By Published Dec. 22, 2016
Naturally Sweet is your ultimate guide to baking with less sugar. Perfect for bakers of all kinds, the book opens with essential information, including a substitution chart and a breakdown of the science of sugar. And best of all, the 120 revolutionary recipes for great-tasting baked goods and desserts rely on less processed sweeteners (Sucanat, coconut sugar, date sugar, maple syrup, and honey) and taste as good as the originals.
Reducing or changing the sugar in a recipe is no simple task. Truc of Treats SF agrees. “How excited was I when America's Test Kitchen recently came out with a cookbook specifically dedicated to baking with less sugar,” Truc writes. “If this book didn't have my family's name written all over it, I don't know what would!” With Naturally Sweet, you can easily cut some of the sugar—but none of the flavor—from your favorite cookies.
“I was keen to test out a recipe to see if the cookbook really lived up to its claims, and decided to have a go at one of my all-time favorite cookies: Oatmeal Raisin,” Truc writes.
When our test cooks set out to develop a low-sugar, naturally sweet recipe for oatmeal-raisin cookies, they realized that the hallmark crisp edges and chewy centers of these cookies are usually made possible by a generous amount of sugar. To create our low-sugar version of this cookie, we started by trading white sugar for Sucanat, an unrefined cane sugar. To complete the cookie and ensure full oat flavor, we determined that 1½ cups of flour to 3 cups of old-fashioned rolled oats provided the best flavor without making the cookies tough.
I brought the cookies into the office but didn't disclose that they were low sugar,” Truc explains. “My co-workers devoured them and when I revealed that they were made with less sugar, they were completely surprised.
“The cookie dough came together really easily,” Truc writes.
To help Sucanat dissolve as easily as granulated sugar, we found it necessary to grind the unrefined sugar into a fine powder using a spice grinder.
Like any good recipe tester would, Truc turned to a group of tasters to determine if these low-sugar cookies lived up to their full-sugar counterparts.
“I brought the cookies into the office but didn't disclose that they were low sugar,” Truc explains. “My co-workers devoured them and when I revealed that they were made with less sugar, they were completely surprised. One person even said I could have cut the sweetener a little more and they still would have been fantastic. Now that's a testimonial if I ever heard one!”
"The cookies browned beautifully in the oven with crispy edges and a soft center, just how I like them! They tasted great and had a very nice molasses flavor to them. I plan on making more recipes from the cookbook for my family to enjoy this holiday season.”
To help cut your sugar intake during the holidays, while still getting to enjoy a sweet or two, we suggest taking a page from Naturally Sweet and try baking cookies with up to 50% less sugar than traditional versions.
For the entire review–and the Oatmeal-Raisin Cookie recipe–see the original post on Treats SF.
