Baking and Cooking With Sugar Substitutes. Chances are, you’ve 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 (brand name Splenda) 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, 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 (sucrose) 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 1. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved eight sugar substitutes. Acesulfame- K (brand names Sunett and Sweet One)• Advantame• Aspartame (brand names Equal and Nutrasweet)• Monk fruit extract (brand names Pure Fruit, Monk Fruit in the Raw, Fruit Sweetness)• Neotame (brand name Newtame)• Saccharin (brand names Sweet’N Low and Sugar Twin)• Steviol glycosides, or rebiana (brand names Pure. Via, Truvia, Sweet. Leaf, Zing)• Sucralose (brand name Splenda)(Click here to learn more about several of these sugar substitutes.)Another class of sweeteners called sugar alcohols also are used as sugar substitutes.

These sweeteners contain about half the calories and carbohydrate as sugar (for reference, a teaspoon of sugar contains 1. Examples of sugar alcohols include sorbitol, mannitol, erythritol, and xylitol. Common side effects of sugar alcohol are gassiness, bloating, cramps, and diarrhea, although small amounts generally are well- tolerated. While sugar alcohols are available for use in cooking or baking, they more commonly are used as additives by food manufacturers for products such as sugar- free candy and no- sugar- added ice cream, for example. 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 don’t immediately turn into hockey pucks.

Sugar also helps with browning (picture a golden crust on a loaf of banana bread) and can crystalize to add crunch or texture to baked goods. If you’re 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. S Mores Pie there. And who doesn’t 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. Sugar substitutes can be used in both cooked items and baked goods, but it’s important to realize that the end result may not be identical to the same product made with sugar. Sugar substitutes, while very sweet, don’t have the same properties or chemical composition as table sugar.

Today, many people are raving about Stevia and its various benefits, particularly as a replacement for sugar. However, not all have had a pleasant experience while. By Jane Barthelemy. The spotlight is on Paleo Sweeteners now, because we're living in times when sugars and refined carbs in processed foods are causing. Discover the many roles that sugar plays in baking and learn about different kinds of sweeteners and sugar substitutes.

For these reasons, be prepared for the following issues.• A lighter color. Baked goods made with sugar substitutes tend to be light in color. Sugar substitutes don’t provide the same browning effect as sugar.• Flatter products. Cakes, quick breads, and muffins may not have the same volume when prepared with sugar substitutes.• Texture differences. Baked goods made with these sweeteners tend to be drier and denser (almost like a biscuit) than those made with sugar because the sweeteners don’t hold moisture. Besides being drier, products may become stale more quickly.• Taste differences. Sugar substitutes can impart an aftertaste; some people find this more noticeable than others.

Cooking time. You may need to adjust the time required to bake a cake or cookies made with sugar substitutes. To prevent your grandmother’s spice cake from turning out like a pancake (and tasting like cardboard), it’s generally recommended not to use a sugar substitute in a baked goods recipe for all the sugar called for. Depending on the sweetener you are using, the proportions of sugar may vary. Check the product’s package or website for specific information on how to bake with a sugar substitute.Despite some of the issues that can occur when using sugar substitutes, they can still be useful in helping you and your family cut down on sugar while enjoying sweet treats. However, not all sugar substitutes are well- suited for cooking and baking, so choose wisely.

Here are the sugar substitutes best suited for cooking and/or baking. Sucralose: This sweetener is 6. One teaspoon contains one calorie and 0 grams of carb, and one cup contains 4. This sweetener is heat stable and therefore great for baking, cooking, and canning. It’s also available in a brown sugar version.

Splenda’s website provides helpful tips for baking and cooking with Splenda. For example, when baking cookies, it advises substituting only the white sugar in the recipe with Splenda, not the brown sugar. Doing so will retain a cookie’s characteristic chewy or crunchy texture. To ensure cakes and quick breads rise to their full height, Splenda advises using small pans and adding nonfat dry milk powder and baking soda for every one cup of granulated Splenda used. For more helpful hints, visit www. Saccharin: Years ago, saccharin was pretty much the only sweetener in town.

Tab, one of the first diet sodas to hit the market, was sweetened with saccharin. This sweetener is 3. It’s available in packets, in bulk, and in a liquid form.

One packet contains 2 calories and 0. The Sweet’N Low website states that saccharin is heat- stable, making it suitable for baking, cooking, and canning.

January 2015 Issue. Alternative Natural Sweeteners By Judith C. Thalheimer, RD, LDN Today's Dietitian Vol. 17 No. 1 P. 18. Learn more about the most popular products.

1. Make life that little bit sweeter with our range of sugar, sweeteners and sugar alternatives. Whether you're looking down to cut down on sugar or want to try.
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3. The world of sweeteners can be confusing, as there are many choices. Making the wrong choice can lead to type 2 diabetes and weight gain, or diarrhea and high blood.
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5. Sugar substitutes, which are also called artificial sweeteners, nonnutritive sweeteners, or noncaloric sweeteners, are sweeteners that contain virtually no calories.
6. With the recent bad press surrounding High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a growing number of people are turning to natural sweeteners to satiate their cravings for.