Sweet Deal

Sweet Deal

By Lisa James



You can make holiday desserts without refined sugar or artificial sweeteners—thanks to these natural alternatives.



There's something about the holiday season—the bustle, the parties, the chill in the air—that brings out the sweet tooth in everyone. So it isn't a matter of whether you'll be indulging in tasty treats but how much and, just as importantly, what ingredients they contain. "Removing white sugar and other refined sweeteners from your diet is easier said than done,” says Debra Lynn Dadd, who blogs at www.sweetsavvy.com. She adds that artificial sweeteners bring their own health concerns. As a result, a number of naturally derived sweeteners are now available. "I prefer them to refined sugars, and so do my friends and family,” Dadd says. Here's some of the better-known sweetening agents on health food store shelves.

Agave Nectar

You don't have to like tequila to use agave nectar, taken from the same aloe-like Mexican native that produces the intoxicating brew. As with maple syrup, agave nectar (sometimes called agave syrup) comes in both light and dark grades. The light version is paler and has a milder flavor that won't throw off flavor balances in recipes. It is 1 1/2 times as sweet as sugar, which means you won't need to use as much. Thanks to its ability to hold moisture, agave "is ideal for creating breads and baked goods with a light and fluffy texture,” says chef Ania Catalano, author of Baking with Agave Nectar (Celestial Arts). "It also works to keep them fresher for a longer period of time.”

Unlike either maple syrup or honey, agave nectar will not form crystals as it ages. Agave isn't as thick as either of those sweeteners, which means it can be dissolved in cold liquids.

There are concerns regarding how raw "raw” agave actually is because of the way it is processed. Your best bet is to contact the manufacturer and ask how their product is made.



Date Sugar

Dates have been eaten as a sweet treat for centuries in the Middle East. Now this fruit's subtle flavor—to say nothing of its considerable mineral and fiber content—is available in date sugar, in which dates are ground into a coarsely granulated powder. You can even grind your own dates into sugar (after baking them to a dry consistency in the oven).

According to Dadd, date sugar can be used as a substitute for standard -

brown sugar on a cup-for-cup basis in all sorts of recipes. It doesn't dissolve very well in even hot liquid, a point to keep in mind as you work with it.



Honey

Winnie the Pooh may be the most famous lover of honey, but he hasn't been the only one: This golden nectar was the world's standard sweetener for thousands of years before being overtaken by refined sugar in the 20th century.

While honey can be substituted for sugar in recipes, you need to adjust for its extra water content. One rule of thumb says that for every cup used reduce the amount of other liquid in the recipe by three tablespoons. Honey also browns more quickly than sugar, so reduce oven temperatures by 25°F. Remember, though, that honey comes in different flavors, so you'll have to match the honey you're using the dish. On the other hand, honey creams more readily with butter, which improves the texture of baked goods, and provides a rich, deep color.



Stevia Dieters are always on the lookout for sweet stuff with few calories, and right now the low-cal sweetener of choice is stevia. Taken from the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana, a South American herb, stevia is intensely sweet—one teaspoon has the sweetening power of a cup of sugar. Using too much can result in an herbal aftertaste.

Stevia's intensity can create a problem if you're adapting it to an existing recipe because "it does not have the ‘bulk' of white sugar, which is often as crucial to the recipe as the sweetness,” says Dadd. That's why stevia is often sold in blends that include other natural ingredients that help take the edge off of stevia's sweetness.



Note: Not even naturally sourced sweeteners are always appropriate for people with diabetes or other significant health issues. Always consult a nutritionally aware practitioner for dietary advice tailored to your needs.