Healthy Holidays: Baking with Natural Sweetners + Conversion Chart

Photo Credit: DollarPhotoClub.com 

Tis the Season, y'all!

I can definitely say that I get my enthusiasm for the Christmas season from my mother. This is her favorite time of year, and I have to admit that it is mine as well. One of my favorite memories growing up was making cookies for Santa Claus every year. We would always make gingerbread men and sugar cookies. A few years, when cookie presses were in style (are they still in style?) we used it to make cookies, to rave reviews. But I am more of a traditionalist. I always got much more of a kick out of making dough, chilling it for awhile, then rolling it out and using one of the dozens of cookie cutters my mom had to make different Christmas themes shapes. Decorating was equally fun. Then it was the question: which cookies do we leave for Santa Claus and how many? Setting out Santa's milk & cookies was the last thing I did before my mother sent me off to bed on Christmas Eve. It is these types of memories I hope to be able to share with my kids, should I be blessed to have them one day.

I still love making cookies for the holidays, but as I was reminded last year when I was gearing up for my cookie making, a lot of my family members have diabetes, and the sugar cookies of old, while delicious, would not be in line with their new diets.

I am so glad that during my studies with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, one of the topics that we covered was healthy cooking, and even more specifically, baking with natural sweeteners. Most natural sweeteners have some added benefits. Honey, maple syrup/sugar and date sugar contain nutrients that white sugar does not; at the same time they are still simple sugars that enter the bloodstream fairly quickly, causing a burst of energy then a drop off. I would recommend using these occasionally. Barley malt, brown rice syrup and coconut sugar are slower to enter the bloodstream, so are more suitable for those with blood sugar issues.

Stevia, does not affect the bloodstream, although for those who are looking for a more clean alternative, Stevia might come off of the list. Similarly, there are those in the medical profession who question the true health benefits of agave nectar. I don't mind using it in my tea sometimes, but you can check this article out by Dr. Jospeh Mercola and make the decision that is right for you.

Natural sweeteners can be used to replace sugar in any recipe. Here is a guide to substituting these products for sugar. The amount indicated is equivalent to 1 cup of sugar, and the third column details what it is best to use for.

Please note: I haven't experimented with all of these sweeteners as of yet, so results may vary from product to product. Most syrup works well in moist baked goods, but will soften crispy baked goods like biscotti or cookies. I'd suggest experimenting with a test batch first as you make substitutions in your baked goods before making your final masterpieces for family and friends.

Replace 1 cup of   white sugar with:	Sweetener	Liquid	Note
3/4 cup	Agave nectar	Reduce 1/3 of total	Lower oven temp by 25 degrees
1 1/2 cups	Barley malt syrup	Reduce slightly	-
1 cup	Birch sugar (xylitol)	-	Does not work well in breads or hard candies
1/2-3/4 cup	Birch syrup	Reduce slightly	-
1 1/2 cups	Brown rice syrup	Reduce slightly	Good for hard or crunchy baked goods
2/3-1 cup	Date sugar	-	Burns easily
1/2-3/4 cup	Honey	Reduce by 1/4 cup; if no liquid, add 3 tbs. flour for each 1/2 cup honey	Lower oven temp by 25 degrees
3/4 cup	Maple syrup	Reduce by 3 tbs.	Add 1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup	Maple sugar	-	Add 1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup	Molasses	-	-
1 cup	Coconut Sugar	-	-
1 tsp.	Stevia	Add 1/8 cup	You may have to experiment to get the ratio right
1 cup	Sucanat	-	Add 1/4 tsp baking soda

I am definitely looking forward to baking this holiday season, and I'm equally excited to be sharing some of those recipes with you in the coming weeks. What about you? Do you bake during the holidays? Have you tried natural sweeteners in your baking before? If you have, I'd love to hear some of your tips!