Our Favorite Game: Replacing A Cup of Sugar
 

The Premise
Alright, I've read a number of threads about sweetener blends on this board. It's a topic that keeps coming up in various permutations. And I'm about to add one more. Are you ready to play our favorite game? It's called "Replace 1 Cup of Sugar for the Fewest Carbs and Calories While Preserving Taste and Texture in Baked Goods." (Admittedly, it needs a better name.)

The Challenge
I like Granular Splenda just fine. Especially when mixed with a second sweetener. But it has an unacceptable number of carbs per cup. I can use liquid splenda, or Fiberfit in beverages, but it's not ideal in baked goods.

So I went and bought diabetisweet, not realizing that it was isomalt and if we count the carbs as half, it's also an unacceptably high number of carbs per cup. I also have Poly-D, sweetened. That was probably a mistake on my part. I thought I could mix it with splenda liquid to achieve a cup of sugar. Is this possible?

At this point, I'm unwilling to purchase another sweetener until I use up what I've got. My pantry is getting pretty ridiculous. I used to have a 5lb bag of sugar and a 5lb bag of flour in there and now I can barely close the door.

So, anyone want to help me play this game? How can I make the equivalent of a cup of sugar for baking out of what I've got?

The Playing Field
Here's my sweetener and baking stuff:
Granular Splenda, Fiberfit, Sweetened Poly-D, Erythritol, DaVinci's Syrups, Guar Gum, Diabetisweet, and Sugar Twin

If you're partial to the Splenda, how about their Quik Paks? I think they're 3 carbs for 1 cup of sweetening power.

I have mixed 2 parts Splenda to 1 part diabetisweet and thought that was pretty good. Have also mixed granular erythritol with Splenda pretty much in the same proportions and thought it worked pretty well also. Sometimes I just add "to taste" to my batters, I think I probably like things sweeter than most folks. (I guess I like the Splenda better than the sugar alcohols as they seem to upset my tummy a lot more.)

I haven't been around too much the past few months, live in BC Canada, and
we don't have the Splenda Quick Packs here. Can someone please tell me
what they put in it to replace the bulk and if it's good for baking?
Way out of the loop here, lol! :)
Thanks so much,
Datahamstr

The Splenda Quick Packs do not have any of the bulk of sugar...so if what you are making requires that, you would probabaly use polydextrose, or maybe even Not/Sugar. I never use the same combinations twice, I don't think! But, I end up mixing sweeteners, and in doing so, use just over half of what the recipe calls for.
Say, it called for 2 cups of sugar (sweeteners), and needed some bulk, I might use 1 Splenda Quick Pack, and 1 pkt sweet one, and 1/4-1/3 c xylitol, and I would taste it before baking. Or, I might use 1/2 c polydextrose, figuring it has negligible sweetenering power, but bulk, and then use 1/4 c xylitol, 1/8 t stevia powder, 1/2 Splenda Quick Pack, 1 pkt sweet one, and again, taste. These items are what I use most, though I have a whole arsenal of sweeteners. Sometimes I even follow a recipe as written, and use the sweeteners called for, but usually I find things too sweet.
If I were in Canada and could get the Splenda Quick Packs, for 2 c sweeteners, I would use 1/2 Splenda Quick Pack and however much cyclamate equals 1/2 c sweetener, and if I found it not sweet enough, I would add a single pkg of Sweet One. And If I needed the bulk of sugar, 1/2 c polydextrose. The Splenda Quick Packs bake just great, at reduced carbs.
The possibilities are endless, and you will just have to try them....or follow a recipe where someone has done that already.
Bette

Hi Bette!

Thanks so much for all the great info, I appreciate that! It's such a hassle
living in Canada, for acquiring all these sweeteners, lol! I always follow a recipe, as I have no creativity in cooking and baking.
Again, many thanks!
Datahamstr

It's a tradeoff, datahamstr. In Canada, you guys can buy Canadian sugar twin, far superior to it's US cousin. I like baking with cyclamates(Canadian sugar twin), which aren't legal down here.
But I venture up to British Columbia a couple of times a year and return with Sugar Twin.
" Any firearms or explosives or drugs you're crossing the border with?"
"No."
"What's that granular powder? Cocaine?"
"No, officer, I swear, it's Sugar Twin, for low carb diets."

Sweetening Blend?
 

Ug. See, I was hoping to avoid the 'Just try 20 different sweeteners every time you bake' solution. Does anyone use a premade mix? I thought I saw Islandgirl or someone else saying they kept their mix in a cannister and shook it before baking, but then Scott123 seemed to think that was a bad idea.

Does anyone keep a premade mix?

Single sweeteners have uniform sweetness but as soon as you start to mixing multiple sweetener with varying potencies you loose the ability to keep that uniform sweetness across the mix.

I agree with those that say premade mixes are impractical. They may work on occasion but you won't be able to count a specific sweetness.

JMO

Fair enough. But if someone offered you a million bucks to make them a pre-made blend, what would you come up with? (Not that I have a million bucks, but from all your baking experiments on this board, you clearly deserve it!)

Don't get me wrong. I have tried this more times the I care to think about. I have even narrowed down the sweetener combinations that I use in the proccess. But bottom line is I still find it more convenient to mix as I go.

Raises hand sheepishly...I'm the one who makes up a pre-made mix, keeps it in a canister and shakes it up to use it. Yes...Scott123 thought it wasn't the best idea and thought my blend was too sweet, but later on admitted that his original formula wasn't sweet enough. I don't have that problem with my recipe and I just got down to the bottom of my canister and it still tastes like...sugar! My blend is shelf-stable, measures exactly cup for cup like sugar, bulks like sugar, weighs the same as sugar and tastes great. I've actually stopped looking for any other recipe since this one works so well for ME...ME being the key word here.

But unfortunately, I cannot "enter" your challenge since I do not consider my blend to be low carb or calorie-free, as I do NOT deduct the sugar alcohols nor impact carbs from them. Sorry...

Edited to add: Kevin: I must respectfully disagree with you on this one. I find that I get consistent results with my blend.

RVCook, what blend is it you use, again. I though had the post bookmarked I thought, but now I can't find it

Donna's Shuga~Blend

1/2 lb. Xylitol
1 lb. Erythritol
1 lb. Diabetisweet
1/4 C. SlimSweet by Trimedica
1/8 C. Stevia+

I'm sure there are countless variations on this formula. Notice that there isn't any Splenda in it. I think Splenda has a metallic off-taste to it so I use it in limited amounts and rarely in recipes. Besides...if I used the Splenda then I'd have to figure out a way to make up the bulk and since my body just simply cannot tolerate poly-d, this formula is the hands-down winner for me.

Where do I get teh slimsweet by Trimedica? I've not heard of that one. I have most of the rest of the ingredients

Your so right Donna. What good is a premix if you can't use or tolerate it. If I remember right from the other thread your blend has a percentage of Xylitol
that I can't and won't use as in general sweetener. So although your search is over it isn't for others.
I guess much in the same way as some say they can't deal with the tastes of certain flours and others see nothing wrong with it. We all want a one size fits all but rarely find it in the low carb arena.

I'd like to at least give it a try. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will work. I'm not sure what to do about the slimsweet though

Kevin: Yes...I completely agree. I was SO hoping that I would be able to use the poly-d in my blend if for nothing else to help bring the cost down while maintaining the integrity of the blend, but after trying and spending 2 1/2 hours in the bathroom...well, I think you understand.

As far as not being for everyone, I also agree with that. Not everyone can tolerate sugar alcohols and it becomes really difficult to emulate the properties of real sugar when using extremely concentrated artificial sweeteners (as Scott123 has pointed out several times in different threads.) So that is why I was so quick to point out that this blend works well for ME.

Oh...and I swear those flour tastes are the bane of my existence!!!!! Ughh!

No I am not senstive to any sugar alcohols from my experience, so if there is something I can replace the slimsweet with, that I have on hand, that would be even better. I have MOST other sweeteners, plus PolyD

Well, you might want to try adding in Splenda...which might work. The thing about SlimSweet is that it is extracted from a hyper-sweet fruit and it adds a unique depth of sweetness to the blend. However, considering that you don't have it, and it really doesn't add a whole lot of weight in the 1/4 cup called for, using Splenda might do the trick. As I explained, I'm not a huge fan of Splenda, but in this case, you might just want to sub 1/2 cup Splenda for the 1/4 cup SlimSweet and then go from there. Or use 12 packets, if you have those. Remember, before every use, you MUST shake up the canister.

1/2 lb. Xylitol
1 lb. Erythritol
1 lb. Diabetisweet
1/2 C. Splenda granular
1/8 C. Stevia+

I really can't help you with offering any sub quantity of the Poly-d...sorry.

If you don't seem to be bothered by SA's, then I'd bet money that this will work for you. I've used this blend in things I've fed to non-LCing friends and being concerned for their ...ahem...intestinal health...I always ask if they suffered any "unusual" bathroom symptoms. I have YET to receive any complaints.

In order to see if this will work, why not make up a mini batch and then bake something with it so you can see just how versatile it is. PM me if you need any extra help or tips.

Heya, Donna. I'm very interested in the yield you get from this, in the form of Cups, if possible?

I, too, have a blend I utilize, though I'm seriously thinking of adding some of the SlimSweet to it (speaking of which, welcome back DataHamster, and you can PM me if you want to know about SlimSweet in Canada...).

As it is now, my blend looks like this (because that DiabetiSweet has a serious effect on ME! :laugh: ):

It's really subjective trying to figure the actual sweetness, some days I think it's way sweet and others not :confused: (or maybe it's the recipe)...but it mostly works for ME :D

Ta!

What is the sweetening power compared to sugar of SlimSweet. Does anybody know? I have looked at many sites selling it but have not seen the comparison.

I found this---says 15 times sweeter than sugar

"What is SlimSweet?
Slimsweet is a natural sweetener derived from a relative of the kiwi fruit. As an ultra low glycemic sugar, it is suitable for use by diabetics, and could bring a welcome hint of sweetness to those on a sugar restrictive diet. SlimSweet is suitable for use on low carb diets, and is fifteen times sweeter than refined sugar. It comes in easy to use granular form, is suitable for baking and for use as a table sweetener, and is without aftertaste. SlimSweet is thermogenic, which means that it actually helps burn stored fats without adding calories. "

I found this review too :

"Reviewer: Milpitas (United States)
I highly recommended this product. Everyone I know who tried it found the flavor and sweetness to be pleasant, with no bitter tones or aftertastes. I’ve tried the Slimsweet packets and the Slimsweet powder. I’m not sure why, but the powder tastes much better. The packets I tasted had larger grains and seemed to have a stronger lo han kuo (momordica grosvenori) flavor. The Slimsweet powder seemed to taste sweeter with less lo han kuo flavor. Slimsweet tastes somewhat similar to brown sugar or honey. It has a full body mouth feel, it lingers in the mouth. Usually the recommended 1/5 tsp will sweeten up a cup of coffee well, but going beyond 1/2 tsp increases the flavor of the lo han kuo without increasing the sweetness much. The sweetening power of lo han kuo seems to plateau at a moderate sweetness level and never becomes intense no matter how much you use. However, like brown sugar or honey, the flavor can become intense if far too much is used. If you need a more intense sweetness, I found adding erythritol (a natural low calorie sweetener which tastes almost exactly like sugar) works best. A very high quality stevia extract (like all natural Sooolite!) will also work, but not as well as erythritol. "

My last post on this, I promise.

Sweetness equivalency guide:

SlimSweet Sugar

1/8 tsp 1 tsp

1/4 tsp 1 Tbsp

1/2 tsp 2 Tbps

1 tsp 1/4 cup

2 tsp 1/3 cup

1 Tbsp 1/2 cup

1 Tbsp + 1 tsp 3/4 cup

1 Tbsp + 2 tsp 1 cup

INGREDIENTS: All natural low glycemic Fruit Concentrate. No saccharin, no aspartame, no chemicals.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 g (1/8 tsp)

Servings per Container: 80

Nutrient Amount % DV

Calories 0

Total Fat 0 0%

Sodium 0 mg 0%

Potassium 0 mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates <1 g 0%

Sugars <1 g

Protein 0 g 0%

Thanks, Donna. I will give this a try this weekend or early int eh week, with teh splenda, and let you know how it turns out.

Jude,

I get 6 1/3 cups out of that recipe with a weight of 202g per cup. I actually make that recipe times 4 because the erythritol that I get from Honeyville comes in 4 lb. sacks so it's just easier to go from there.

And yeah...if you can somehow incorporate some of the SlimSweet into your recipe, I think you'd be pleasantly surprised. One of the things that I mentioned to Scott123 was that even though he thought my formula was too sweet, I countered with the fact that unlike using most artificial sweeteners, mine had a "lingering" sweetness; basically what Jackie posted. Most things that only utilize fake sugar, don't do that. The SlimSweet provides that specific quality lacking from most other sweeteners - single or in combination.

And in case you're interested, I don't have a problem with a cooling affect with this blend at all and no adjustment in temperature is required.

When I first started making this blend, I used to purchase the little-bitty bottles, now I go for the 1 pounders...much more economical!

Jackie,

Thank you so much for posting that! The equivalency chart is especially handy. BTW...at the time I was formulating I was especially interested in Glycemic Values. After some research, I found that the value for LoHan was 4 making it lower than Xylitol at 7, but still a bit higher than Erythritol at 0 and Diabetisweet (or Isomalt) at 2.

Yummy: Now you'll probably have to adjust the Splenda to suit your "sweetness" threshold, so considering the equivalency chart posted by Jackie, you may have to add a lot more. If you make up a small batch, try using my ratios and then increase the Splenda by a TB at a time, tasting each until you get it right.

When I was developing this, I made my DH taste a teensy bit of REAL sugar and then I had him taste a teensy bit of my blend. I kept making adjustments in the sweetness level until he said he couldn't tell the difference, I then did the same thing as the final measure. It worked great, but I made sure that I had a nice piece of protein to eat afterwards :laugh: .

Yay! I ferreted you out! Now I'm going to pick your brain :)

Do you have an estimate of what the nutritional count of your blend is?

I would have to think that dividing up Splenda and Diabetisweet with erythritol would cut down the carb count in _both_.

I guess I'm going to have to play with what I've got until I have a combination I like (Erythritol, Diabetisweet, Granular Splenda, & Sweetened Poly-D might take on the taste as well as the bulk of sugar I'm thinking). You say just keep sampling a little bit of real and your blend until it tastes the same, eh? This could be an all day project, I say!

How did you do this? Keeping track of what you added on paper by parts or exact measurements?

So wait, is Erythritol . . .
 

Measure for measure, erythritol is like 90 percent of real sugar, right? And retains its bulk. So theoretically, you'd need to add another 10% sweetness (splenda?) and another 10% bulk (poly-d) to make it equal a cup.

But then, it still crystalizes too easily, so we have to mix it with other stuff, right? (Just trying to get the chemistry right.)

:D Yes...you got me!

Based on the calories provided by the manufacturer, and the fact that my nutrition program does not count sugar alcohols, this is how I entered the info from the labels:

SlimSweet: 0 calories, 1 g. carb 1 g. fiber (they cancel each other)
Stevia+: 0 calories and everything is 0
Diabetisweet: 10 calories: 4 g carb, 1.5 g. fiber
Erythritol: 4 calories: 7 g carb, 6 g fiber
Xylitol: 12 calories: 6 g carb, 3 g fiber

Soooooooooooo....entering this into my program with the amounts listed above I get this for 1 Cup:

Cals: 320
Carb: 175g
Fiber: 96g
Sugar: 3g

So NET carbs for the Shuga~Blend would be approx 80 per cup, 40 per 1/2 cup, 20 per 4 TB, 10 per 2 TB, 5 per 3 tsp, 1-1/3 grams per tsp.

I do agree that if you play with the formula, you may be able to reduce the carbs even further, but I do have some concerns about the cooling affect if you increase the Erythritol too much. Splenda may be the way to go to counter that issue and maybe some NotSugar????? I haven't played a whole bunch with the poly-d, but isn't there a concern that it might not blend well if it's not incorporated well into the blend? For example; creaming the butter and Shuga~Blend until light and fluffy (just like in a regular recipe so that the fat coats all the particles of sugar which improves the texture of the baked product). Would you be able to do this if you included poly-d? I thought you had to mix the poly-d with the dry ingredients and then add the wet? See...I just don't know that much about using it so I'm not sure how it would work in an all-purpose blend. In the limited experiments I have done with using poly-d, for 1 cup of sugar, I have used 3/4 cup of Shuga~Blend (say in a creamed mixture) and then added 1/4 cup poly-d to the dry ingredients. There were no clumping issues, but I had poor gastro tolerance and so just abandoned using it.

As far as how I came up with this, I remember thinking about the properties of the alternative sweeteners I had in the house at the time and how they reacted in baked goods. So I took into consideration how much I would need to replace a cup of sugar and then whether it would provide bulking properties (SO necessary!) and were there other things that had to be tended to like the "cooling affect" and "laxation issues". Then I just started mixing.

The tasting part wasn't too hard...it wasn't like I was having him eat an entire spoonful of the stuff. I just wet the tip of a teaspoon and dipped one in real sugar and the other in my blend. When I was finally finished, he probably had ingested maybe a full teaspoonful of each...maybe!

Does this help give you better perspective?