Natural Sweeteners

NATURAL SWEETENERS

Got a sweet-tooth? Eating natural foods doesn't have to be without an occasional treat. Experiment with these alternative sweeteners found commonly in my household (and at health food stores and co-ops--don't be afraid to ask store managers and co-operatives to special-order something you want but don't see).

Barley Malt Syrup Sprouted barley. Maltose, glucose, complex carbohydrates; 65 percent maltose, 30 percent complex carbohydrate, 3% protein. Dark brown, thick and sticky; strong distinctive flavor, like molasses. Half as sweet as white sugar. Best used in combination with other sweeteners (use no more than 40% barley malt). Wonderful in spice cakes, gingerbread and baked beans. I like it in cookies too. Substitute 1&1/3 cups barley malt for every 1 cup white sugar called for. Reduce liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup barley malt used. Purchase only 100% barley malt, not barley/corn malt syrup. Store refrigerated. Organic available.
Blackstrap Molasses 70 percent sucrose. The dark, syrupy "leftovers" from the sugar-refining process. Marginally qualifies as a natural sweetener, but it does contain most, if not all, of the redeeming value of the original cane plant--such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and chromium, as well as other micronutrients. Very strong flavor. A source of iron. Excellent sweetener in quick-breads (such as zucchini bread), cookies, cakes, and pies. I sometimes use half molasses and half honey, brown rice syrup, or barley malt syrup when baking.
Brown Rice Syrup Brown rice and various enzymes. Maltose, glucose, complex carbohydrates; 50 percent maltose and 37 percent complex carbohydrate. Amber colored syrup with mild "butterscotch" flavor. Half as sweet as white sugar. Baked goods made with rice syrup tend to be hard or very crisp. Use brown rice syrup in cookies, crisps, granola, pies, puddings. Do not use in cakes or any type of bread-- produces a gooey center. Substitute 1&1/3 cups for every 1 cup white sugar called for in recipe. Reduce liquid by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup rice syrup used. Store refrigerated. Organic available.
Date Sugar Ground, dehydrated dates. Sucrose, glucose, fructose, complex carbohydrates. Contains folic acid. Mahogany color, coarse granules, kinda moist. Use in crisps, crunches, as sprinkle or topping. Substitute like amounts for white sugar. Have read that you should dissolve in a small amount of water before adding to batters, but I have never done this. Use in combination with other sweeteners. Burns easily. Purchase date sugar made from unsulfured, organically grown dates. Store in a tightly closed jar.
Evaporated White Grape Juice and Brown Rice Syrup (Fruitsource, manufactured by Fruitsource Confections, Inc.) 33 percent or more complex carbohydrate. Yellowish-white, granulated sweetener; Fruitsource is especially good to use when Sucanat is too dark colored for use in a recipe. I often use half Sucanat and half Fruitsource, when I wish to avoid having too strong of a"fruit" taste, such as when making cookies, brownies, cakes, etc. Substitute like amounts for white sugar in recipes. Store airtight, away from all moisture, or it will turn to granite! I buy small amounts and replace as needed.
Evaporated Whole Cane Juice (Rapadura, Sucanat)
* Buyer Beware of false claims! "Evaporated whole cane juice" is a term used loosely on labels. Florida Crystals, turbinado, and raw sugar definitely do not qualify!
Sugar cane, water removed. Minerals and molasses are retained. Sucrose and invert sugars*. Amber-colored coarse granules, mild molasses-like taste. WARNING: Just in: Sucanat may not be truly "evaporated" whole cane juice as it once was; have been informed that method has been switched to "crystallization" which requires the adding back of molasses to an essentially refined product. Rapadura, manufactured by Rapunzel, continues to be 100% organic and is obtained through an evaporation process. This is the sweetener I use most at home, because of its rich flavor, relatively low cost, and ease of substitution. Use in virtually anything calling for refined sugar. Replace refined sugars with like amounts. Add 1/4 tsp. baking soda per cup Sucanat. Be sure to purchase organic. Any pesticides and chemicals used on the cane will be concentrated during processing. Store in tightly covered container.
Honey Extracted from flower nectar by bees. Fructose, glucose, sucrose. Color and taste depend upon flower source. 20% to 60% sweeter than white sugar; use less! Use in all baked goods. Honey has a very distinctive taste that takes getting used to for some people, but once you start cooking with it, it grows on you. Once source I have says use 2/3 to 3/4 as much honey as white sugar in recipes, but the other says only 1/2 as much. I tend to use half and have been satisfied. Reduce liquid by 1/4 cup, but if there is no liquid to reduce, add 3-4 tablespoons of flour for each 1/2 honey used. Also add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda per half cup of honey. Reduce oven 25 degrees and adjust baking time. Buy only pure, raw honey, as some honey has sugar added to it and/or has been cooked. Some vegans don’t use honey as bees are sometimes killed after season. Don’t give honey to children under age 2, as it can transmit botulism. Honey can adversely affect blood sugar levels.
Maple Syrup From sap of maple trees (not the imposters in grocery stores!); about 40 gallons of sap produce 1 gallon of syrup; 60% sucrose plus invert sugars; dark brown with maple flavor; high in potassium and calcium. Use in all baked goods; wonderful in cakes and pies. Substitute 2/3 to 3/4 cup maple syrup for 1 cup white sugar. Reduce liquid in recipe by 3 T. and add 1/4 tsp. baking soda per cup maple syrup. Great on whole-grain pancakes and waffles. Buy only pure U.S. organic. Some maple producers still use illegal formaldehyde pellets and other additives during processing. Store refrigerated.
Maple Syrup Granules (Maple Sugar) Dehydrated maple syrup. 93% sucrose, 1% to 3% invert sugars. Light brown granules with maple flavor. Use in all baked goods. This stuff is quite expensive, but I think it is perhaps the most richly flavorful of the bunch. Substitute straight across for white or brown sugar called for in recipes. Add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda per cup maple sugar. Store in tightly closed container. Organic available.
Mixed Fruit Juice Concentrate Peach, pear, grape, and pineapple juice most common. Sucrose, some natural fructose. Generally amber colored and fruity tasting. Use in all baked goods and desserts, especially spice, carob, and chocolate cakes. Substitute 2/3 cup for 1 cup white sugar. Reduce liquid 1/3 cup per cup and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup concentrate. Reduce oven 25 degrees and adjust baking time. Some concentrates are more acidic than others. Store in refrigerator, but use at room temperature.
Stevia
Stevioside A perennial shrub of the aster family; available in whole or broken leaves, coarse ground, powder extract, or liquid extract; 8-300 times sweeter than table sugar (depending on quality and whether it is leaf or extract) but with 0 calories; sweetening attributes are the glycosides (Steviosides, Rebaudiosides and a Dulcoside). Grade A Paraguayan Stevia is the best, but hard to locate in the United States. Chinese and other non-Paraguayan Stevia may have an unpleasant aftertaste (bitter or grassy-tasting). (Emperor's Herbologist Stevioside is exceptional and has no unpleasant aftertaste.) For use in baking, the leaves are best dried and finely ground with a mortar and pestle. Dried stevia keeps its flavor for months. Use one teaspoon in place of one cup of sugar. Another source says to use 1-1.5 T. of green Stevia powder to replace 1 cup of sugar, or 1/4 tsp. white Stevia extract powder to replace 1 cup sugar. To make your own liquid solution, dissolve 1 tsp. white Stevia powder in 3 T. pure water and pour concentrate into a small bottle with a dropper; store in fridge. Approximately 1 tsp. of concentrate equals 1 cup of sugar. You will have to experiment in converting recipes, adjusting liquid and dry ingredients to make up for the lack of bulk that Stevia provides. Ground Stevia may be sprinkled lightly over cooking vegetables and meats, cereals and salads; significantly enhances the flavor and nutritional value of the food.

Stevioside

NATURAL NUTRITION DIRECTORY

Barley Malt Syrup	Sprouted barley. Maltose, glucose, complex carbohydrates; 65 percent maltose, 30 percent complex carbohydrate, 3% protein. Dark brown, thick and sticky; strong distinctive flavor, like molasses. Half as sweet as white sugar.	Best used in combination with other sweeteners (use no more than 40% barley malt). Wonderful in spice cakes, gingerbread and baked beans. I like it in cookies too. Substitute 1&1/3 cups barley malt for every 1 cup white sugar called for. Reduce liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup barley malt used. Purchase only 100% barley malt, not barley/corn malt syrup. Store refrigerated. Organic available.
Blackstrap Molasses	70 percent sucrose. The dark, syrupy "leftovers" from the sugar-refining process. Marginally qualifies as a natural sweetener, but it does contain most, if not all, of the redeeming value of the original cane plant--such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, and chromium, as well as other micronutrients. Very strong flavor. A source of iron.	Excellent sweetener in quick-breads (such as zucchini bread), cookies, cakes, and pies. I sometimes use half molasses and half honey, brown rice syrup, or barley malt syrup when baking.
Brown Rice Syrup	Brown rice and various enzymes. Maltose, glucose, complex carbohydrates; 50 percent maltose and 37 percent complex carbohydrate. Amber colored syrup with mild "butterscotch" flavor. Half as sweet as white sugar.	Baked goods made with rice syrup tend to be hard or very crisp. Use brown rice syrup in cookies, crisps, granola, pies, puddings. Do not use in cakes or any type of bread-- produces a gooey center. Substitute 1&1/3 cups for every 1 cup white sugar called for in recipe. Reduce liquid by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup rice syrup used. Store refrigerated. Organic available.
Date Sugar	Ground, dehydrated dates. Sucrose, glucose, fructose, complex carbohydrates. Contains folic acid. Mahogany color, coarse granules, kinda moist.	Use in crisps, crunches, as sprinkle or topping. Substitute like amounts for white sugar. Have read that you should dissolve in a small amount of water before adding to batters, but I have never done this. Use in combination with other sweeteners. Burns easily. Purchase date sugar made from unsulfured, organically grown dates. Store in a tightly closed jar.
Evaporated White Grape Juice and Brown Rice Syrup (Fruitsource, manufactured by Fruitsource Confections, Inc.)	33 percent or more complex carbohydrate. Yellowish-white, granulated sweetener;	Fruitsource is especially good to use when Sucanat is too dark colored for use in a recipe. I often use half Sucanat and half Fruitsource, when I wish to avoid having too strong of a"fruit" taste, such as when making cookies, brownies, cakes, etc. Substitute like amounts for white sugar in recipes. Store airtight, away from all moisture, or it will turn to granite! I buy small amounts and replace as needed.
Evaporated Whole Cane Juice (Rapadura, Sucanat) * Buyer Beware of false claims! "Evaporated whole cane juice" is a term used loosely on labels. Florida Crystals, turbinado, and raw sugar definitely do not qualify!	Sugar cane, water removed. Minerals and molasses are retained. Sucrose and invert sugars. Amber-colored coarse granules, mild molasses-like taste. WARNING: Just in: Sucanat may not* be truly "evaporated" whole cane juice as it once was; have been informed that method has been switched to "crystallization" which requires the adding back of molasses to an essentially refined product. Rapadura, manufactured by Rapunzel, continues to be 100% organic and is obtained through an evaporation process.	This is the sweetener I use most at home, because of its rich flavor, relatively low cost, and ease of substitution. Use in virtually anything calling for refined sugar. Replace refined sugars with like amounts. Add 1/4 tsp. baking soda per cup Sucanat. Be sure to purchase organic. Any pesticides and chemicals used on the cane will be concentrated during processing. Store in tightly covered container.
Honey	Extracted from flower nectar by bees. Fructose, glucose, sucrose. Color and taste depend upon flower source. 20% to 60% sweeter than white sugar; use less!	Use in all baked goods. Honey has a very distinctive taste that takes getting used to for some people, but once you start cooking with it, it grows on you. Once source I have says use 2/3 to 3/4 as much honey as white sugar in recipes, but the other says only 1/2 as much. I tend to use half and have been satisfied. Reduce liquid by 1/4 cup, but if there is no liquid to reduce, add 3-4 tablespoons of flour for each 1/2 honey used. Also add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda per half cup of honey. Reduce oven 25 degrees and adjust baking time. Buy only pure, raw honey, as some honey has sugar added to it and/or has been cooked. Some vegans don’t use honey as bees are sometimes killed after season. Don’t give honey to children under age 2, as it can transmit botulism. Honey can adversely affect blood sugar levels.
Maple Syrup	From sap of maple trees (not the imposters in grocery stores!); about 40 gallons of sap produce 1 gallon of syrup; 60% sucrose plus invert sugars; dark brown with maple flavor; high in potassium and calcium.	Use in all baked goods; wonderful in cakes and pies. Substitute 2/3 to 3/4 cup maple syrup for 1 cup white sugar. Reduce liquid in recipe by 3 T. and add 1/4 tsp. baking soda per cup maple syrup. Great on whole-grain pancakes and waffles. Buy only pure U.S. organic. Some maple producers still use illegal formaldehyde pellets and other additives during processing. Store refrigerated.
Maple Syrup Granules (Maple Sugar)	Dehydrated maple syrup. 93% sucrose, 1% to 3% invert sugars. Light brown granules with maple flavor.	Use in all baked goods. This stuff is quite expensive, but I think it is perhaps the most richly flavorful of the bunch. Substitute straight across for white or brown sugar called for in recipes. Add 1/8 teaspoon baking soda per cup maple sugar. Store in tightly closed container. Organic available.
Mixed Fruit Juice Concentrate	Peach, pear, grape, and pineapple juice most common. Sucrose, some natural fructose. Generally amber colored and fruity tasting.	Use in all baked goods and desserts, especially spice, carob, and chocolate cakes. Substitute 2/3 cup for 1 cup white sugar. Reduce liquid 1/3 cup per cup and add 1/4 teaspoon baking soda per cup concentrate. Reduce oven 25 degrees and adjust baking time. Some concentrates are more acidic than others. Store in refrigerator, but use at room temperature.
Stevia Stevioside	A perennial shrub of the aster family; available in whole or broken leaves, coarse ground, powder extract, or liquid extract; 8-300 times sweeter than table sugar (depending on quality and whether it is leaf or extract) but with 0 calories; sweetening attributes are the glycosides (Steviosides, Rebaudiosides and a Dulcoside).	Grade A Paraguayan Stevia is the best, but hard to locate in the United States. Chinese and other non-Paraguayan Stevia may have an unpleasant aftertaste (bitter or grassy-tasting). (Emperor's Herbologist Stevioside is exceptional and has no unpleasant aftertaste.) For use in baking, the leaves are best dried and finely ground with a mortar and pestle. Dried stevia keeps its flavor for months. Use one teaspoon in place of one cup of sugar. Another source says to use 1-1.5 T. of green Stevia powder to replace 1 cup of sugar, or 1/4 tsp. white Stevia extract powder to replace 1 cup sugar. To make your own liquid solution, dissolve 1 tsp. white Stevia powder in 3 T. pure water and pour concentrate into a small bottle with a dropper; store in fridge. Approximately 1 tsp. of concentrate equals 1 cup of sugar. You will have to experiment in converting recipes, adjusting liquid and dry ingredients to make up for the lack of bulk that Stevia provides. Ground Stevia may be sprinkled lightly over cooking vegetables and meats, cereals and salads; significantly enhances the flavor and nutritional value of the food.