How do I substitute sugar??

shellie72, Jul 26, 12:00am
Hi there,
I would like to know if theres anyway I can tell before hand whether or not a recipe will still work if I substitute sugar for granulated Splenda, or maybe applesauce. Is there a way of looking at the ingredients and knowing that the sugar is crucial for holding it together or something?

Does anyone think i could try splenda with success in this recipe??

Gluten free choc brownies
50g cocoa powder
100g low fat marg
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
50g gluten free baking mix
1/2 tsp baking powder

Do you think Splenda would work in this case? I would love to hear anybodys thoughts on this, thanks heaps :)

cgvl, Jul 26, 1:05am
Shellie, Splenda is a lot sweeter than sugar so you would need to use a lot less. The difference would be that the amount made would be less as well, as sugar also adds volume as well as sweetness.
I'm diabetic and while a lot of recipes say use the liquid artificial sweetner I don't. What I do is cut the amount of sugar in a recipe in half so for the above I'd only use ½ a cup. Most diabetics know how to manage the sugar carbs in cakes and biscuits. Also if making for a diabetic make biscuits smaller.

shellie72, Jul 26, 3:11am
Thanks so much!! I just read on the splenda site that another option is to substitute half the sugar only with splenda :)

buzzy110, Jul 26, 3:38am
Hi shellie. I wonder if you understand about powdered Splenda? If you read the packet 98.8% of it is a bulking agent called maltodextrin and only 1.2% is sucralose. The reason I mention this is very important - 1. because I'm an inveterate label reader who takes nothing at face value and, 2. because maltodextrin will raise your blood sugar levels and so is no better for you than ordinary old table sugar.

Here is what Dr Bernstein says -

...(first he gives list of noncarbohydrate sweeteners that can be used to satisfy a sweet tooth without significantly affecting blood sugars). Then he goes on to say, "But when sold in powdered form, under such names as .... Splenda ... these products usually contain a sugar to increase bulk and will rapidly raise blood sugar. In this case he is talking about maltodextrin.

He also points out that the labelling laws in America have actually helped manufacturers to deceive consumers and even doctors into believing their products are "suitable for diabetics".

It also means that they are no good for weightloss or low carb diets either. You may as well just eat sugar.

shellie72, Jul 26, 3:56am
Very interesting!!, thanks so much for posting :)

juliewn, Jul 26, 5:30pm
This is a Brownie recipe that's been posted many times here - it's very moist and delicious.. though the top doesn't go crisp as other Brownie's are. I've seen it on TV programmes too.. and though it's been popular in these last years, I saw a recipe in a book I found at a book fair last weekend - from 1989, that's very similar with the apple included..

I've also used cold mashed pumpkin, mashed cooked peaches, and mashed banana to replace the apples, with great results.. and have also added spices, including ground ginger, for extra flavour.

Brownies (to die for) - no butter/marg/oil/eggs!
Ingredients
• 1 cup unsweetened apple purée/sauce
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (70g) walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 175°C and lightly spray or oil a 20x20cm baking dish.

Place apple purée in a medium-sized bowl. Sift in the cocoa, flour and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix as this will toughen the brownies. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for around 25-30 minutes or until the centre feels set and fudgy when a skewer is inserted.

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before slicing into squares. If desired, dust with sifted icing sugar before serving.

I had these yesterday at a friends...they are from the healthy food website...are divine, moist and you cannot tell they have apple in them either..

Quote
kiwigoldie (195 )4:56 pm, Thu 15 Oct #

shellie72, Jul 27, 12:00am
Hi there,
I would like to know if theres anyway I can tell before hand whether or not a recipe will still work if I substitute sugar for granulated Splenda, or maybe applesauce. Is there a way of looking at the ingredients and knowing that the sugar is crucial for holding it together or something!

Does anyone think i could try splenda with success in this recipe!

Gluten free choc brownies
50g cocoa powder
100g low fat marg
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
50g gluten free baking mix
1/2 tsp baking powder

Do you think Splenda would work in this case! I would love to hear anybodys thoughts on this, thanks heaps :)

cgvl, Jul 27, 1:05am
Shellie, Splenda is a lot sweeter than sugar so you would need to use a lot less. The difference would be that the amount made would be less as well, as sugar also adds volume as well as sweetness.
I'm diabetic and while a lot of recipes say use the liquid artificial sweetner I don't. What I do is cut the amount of sugar in a recipe in half so for the above I'd only use ½ a cup. Most diabetics know how to manage the sugar carbs in cakes and biscuits. Also if making for a diabetic make biscuits smaller.

shellie72, Jul 27, 3:11am
Thanks so much! I just read on the splenda site that another option is to substitute half the sugar only with splenda :)

buzzy110, Jul 27, 3:38am
Hi shellie. I wonder if you understand about powdered Splenda! If you read the packet 98.8% of it is a bulking agent called maltodextrin and only 1.2% is sucralose. The reason I mention this is very important - 1. because I'm an inveterate label reader who takes nothing at face value and, 2. because maltodextrin will raise your blood sugar levels and so is no better for you than ordinary old table sugar.

Here is what Dr Bernstein says -

.(first he gives list of noncarbohydrate sweeteners that can be used to satisfy a sweet tooth without significantly affecting blood sugars). Then he goes on to say, "But when sold in powdered form, under such names as . Splenda . these products usually contain a sugar to increase bulk and will rapidly raise blood sugar. In this case he is talking about maltodextrin.

He also points out that the labelling laws in America have actually helped manufacturers to deceive consumers and even doctors into believing their products are "suitable for diabetics".

It also means that they are no good for weightloss or low carb diets either. You may as well just eat sugar.

shellie72, Jul 27, 3:56am
Very interesting!, thanks so much for posting :)

wildflower, Jul 27, 5:02am
Try looking in Stevia, it's a plant based natural sweetener, low carb and calories and you can grow it yourself or buy it in powdered form.

buzzy110, Jul 27, 5:12am
Stevia is great but for some unfathomable reason, the stuff you can buy in NZ is awful, in comparison to what I get from America. It leaves an awful aftertaste. The purvia (is that it's name) that is sold in the shops has a bulking agent in it like all the other powdered artificial sweeteners.

The difficulty with cooking with it is that one cup of sugar probably amounts to one tablespoon of stevia, so the bulk just isn't there. However, for things that only require a small amount of sugar then stevia is brilliant. Mine comes with a teensy, weensy, microscopic sized measuring spoon and 1 of those is equal to about one or two tablespoons of sugar, depending on what you are adding it to.

shellie72, Jul 27, 5:58am
Thanks so much for the info, I do appreciate it :)

bedazzledjewels, Jul 27, 6:48am
Shellie - you might like to look at Xylitol as well.
Available online in NZ if you google it.

juliewn, Jul 27, 5:30pm
This is a Brownie recipe that's been posted many times here - it's very moist and delicious. though the top doesn't go crisp as other Brownie's are. I've seen it on TV programmes too. and though it's been popular in these last years, I saw a recipe in a book I found at a book fair last weekend - from 1989, that's very similar with the apple included.

I've also used cold mashed pumpkin, mashed cooked peaches, and mashed banana to replace the apples, with great results. and have also added spices, including ground ginger, for extra flavour.

Brownies (to die for) - no butter/marg/oil/eggs!
Ingredients
• 1 cup unsweetened apple purée/sauce
• 1/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup self-raising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (70g) walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 175°C and lightly spray or oil a 20x20cm baking dish.

Place apple purée in a medium-sized bowl. Sift in the cocoa, flour and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix as this will toughen the brownies. Gently fold in the chocolate chips and the walnuts. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and bake for around 25-30 minutes or until the centre feels set and fudgy when a skewer is inserted.

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before slicing into squares. If desired, dust with sifted icing sugar before serving.

I had these yesterday at a friends.they are from the healthy food website.are divine, moist and you cannot tell they have apple in them either.

Quote
kiwigoldie (195 )4:56 pm, Thu 15 Oct #

wildflower, Jul 28, 5:02am
Try looking in Stevia, it's a plant based natural sweetener, low carb and calories and you can grow it yourself or buy it in powdered form.

buzzy110, Jul 28, 5:12am
Stevia is great but for some unfathomable reason, the stuff you can buy in NZ is awful, in comparison to what I get from America. It leaves an awful aftertaste. The purvia (is that it's name) that is sold in the shops has a bulking agent in it like all the other powdered artificial sweeteners.

The difficulty with cooking with it is that one cup of sugar probably amounts to one tablespoon of stevia, so the bulk just isn't there. However, for things that only require a small amount of sugar then stevia is brilliant. Mine comes with a teensy, weensy, microscopic sized measuring spoon and 1 of those is equal to about one or two tablespoons of sugar, depending on what you are adding it to.