of sugars and how they affect your body. And, I’ve got one more thing to add:
You don’t need to replace everything tomorrow. Just start with one recipe at a time or one type of sugar at a time. As you get more and more comfortable with the other types of sugar, you’ll find that your refined sugar jar gets opened less and less.
I took many years to switch out the sugar in my life and without even realizing it my house became refined sugar free. My mom was visiting a few years ago and offered to make her famous chocolate chip cookies (a favourite of mine as a kid) and we had to go out and buy brown sugar for the recipe because my baking cupboard only had coconut sugar.
Today, my regular day-to-day sweet treats are all made from healthy sugars and unrefined ingredients. But, when my mom offers to bake me a batch of her cookies, I enjoy every single bite of them :). Some recipes are meant to be kept as is, and that one is fantastic exactly as it is.
Did I miss any types of sugar? Or, do you have any questions? Be sure to send them to me!
Got any questions or comments? Comment below, jump to our private Facebook Group, or the Ask Lisa page :).