Low Calorie Brown Sugar Substitute

Sugar substitutes have been on the market for a number of years.   We don't use artificial sugar substitutes or products that have artificial sugar substitutes as an ingredient.  All of the artificial sugar substitutes can have a negative impact on health.  What many don't realize is artificial sugar substitutes can impede weight loss.  Although these sugars do not have any calories, the body still responds to them and studies have shown that the artificial sweeteners can trigger cravings that ultimately make you eat more than you normally would have.  If you want to lose a bit of weight, avoid the artificial sweeteners! 

We switched from white granulated sugar to organic and raw sugars a few years ago.  I have substitute either with maple syrup, honey, agave, molasses or fruit (eg. medjool dates, banana, applesauce).  Last year I began experimenting with stevia, an herb.  I plan on growing stevia in the garden this year.  I don't use a lot of stevia but knowing I can use it in place of sugar to reduce the calories is nice.

Truvia Baking Blend is a blend of stevia, erythritol (natural sugar alcohol) and sugar that has 75% fewer calories from sugar.  It resembles granulated white sugar and like white sugar it adds sweetness and bulk but no real flavour.  There is no brown sugar substitute version.  The work-around if you need to substitute brown sugar with a lower calorie version and want to use stevia is to mix fancy molasses with Truvia Baking Blend.  By the way, this will also work using granulated white sugar if you find you are out of brown sugar for a recipe.
 

You will need Truvia Baking Blend, fancy molasses, a measuring cup, a measuring spoon and air tight storage container.  Measure 1 cup of Truvia Baking Blend into a small bowl with lid.  Pour 1 tsp of fancy molasses over the Truvia.  If you want to make a smaller or larger batch, use the ratio of 1 tsp fancy molasses to 1 c of Truvia.   Using a fork, mix the molasses into the Truvia until well blended.  It will resemble golden brown sugar in texture and flavour.  If you want a deeper brown colour and flavour, add an extra half teaspoon per cup fancy molasses.  This will also increase the caloric value slightly, about 12 calories per cup higher, but still less than the caloric value of regular brown sugar.

Store the homemade low calorie brown sugar substitute in an air tight container.  Substitute the amount of brown sugar called for in the recipe with half the amount of the low calorie brown sugar substitute.  For example, if the recipe calls for 3/4 c of brown sugar, substitute with 1/4 c + 2 tbsp of the low calorie brown sugar substitute.

Regular grown sugar has 829 calories and 214 g carbohydrates per cup or 52 calories and 13 g carbohydrates per tablespoon.  The low calorie brown sugar substitute has 403 calories and 101 g carbohydrates or 25 calories and 6 g carbohydrates per tablespoon.  The low calorie brown sugar substitute will reduce the calories from brown sugar by a little over half.  This sugar substitute can be use in place of brown sugar for many applications.  Be aware that although the low calorie brown sugar substitute is lower calorie, it does still contain sugar.

Local Maple Syrup

It's hard to imagine while digging out of the recent snowstorm that the maple syrup season is just around the corner.  I have very fond memories of going to the sugar bush!  Every year a group of us would go to a neighbour's sugar bush that was close enough for me to bike to in the warmer weather.  We used to go there for campfires too.  It was their family homestead, generously used for many church and Girl Guide outings.  We would watch them collect the sap from the maple trees, replacing each bucket as they emptied it.  The sap was carefully carried to the huge boiling trough.  Later we loved eating the sugar candy - hot maple syrup drizzled on clean snow to harden.  To this day, maple syrup remains one of my favourite natural sweeteners!

We buy maple syrup directly from local producers whenever possible but I also keep a bottle of store bought maple syrup on hand just in case.  We were at our vacation home for most of October, flying home for three weeks then back down for five weeks.  Those three weeks were exciting but chaotic.  Our flight was delayed by a day so we got in on the Wednesday, rushed to the GTA to greet our newest grandchild, then back in time for my husband to leave for hunt camp that Saturday. 

He was gone for a week.  It was a successful hunt so he came home with venison.  He also surprised me with a litre of locally produced (near the hunt camp) maple syrup.  Maple syrup bought this way is usually a little half the cost of store bought.  Buying directly from the source makes a lot of sense.  It's a great way to get to know your local food producers.  My mouth is watering just thinking of the yummy dishes this maple syrup will be used in.  Delicious! 

Using Honey as a Sweetener in Homemade Jam

The busiest time of my home canning has started.  Ontario strawberries are in season just perfect for a few batches of homemade strawberry jam.  Of all the foods I can, strawberry jam is seldom a bargain in terms of cost.  Strawberries are expensive at as high as $5 per quart although you can get them a bit cheaper at the U-pick.  Even then, the price has risen significantly.  It takes on average 2 quarts plus the pectin and sugar to make the jam.  Certo (liquid or crystal pectin) adds about $1.50 to the price of a batch of homemade jam.  The average batch of jam takes 7 cups of sugar which further increases a batch of jam at a cost of about $1.40.  The yield for a batch of strawberry jam using traditional pectin is 7½ cups.  At the cost of homemade strawberry jam, it is hard to justify making it other than the fact you are getting a superior product to store bought. 

Pectin is the ingredient that makes the jam gel.  It is dependent on the sugar content which is why recipes using traditional pectin should not be altered.  The cost of traditional pectin (eg. Certo) really adds to the price of homemade jams.  Liquid pectin averages $2.89 for 2 pouches but I've seen it as high as $3.49.  The biggest problem for me with traditional pectin is their short shelf life which means I can't buy a lot of it on sale for the following year as the pectin won't keep that long.

Sugar as mentioned is necessary for the pectin to form the gel (eg. jam set).  Sugar is also a bulking agent that adds texture to the jam.  This is noticeable when making a low-sugar jam that gives a lower yeild.   It is a cheap ingredient that doesn't add flavour only sweetness.  Until a few years ago, those making homemade jams and jellies had two choices.

The first was long cook, no pectin added and the second was shorter cook, pectin added.  Both relied on adding a lot of granulated white sugar.  Low sugar pectin became available but while the amount of sugar was reduced it was not eliminated and sugar substitutes could not be used.  Then I discovered Pomona's universal pectin.  This is a low methoxy pectin that uses calcium water, a solution of monocalcium phosphate for the gel which is not dependent on sugar.  That means sugar substitutes can easily be used in jam making.  Pomona's universal pectin works out to 35¢ per teaspoon.  Only a ½ tsp to ¾ tsp of Pomona's is needed per cup of prepared fruit so it is less per batch than traditional pectin.  It has no expiry date and you can easily develop your own recipes.  Pomona's universal pectin can also be used to make sugarfree jello and gummy candies.

I made a batch of honey strawberry jam (pictured).  This jam has no sugar added, only honey and my gosh is it ever delicious!  Honey adds a wonderful flavour to any dish!  Not only that, honey is good for you.  It is easier to digest and has a wide range of health benefits.  I never use the pasteurized, homogenized honey found in the grocery stores.  This honey is a blend of several honeys with the end result being a bland, tasteless honey stripped of its natural nutrients and health benefits.  Rather, I use raw, unpasteurized honey usually local or from an area we are visiting.  Honey varies in colour (very pale amber to very dark amber) and flavour (light to strong)  depending on the nectar source.  While it is the same sweetness as sugar, honey has flavour! 

I like pairing the honey variety with the fruit to enhance and accent the flavour of the fruit.  I used a medium amber (golden) honey in the strawberry jam which accented the flavour of the strawberries nicely without being overpowering.  Honey differs from granulated sugar in that it is a liquid as well as a humicant (attracts moisture).  It does not add the bulk to jam that sugar does but I used less honey than what I would have sugar if using a traditional pectin.  Jam foams as it cooks and normally that foam is skimmed off.  Jams made with honey have a finer foam that is a bit more tedious to skim off but there is a lot less of it than there is if using sugar.  The butter trick works to reduce the foam when using honey the same way it does if using sugar.  Everything comes back to the flavour and for that honey certainly does not disappoint in creating a gourmet, delectable jam!

Kitchen Quick Tips - Keep Brown Sugar Soft

Soak a piece of terra cotta.  Place brown sugar in a sealed container with the soaked terra cotta and cover tightly to keep the brown sugar soft, ready to use.

How It's Made - From the Hive to Your Table

We buy raw, unpasteurized honey from a local beekeepers.  The first beekeeper had hives outside town limits but he extracted honey in a garage turned shop within walking distance from us.  The honey went into huge white plastic drums with a spigot.  The kids were thrilled to be able to put their mason jar up to the spigot to get the golden sweetness.  I've bought raw honey directly from the beekeepers ever since. 

Raw honey is a wonderful natural sweetener that has health benefits as well that gets its colour and flavour from the type of flower the bees collected the pollen.  In spring the honey is a pale golden because the bees are feeding on clover but as the summer turns to fall the bees collect honey different flowers.  The honey collected becomes darker and stronger flavoured from spring to late fall.  For example buckwheat honey is a deep amber and strongly flavoured.  Some honey is very regional and rare like sourwood honey harvested high in the southern Appalachian Mountains for only a few days each fall.   It is best to use raw honey collected locally as there is less chance to develop an allergic reaction.  Raw honey should not be given to children under the age of one due to their underdeveloped immune system and botulism risk.

Pasteurized honey is a blend of honey collected that has been heated to high temperatures to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores that produce the toxin causing botulism.   However, high heat degrades the flavour of the honey so it does not have the subtle flavour nuances and colour variation that raw honey does.  I find it very much lacking in flavour.  High heat also destroys the natural enzymes and pro-biotics in the honey making this form of honey nutritionally deficient and lacking in the natural health benefits raw honey has.

The method of honey collection has changed little since the removable wooden frames were developed by an American beekeeper in 1851.  The beekeeper calms the bees with smoke then removes the beeswax and honey filled frames.  The frames are placed in the uncapping machine to remove the caps.  The rest of the cap is manually removed by scrapping.  The frames are then placed in the honey extractor where they are spun to force the honey out.  The honey is filtered to remove any remaining wax.  This liquid honey is then bottled.  Extra honey is stored chilled then heated to 130ºF to return it to liquid for bottling as needed.  Some of the honey combs are cut into blocks to be sold as is.  This really is a delight!  The wax is edible.  The beeswax liner from the frame is used to make beeswax candles while filtered wax is sold as chunks for candle making and cosmetics.  Here's a great video I found to show the process.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Honey

White sugar is likely one of most common sweeteners home cooks use.  The problem with sugar is it adds sweet and bulk but no real flavour.  This is desirable when cooking some foods like cookies or jams but the flavour of other foods can be enhanced by using another sweetener.  One of my favourite sweeteners to use is unpasteurized honey.  This week's Frugal Kitchens 101 focuses on honey.

Honey really is the nectar of the Gods.  I don't mean that pasteurized, homogenized honey sold in the stores either.  It lacks both flavour and texture because it is a blend of many kinds of honey then heat treated (pasteurized) to kill off any nasties.  The reality is there is absolutely no reason to pasteurize honey other than the convenience of the food industry.  Honey is has natural anti-biotic tendencies and is shelf stable for eons without ever spoiling.  Natural raw honey on the other hand is packed full of flavour ranging from very mild to quite pronounced.  It also ranges in price from inexpensive (about $7 per L (32 oz) to $10 for 1 lb (16 oz).  It is usually sold as liquid or in the comb.

Honey takes its colouring and flavouring from what the bees are gathering nectar from.  In the spring the honey will be very light, pale amber and mild flavourd.  In the late fall it will be a very dark amber  with a more pronounced, distinctive flavour.  Honey can be very regional as well like the sour-wood honey I bought on our road trip that is a very rare honey harvested only a few days in the fall in the southern Appalachian Mountains or the buckwheat honey I buy from Pennsylvania.  Most of my honey though comes from local beekeepers right here in Ontario.

At one time getting unpasteurized honey meant visiting local beekeepers or farm stands.  By all means those sources are still available.  However, for those living in urban areas not wishing to do a lot of driving an excellent source for unpasteurized honey is health food stores.   Unpasteurized honey can also be found at various ethnic, Amish an Mennonite shops as well as flea markets and farmer's markets.    There are two things to consider when using honey.  Infants under the age of 1 should not be given raw honey because very minute chance of botulism.  While this is extremely unlikely don't take the chance.  Local honey is by far better if you have seasonal allergies because you are less likely to react to the honey.  I have year round and seasonal allergies yet have not had a problem with honeys from other location but this is something to be aware of just in case.

Honey can be substituted for sugar.  It is hydrophyllic meaning honey attracts moisture and because it is a liquid it will behave a bit different than sugar would in a recipe.  In general when substituting honey for sugar use half the amount of honey called for in the recipe.  If substituting in bread recipes you may have to add a little extra flour to compensate for the additional moisture.  If using honey in jam or jelly making you will need to use a low methoxy pectin like Pomona's rather than regular pectins.  If your honey comes in the comb, carefully poke or press down slightly on one side of the comb to release the honey.  Continue as needed.  The comb is wax and while you can eat it it would be best not to.

Honey should be stored in a cool, dark location away from bright light.  It is normal for honey to crystallize during long storage.  If this happens set the jar into a pan of hot water for the crystals to disolve.  Some sources recommend microwaving the honey but this may according to other sources damage the honey. 

Kitchen Quick Tips - Honey

Honey will virtually keep forever!  If it becomes crystallized or cloudy warm in the microwave oven or place container in a pan of boiling water for a few minutes.  It will become clear and free flowing again for easy use.

Kitchen Quick Tips - Reducing Sugar

Baking soda enhances the sweetness of sugar allowing you to use less. Try adding ¼ to ½ tsp baking soda and reduce the sugar by half when making sweet desserts.

Raw Honey

One of the first things I do when trying a new recipe is to adjust the sweetener. If a recipe calls for granulated sugar, it is replaced with either organic sugar in a lesser amount if possible or honey. One of the reasons for this is reducing heavily processed foods where possible. The other reason is flavour. White granulated sugar adds only sweetness, no flavour and is heavily refined. Honey is by far my favourite sweetener for cooking or baking. Not only does it add flavour but also health benefits.

Raw Honey

I buy my raw honey from a local beekeeper several times a year. Local honey is important because there is less chance of developing an allergy to it. The best time to buy honey is in the summer and fall months when it is freshest. The colour of the honey will range of a pale amber to a deep golden amber depending on what flowers the bees collected the nectar from. The darker the honey the stronger the flavour. If buying honey in the stores, look for 100% pure.

Honey is about 25% sweeter than sugar because it has a higher fructose content. It is easier to digest than white sugar. To substitute 1 c white sugar use 2/3 c honey. Not only do you get more flavour but you save calories as well. Honey adds moisture that gives a nice texture to baked goods. When baking with honey reduce the oven temperature by 15ºC (25ºF).

Store honey in air tight containers to prevent the honey from absorbing moisture from the air in a cool, dry place. I like to vacuum seal in 500 ml mason jars for storage. Honey will keep almost indefinitely but will crystallize during storage. This does not harm the honey as it a natural property. If this happens, simply warm the container in hot water for 15 minutes. Do not microwave as this will alter the flavour. Store bought liquid honey is pasteurized to prevent crystallization whereas raw honey is not so it will crystallize sooner.

Raw honey is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal as well as having anti-tumour and anti-oxident properties. As a food, honey provides a lot of health benefits. Honey's antiseptic properties have been used for wound healing for centuries. The darker the honey the better it is for burn healing. Honey can be used in homemade skin treatments like facials.

Warning: Honey or honey- containing products should not be fed to infants under the age of one. Honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores and toxin that can cause infant botulism. Honey is safe for those over the age of one year.

With all the benefits honey has to offer, this is one staple that should be on your shelves!

Icing Sugar

I've had a couple of emails requesting clarification. Here we can buy "icing sugar" which is a very fine powdered sugar typically used for making icings, hence the name. It must be a Canadian thing! In other areas it is labelled as powdered sugar which is the same thing. Now if you can't find either, take 2-3 c of granulated sugar and process in a food processor until powdered similar to a fine flour. Sift it then use as needed. Store in an airtight container or vacuum seal for longer storage.

Garden Gnome
© 2006