Polydextrose Recipes

[andreafrankel]

Oh, one more thing: re the expensiveness of Steviva

The individual packages are really expensive (one with tax and shipping was about $20), but once you know you like the stuff, you can go to the wholesale section and buy bulk. There is a 5-lb box which is actually 5 1-lb packages, for about $50; with tax and shipping, it cost me $64. So the larger purchase saves over a third. Just be careful that you order the blend, not the straight Stevia.

[scott123]

Originally Posted by andreafrankel

The purchased blend doesn't have the "mouth cooling" effect of erythritol or the licorice/swampy aftertaste of most Stevias.

Now you've got me curious!

That's a bummer about the ace k. Thank goodness you were able to deduce that was the culprit. Although I'm a pretty big advocate of the splenda/erythritol/ace k blend, there are many fans of the splenda/erythritol/stevia combo, both on this board and elsewhere. That's wonderful that you've found a stevia that you like on it's own.

[jackieba]

Just wanted to say thanks to Jaideyes for the brownie recipe. I reduced the unsweetened choc to 2 squares to suit our tastes and used just 1 cup polyd. They were wonderful. Very moist. Even my husband said they were as good as any brownie he'd ever eaten. He's the one the doctor told to go on a LC diet but he's critical of alot of LC desserts. This one is a definite keeper.

[RVcook]

Scott,

I've got a good sweetener replacement for sugar in all my recipes and so far, bulking has NOT been a problem. However, I have not used it for anything that requires a "gooey" sugar effect, I am concerned that the bulk of the sweeteners (which are Xylitol, Ertythitol and Diabetisweet) might be missing something in texture if I DO require it. I have been using this blend as a cup for cup replacement quite successfully however, if I wanted to improve the finished texture of the item, could I add Poly-D? If so, in what quantity?

By the way, I have never used Poly-D but I think I have read every thread on it and I must confess that it is a little overwhelming.

Donna

[scott123]

Donna, for the most part, I don't think you have to worry about polyd. Polyd is primarily for people who are sensitive to sugar alcohols. If your SA mix isn't laxating you (or others) and isn't stalling you, then I'd stick with that. The sugar alcohols you're using will give you plenty of bulk.

It'll depend on the recipe and on your proportions of each sweetener, but you might run into crystallization problems. In other words, your baked goods may taste fine straight from the oven but as they cool they might go sandy and have a stronger cooling effect/minty taste. Diabetisweet is pretty good for staying dissolved, but erythritol and xylitol are not. Ideally, you'll want to use as much diabetisweet as possible. The ace k in the diabetisweet has taste issues in large amounts so you can't go too heavy, though. I think something like this should work for 1 cup sweetening equivalent:

1/2 C. diabetisweet
1/4 C. xylitol
1/4 C. erythritol

If you start noticing a cooling effect/sandiness, then you might want to get into polyd. I'd give it a shot without, though. There's a good chance you'll be fine.

Btw, what ratio have you been using up until now? Are you really getting the same sweetness as sugar from a 1 to 1 perspective? There is a rumour floating around that sugar alcohols have synergy with each other. If your mix is as sweet as sugar (or sweeter) it might prove that.

[griffin]

scott123- any new yummy recipes,? just made the pecan pie with bourbon a few days ago, it was soooooooooooooooo wonderful!

[RVcook]

Scott,

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!

First off, you are correct that I am getting plenty of bulk with the SA's so I'm not really looking for the Poly-D to correct a lack of bulking. Thus far, I haven't had any noticeable cooling affect with this blend. And yes, I do know what that cooling affect is as I once used straight Xylitol as a cup for cup replacement a very long time ago and I can tell you that I got the cooling affect AND many trips to the bathroom . Of course, this was way before I got more savvy about using SA's! Young and dumb, young and dumb...

After reading your many threads on blending sweeteners, I decided to try this out for myself. You and I have conversed before about the fact that I do not like Splenda as it has that strange, metallic taste for me. So I try and keep to SA's with a little Stevia+ and LoHan to boost the overall taste. You had raised the issue of a licorice aftertaste with the Stevia+ and I concur that could be a problem IF I used too much. So far, I haven't ever tasted that in this blend. And the LoHan, being a fruit sugar, gives a nice quality to the finished product.

Here is (what I call) Donna's Sweet~Blend:

1/2 lb. Xylitol (from hardwoods NOT corn cobs!)
1 lb. Erythitol (Eridex granular NOT powdered)
1 lb. Diabetisweet (regular NOT 'brown')
1/4 C. SlimSweet (TriMedica)
1/8 C. Stevia+

I usually do this formula X 4 (since the Erythitol comes in 4 lb. bags) and I just store it in a large covered canister in the pantry. When I want to use it, I shake the canister around a little and then just measure out what I need. It is very shelf stable.

I have used this blend successfully in my baking which is probably very little compared to most LCers. Cheesecake, no graininess; brownies, no graininess; cooked sweet and sour sauce, no graininess. Since I have tested it out on many "unsuspecting" non-LCers and they couldn't tell that the finished prpoduct was made without real sugar AND reported NO unpleasant afteraffects (aka gas and excessive bathroom trips), this would tell me that the blend is also very heat stable and the balance of SA's is good.

However, I have done limited testing and have not ventured into anything that requires browning or chewiness. And THOSE are the things that I would like to incorporate into the finished blend so that this could be used as a TRUE cup for cup sugar replacement (at least for me!) I was reading your suggestion of using Fructose in one of the threads (along with your hesitance for daily usage.) I had seriously considered adding that to the mix, but after re-reading the threads on Poly-D, I thought that since I was already happy with the level of sweetness, perhaps I could bypass the Fructose altogether and just add the Poly-D as an extra ingredient to provide the browning and chewiness factor. Maybe the bonus here would also be that it would bring down the cost of the formula which (at last figure) was around $8/lb

By the way, I am not as concerned about the final carb count as I am about the glycemic value of the blend. Considering that Xylitol is 7, Diabetisweet is 2, LoHan is 4 and both Erythitol and Stevia+ are considered 0, the blend comes in with a very nice LOW glycemic rating. Adding the fructose would increase the overall value, but comparatively speaking, would still be quite low. As far as the carb count goes, I couldn't begin to guess since everyone seems to tolerate SA's a little differently. The BIG difference is actually in the calorie count. 1 C. Donna's Sweet~Blend = 336 1 C. regular sugar = 672.

So what do ya think? Will adding the Poly-D improve the way this blend works in cooking and baking? And if I add it, since it is reported to have about 10% sweetness, should I adjust my formula accordingly?

Thanks for your help Scott!

Donna

[kingcynl]

RVCook I am so confused. I am new to this site and have been checking out the recipes and would like to place an order with netrition but I don't know what to order. I don't do alot of baking but would like to be able to make something for special occasions and I would like for it to be good tasting. I have tried several low carb recipes that I wouldn't even feed to the dogs. I don't want to waste a bunch of money either. You had a formula listed, is that what you use in baking? If so what does it replace in the original recipes. My head is swimming. Thanks in advance for yours or anybody else who can help me.

[RVcook]

Kingcynl,

Yes, I know all too well how confusing things get when you are making the switch from "regular" to "low carb" ingredients. It's like learning to cook all over again!

If you are referring to general cooking and baking, YES...the formula I posted is the one I use that I have found to be a cup for cup replacement for regular sugar. With that said, I would caution you regarding the use of sugar alcohols (S/A's) if you are sensitive to them. Some people are VERY sensitive and others, like myself, are only a little sensitive. I tolerate Erythritol best, Xylitol next and Malitol last. I don't tolerate Mannitol, lactilol or sorbitol at ALL. Anyway, if you're looking for a good SUGAR substitute taste wise and are NOT sugar alcohol (S/A) sensitive, this blend will probably work for you.

As I stated above, it is difficult to determine the useable grams of carbs because everyone is different. And in some applications, other artificial sweeteners work as well with less useable carbs per serving (unless you don't care for the taste, like me.) And that is why I came up with this blend.

I listed the specific manufacturers for my formulation, bit I think you could try making it with like products from other companies. I personally don't care for the NOW brand of Xylitol (it is made from corn cobs), as I prefer the brand from Global Sweet.com Also, I have found that Stevia+ from Sweet Leaf has a 'cleaner' taste than other brands. These are only MY opinions however.

If you have some specific questions, why don't you PM me and perhaps I can help you with some decisions regarding your purchases.

Donna

[RVcook]

Kingcynl,

Yes, I know all too well how confusing things get when you are making the switch from "regular" to "low carb" ingredients. It's like learning to cook all over again!

If you are referring to general cooking and baking, YES...the formula I posted is the one I use that I have found to be a cup for cup replacement for regular sugar. With that said, I would caution you regarding the use of sugar alcohols (S/A's) if you are sensitive to them. Some people are VERY sensitive and others, like myself, are only a little sensitive. I tolerate Erythritol best, Xylitol next and Malitol last. I don't tolerate Mannitol, lactilol or sorbitol at ALL. Anyway, if you're looking for a good SUGAR substitute taste wise and are NOT sugar alcohol (S/A) sensitive, this blend will probably work for you.

As I stated above, it is difficult to determine the useable grams of carbs because everyone is different. And in some applications, other artificial sweeteners work as well with less useable carbs per serving (unless you don't care for the taste, like me.) And that is why I came up with this blend. To reiterate, I am less concerned about carbs than I am about taste and calories. The Sweet~Blend fits into this space quite nicely.

I listed the specific manufacturers for my formulation, bit I think you could try making it with like products from other companies. I personally don't care for the NOW brand of Xylitol (it is made from corn cobs), as I prefer the brand from Global Sweet.com Also, I have found that Stevia+ from Sweet Leaf has a 'cleaner' taste than other brands. These are only MY opinions however.

If you have some specific questions, why don't you PM me and perhaps I can help you with some decisions regarding your purchases.

Donna

[scott123]

Originally Posted by griffin

scott123- any new yummy recipes,? just made the pecan pie with bourbon a few days ago, it was soooooooooooooooo wonderful!

Glad you liked it. How much bourbon did you add? How was the consistency for you? Did you use a crust, and, if so, what kind?

I've got a few new recipes in the works. They're not quite there yet, but soon

[scott123]

Originally Posted by RVcook

Scott,

Thank you for getting back to me so quickly!

First off, you are correct that I am getting plenty of bulk with the SA's so I'm not really looking for the Poly-D to correct a lack of bulking. Thus far, I haven't had any noticeable cooling affect with this blend. And yes, I do know what that cooling affect is as I once used straight Xylitol as a cup for cup replacement a very long time ago and I can tell you that I got the cooling affect AND many trips to the bathroom . Of course, this was way before I got more savvy about using SA's! Young and dumb, young and dumb...

After reading your many threads on blending sweeteners, I decided to try this out for myself. You and I have conversed before about the fact that I do not like Splenda as it has that strange, metallic taste for me. So I try and keep to SA's with a little Stevia+ and LoHan to boost the overall taste. You had raised the issue of a licorice aftertaste with the Stevia+ and I concur that could be a problem IF I used too much. So far, I haven't ever tasted that in this blend. And the LoHan, being a fruit sugar, gives a nice quality to the finished product.

Here is (what I call) Donna's Sweet~Blend:

1/2 lb. Xylitol (from hardwoods NOT corn cobs!)
1 lb. Erythitol (Eridex granular NOT powdered)
1 lb. Diabetisweet (regular NOT 'brown')
1/4 C. SlimSweet (TriMedica)
1/8 C. Stevia+

I usually do this formula X 4 (since the Erythitol comes in 4 lb. bags) and I just store it in a large covered canister in the pantry. When I want to use it, I shake the canister around a little and then just measure out what I need. It is very shelf stable.

I have used this blend successfully in my baking which is probably very little compared to most LCers. Cheesecake, no graininess; brownies, no graininess; cooked sweet and sour sauce, no graininess. Since I have tested it out on many "unsuspecting" non-LCers and they couldn't tell that the finished prpoduct was made without real sugar AND reported NO unpleasant afteraffects (aka gas and excessive bathroom trips), this would tell me that the blend is also very heat stable and the balance of SA's is good.

However, I have done limited testing and have not ventured into anything that requires browning or chewiness. And THOSE are the things that I would like to incorporate into the finished blend so that this could be used as a TRUE cup for cup sugar replacement (at least for me!) I was reading your suggestion of using Fructose in one of the threads (along with your hesitance for daily usage.) I had seriously considered adding that to the mix, but after re-reading the threads on Poly-D, I thought that since I was already happy with the level of sweetness, perhaps I could bypass the Fructose altogether and just add the Poly-D as an extra ingredient to provide the browning and chewiness factor. Maybe the bonus here would also be that it would bring down the cost of the formula which (at last figure) was around $8/lb

By the way, I am not as concerned about the final carb count as I am about the glycemic value of the blend. Considering that Xylitol is 7, Diabetisweet is 2, LoHan is 4 and both Erythitol and Stevia+ are considered 0, the blend comes in with a very nice LOW glycemic rating. Adding the fructose would increase the overall value, but comparatively speaking, would still be quite low. As far as the carb count goes, I couldn't begin to guess since everyone seems to tolerate SA's a little differently. The BIG difference is actually in the calorie count. 1 C. Donna's Sweet~Blend = 336 1 C. regular sugar = 672.

So what do ya think? Will adding the Poly-D improve the way this blend works in cooking and baking? And if I add it, since it is reported to have about 10% sweetness, should I adjust my formula accordingly?

Thanks for your help Scott!

Donna

Donna, a few things.

First of all, I looked into the slimsweet. It's mostly fructose with a little bit of lo han. So, you are already using fructose. Roughly speaking, I'd say 1/20th of your mix is fructose. That's not a huge amount, just something you should be aware of.

You're mix has plenty of chewiness. Sugar alcohols, cup for cup, provide a little bit less gooeyness/chewiness than sugar does, but not much less. From a chewiness perspective, I think you're doing alright.

Regarding browning... browning is tough. Just to be clear, when I refer to browning, I'm speaking of caramelization. I think some people think that without caramelization, cookies won't brown correctly or the outside of a cake won't get a nice toasty brown. That's an entirely different kind of browning. You'll get that with anything, even splenda. Caramelization is where sugar starts to brown at very high temperatures. It's not really that common in desserts. Off of the top of my head, you've got caramels (obviously), the top of creme brulee and flan. That's about it. Polyd makes a great caramel and would probably work for flan, but creme brulee could be iffy, I think. And this is pure polyd we're talking about. Since sugar alcohols don't caramelize, unless you go with a very high proportion of polyd, you're weakening the polyd's caramelization abilities considerably by utilizing a polyd/high proportion SA mix. The fructose in your mix gives you a tiny bit of caramelization ability, but not much. Instead of trying to develop a mix that does everything/caramelizes all the time, I would come up with two mixes. One for every day/non browning use and one for when you need caramelization, either using polyd, inulin or fructose... OR obtaining caramel flavoring from blackstrap molasses or brown diabetisweet.

Now, pricewise, you are definitely poised to spend less by utilizing polyd. My mix is in the $3.50/lb. realm. But then I do use liquid splenda, which I know you're not a fan of. As far as adding polyd to your mix, goes, in theory, because polyd is only 10% as sweet, you would need to add additional sweetener to compensate, but... I took at look at your mix and I'm not sure you need it. Are you absolutely certain a cup of your current sweetener has the same sweetness as a cup of sugar? I'm not sure about the conversion for slimsweet, but with a rough guesstimate it looks like 1 cup of your mix has about the same sweetness as 1 1/2 cups sugar, possibly even more.

Polyd will bring two advantages to your mix. It'll be cheaper and baked goods will be less likely to go grainy. Polyd does have some assimilation issues. If you use a small amount of it, though, I think you should be alright.

I think you could add 1/2 lb. of polyd to this mix, no problem, maybe even as much as a pound. It'll bring you closer to a truer cup for cup sugar sub and not have any assimilation issues (as long as it's well mixed). If you're happy with the current level of sweetness and want to maintain that and add polyd, then that's a little trickier. Adding SAs won't work because of their bulk. You'd need to make up the difference with a low bulking/non bulking sweetener like stevia or slimsweet. Since stevia has taste issues in larger proportions, I'd increase the slimsweet.

As far as measuring cup for cup the same as sugar... that's going to take some work. You've got the impact of synergy, sweeteners less sweet than sugar, sweeteners sweeter than sugar, different sizes of granules... It can be done, but it'll take a lot of tweaking, trial and error and taste testing to achieve.

The lack of graininess in the cheesecake intrigues me. I was under the impression that cheesecake didn't normally get hot enough to melt the hard to dissolve granular SAs like erythritol, diabetisweet and xylitol. Did you powder the SAs? Did you make a syrup first? At what temp did you bake the cake and for how long?

[RVcook]

Scott,

First of all, I looked into the slimsweet. It's mostly fructose with a little bit of lo han. So, you are already using fructose. Roughly speaking, I'd say 1/20th of your mix is fructose. That's not a huge amount, just something you should be aware of.

Now you see...this is just what absolutely IRKS me! While I am not totally opposed to using Fructose, it sure would be nice if the label would tell me these things!!! I gues that is where the term "Proprietary Blend" comes in! Ughh...just ticks me off! In the past, I had used LoHan Sweet, which is a mixture of Xylitol and LoHan, but the SlimSweet was a bit cheaper and it tasted the same, so I thought...what the hey! So now that I know my blend has 'sufficient' Fructose in it, I guess I won't be adding more anytime soon!

You're mix has plenty of chewiness. Sugar alcohols, cup for cup, provide a little bit less gooeyness/chewiness than sugar does, but not much less. From a chewiness perspective, I think you're doing alright.

To have you confirm this is very satisfying. I had suspected as much, but like I said, I've only one a limited amount of testing with it.

Regarding browning... browning is tough. Just to be clear, when I refer to browning, I'm speaking of caramelization. I think some people think that without caramelization, cookies won't brown correctly or the outside of a cake won't get a nice toasty brown. That's an entirely different kind of browning. You'll get that with anything, even splenda. Caramelization is where sugar starts to brown at very high temperatures. It's not really that common in desserts. Off of the top of my head, you've got caramels (obviously), the top of creme brulee and flan. That's about it. Polyd makes a great caramel and would probably work for flan, but creme brulee could be iffy, I think. And this is pure polyd we're talking about. Since sugar alcohols don't caramelize, unless you go with a very high proportion of polyd, you're weakening the polyd's caramelization abilities considerably by utilizing a polyd/high proportion SA mix. The fructose in your mix gives you a tiny bit of caramelization ability, but not much. Instead of trying to develop a mix that does everything/caramelizes all the time, I would come up with two mixes. One for every day/non browning use and one for when you need caramelization, either using polyd, inulin or fructose... OR obtaining caramel flavoring from blackstrap molasses or brown diabetisweet.

Now this is why I did poorly in chemistry class! I was always under the impression that browning was caused by a chemical reaction between the heat, butter (or fat) and sugar (or starch). Oh well...I guess I really did earn that 'C!' Now that you have clearly explained the difference, I can see that this is something that I should NOT be overly concerned with. Should I need this specific property, I will use your suggestion and utilize the molasses or brown Diabetisweet (which I have both of!)

Now, pricewise, you are definitely poised to spend less by utilizing polyd. My mix is in the $3.50/lb. realm. But then I do use liquid splenda, which I know you're not a fan of. As far as adding polyd to your mix, goes, in theory, because polyd is only 10% as sweet, you would need to add additional sweetener to compensate, but... I took at look at your mix and I'm not sure you need it. Are you absolutely certain a cup of your current sweetener has the same sweetness as a cup of sugar? I'm not sure about the conversion for slimsweet, but with a rough guesstimate it looks like 1 cup of your mix has about the same sweetness as 1 1/2 cups sugar, possibly even more.

You raise an interesting issue about the sweetness level. I have not eaten anything baked with REAL sugar for several years now and so the closest I can get to determining the sweet level for this blend is to basically taste the mixture plain, straight out of the bowl on the tip of a wet spoon. Then I do the same with real sugar. Back and forth, adjusting and making notes until it seemed correct. Then I had my husband try it. While I was forumulating this, I think I ingested more real sugar in that testing phase than I had consumed in 10+ years! And since sweetness is a subjective taste, you may be correct that the level could be higher than real sugar. One thing I found in the testing phase; real sugar has a "lingering" sweetness, while the blend was sweet and then the sweetness was just gone. Although I had thought I reached the correct level of initial sweetness, perhaps the tiny adjustments in the formula lend to that "lingering" ability that real sugar contains. Just a thought.

I think you could add 1/2 lb. of polyd to this mix, no problem, maybe even as much as a pound. It'll bring you closer to a truer cup for cup sugar sub and not have any assimilation issues (as long as it's well mixed). If you're happy with the current level of sweetness and want to maintain that and add polyd, then that's a little trickier. Adding SAs won't work because of their bulk. You'd need to make up the difference with a low bulking/non bulking sweetener like stevia or slimsweet. Since stevia has taste issues in larger proportions, I'd increase the slimsweet.

Now THIS makes sense. Even though it appears that my blend is a cup for cup measure, IF it is indeed sweeter than that, then the addition of Poly-D would bring the overall cost down, while maintaining the integrity of the sweetness. I also like your idea of increasing the SlimSweet if adjustments are necessary.

The lack of graininess in the cheesecake intrigues me. I was under the impression that cheesecake didn't normally get hot enough to melt the hard to dissolve granular SAs like erythritol, diabetisweet and xylitol. Did you powder the SAs? Did you make a syrup first? At what temp did you bake the cake and for how long?

My cheesecake recipe bakes in a 325 oven for 45 minutes and then is left in the oven after it is turned off, for one hour. I used it straight from the canister - did not powder it or make a syrup. And I SWEAR...NO graininess. Funny you should mention powdering it. If I whirl the blend around in my coffee grinder, it comes out beautifully fine and is perfect for making frosting. AND even the frosting is NOT grainy!

And speaking of frosting, if I add 1/2 lb. of Poly-D to the formula (as is) and I make my frosting which is NOT cooked, will the Poly-D do anything "strange?" Like clump up or get hard or anything? What if I added 1 lb?

I usually stick with specific brands when it comes to formulating recipes. I can only assume that ALL brands of Xylitol and Erythritol are formulated the same however, the one thing I am absolutely unwavering on is that the Xylitol comes from hardwood trees and NOT corn cobs. I can't explain it, but the taste is just superior. Perhaps this is why there is NO graininess in the finished baked good. I am currently using a brand of Xylitol that is imported from Finland. The taste is SO clean and sweet, if large quantities didn't give me 'gastric issues' I'd use it solely. Do you think that the quality of this Xylitol could have something to do with the absence of graininess? Obviously, "I ARE NOT CHEMIST!"

Thank you Scott for taking the time to answer my questions. I figure if I can get your opinion on the "clumpiness" factor in my frosting that should pretty much wrap up the chemistry questions. Well...at least for now .

Donna

[griffin]

scott, im not sure on the bourbon-beam- that was in the pie, ill ask my dh, he made it, ,its probably a cap ful.yes i do use a pie crust,i think its simalar to someones elses here,i cant remember if it was pami? i use
1-1/2 cup carbalose
1/2 stick butter
1/4 shortening
bout a 1/4 cup ice water.
i use this whenever i make pie,i like it, its pretty firm , and make a nice crust,i put in pan then do the finger press method,i think its quicker and easier, i tried to roll it more than once and was happier this way. trac

[jlshields]

HELP! Today was my first experience with polydextrose and I tried the brownies. Followed the recipe except, I guess I goofed and mixed the carbalose with the polyd and the sugars before mixing it all with the choc/butter mixture. I got clumps! Decided that I had too much invested so baked it anyway. The taste is fantastic!! Here is the problem. I guess the polyd sank to the bottom and formed a very hard, tough layer that can't be cut about 1/8" thick. Everything above that is very moist and brownie like and tastes great. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?

[scott123]

Donna, I haven't paid a huge amount of attention to it, but some sweeteners have a faster onset of sweetness while others have a longer finish. That's one of the advantages of combining- it all has a tendency to even out. Btw, you can taste sugar without ingesting it. Just put a little on your tongue and then spit it out. It's kind of gross, but I think it's better for you than eating it. I do it all the time when I'm tasting sugary/starchy stuff at work. Rinsing with water helps as well.

Thanks for the heads up on the hardwood xylitol. That's good to know. If the granule size is smaller for your Finnish brand that could make a difference with dissolving. I did a little more research and I think that although some SAs like erythritol and xylitol have a tendency not to stay dissolved/re-crystallize, the temperatures/amount of liquid necessary to dissolve them initially is not that different from sugar, possibly even less.

Regarding the clumpiness of the frosting... I'm really not sure. If the polyd is well dispersed among the other SA particles, it should be alright, but I would try 1/2 lb. first rather than 1 lb. just to be sure. It sounds like your cheesecake baking temp is sufficient for dissolving the SAs. Because of the temperature of the frosting, though, the SAs aren't dissolving at all and staying powdered. In a sense, you want them to stay powdered for the right texture, just like real sugar would, but at the same time, if they aren't dissolved, that's when they have the most cooling effect. I know you're looking for a one size fits all solution, but for frosting, I'd recommend going heavier with the diabetisweet, as that has the least cooling effect.

[scott123]

Originally Posted by griffin

scott, im not sure on the bourbon-beam- that was in the pie, ill ask my dh, he made it, ,its probably a cap ful.yes i do use a pie crust,i think its simalar to someones elses here,i cant remember if it was pami? i use
1-1/2 cup carbalose
1/2 stick butter
1/4 shortening
bout a 1/4 cup ice water.
i use this whenever i make pie,i like it, its pretty firm , and make a nice crust,i put in pan then do the finger press method,i think its quicker and easier, i tried to roll it more than once and was happier this way. trac

Thanks Griffin!

[scott123]

Originally Posted by jlshields

HELP! Today was my first experience with polydextrose and I tried the brownies. Followed the recipe except, I guess I goofed and mixed the carbalose with the polyd and the sugars before mixing it all with the choc/butter mixture. I got clumps! Decided that I had too much invested so baked it anyway. The taste is fantastic!! Here is the problem. I guess the polyd sank to the bottom and formed a very hard, tough layer that can't be cut about 1/8" thick. Everything above that is very moist and brownie like and tastes great. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions?

Although Jaideyes brownies are the definitive carbquick brownie recipe, I think procedurally they're a bit dated. I would combine all the dry ingredients and mix them well and then combine all the wet ingredients and mix those well and then mix the two together. That should work. If it doesn't then I'd go with the foolproof method of blending the polyd with the eggs/vanilla extract.

[jlshields]

Scott123,

Thaks for the reply and suggestions. I will try that and read again all of the tips for using polyd. I really appreciate you sharing all of your research and experience in this area.

[RVcook]

Scott123,

You truly are THE "man!" I soooooooo appreciate your input and again, thanks for all the 'technical' analyzation. I will definitely take all of your suggestions and hints into consideration should I decide to play with my blend.

This board is truly blessed to have you .

Donna

[andreafrankel]

Another way to make frosting, other than the usual one with powdered sugar and butter, is to use the "7-minute frosting" technique. It normally uses regular sugar (not powdered) and egg whites, and you beat it over boiling water while it's in a double boiler.

It ends up being somewhere between a semi-cooked meringue and marshmallow fluff You can find the basic recipe in any old-fashioned cookbook. It's often used to frost "red velvet" chocolate cake, and also angelfood cake.

I haven't tried it, but I bet it will work with any SA or combination that you could use in a peanut brittle, since it's the same idea (only not cooked as long).

[RVcook]

Andreafrankel,

Thanks for the tip. I found a copy of the 7-minute frosting recipe in my "archives" but have never tested it out. One of these days I will however. Frosting that does not rely on regular sugar, full-fat cream cheese or butter is a hard one to figure out!

Thanks again,

Donna

[kingcynl]

I am placing my first order with Netrition and the polyd the carry is from Life Source. Scott123 said that most people use Sta-lite from tate & lyle but I hate to be spending bunches of money on shipping. Does anyone use the polyd from Netrition and like it. Thanks Cindy

[Pam]

Hi Cindy! I use the Poly D Fiber from Netrition. There's another one they sell that's called Poly D Fiber Plus. You probably don't want to order that one because it contains Splenda. Just order the plain Poly D Fiber Plus and YOU will be able to control how much sweetener to add.

[Pam]

Originally Posted by Pam

Hi Cindy! I use the Poly D Fiber from Netrition. There's another one they sell that's called Poly D Fiber Plus. You probably don't want to order that one because it contains Splenda. Just order the plain Poly D Fiber Plus and YOU will be able to control how much sweetener to add.

Oops.....Sorry, I meant to say to order the Poly D Fiber, NOT the plus.

[scott123]

I've used both the sta-lite and the life source polyd's and from what I can tell, they're interchangeable.

And what Pam says about the plus is correct. The plus prevents you from combining.

[kingcynl]

Thanks Pam & Scott I will be placing my order soon. Cindy

[griffin]

scott, i tried to make some brownies and used 2 c of sweetner as the recipe called for, i usually use mostly splenda but i used a pinch of sweet one, around a fourth cup of e and splenda, it was so discustingly sweet i had to pitch it. i would of tried jaideyes brownies but i didnt have a clue with the formulation, would you happen to know? thanks a bunch.

[scott123]

Griffin, according to my calculations, Jaideye's brownies have about 7/8 Cup post synergy sweetening equivalent.

To make Jaideye's brownies with the sweeteners you have on hand {granular splenda, polyd, erythritol and sweet one) then I'd go with something like:

1/4 C. granular splenda
3 T. erythritol
1 packet of Sweet One (5/16 t.)
1 1/2 C. polyd

That should come out to 7/8 C. sweetening equivalent.

It also, btw, comes out to about 1 3/4 C. bulk, which is why these brownies are extra chewy.

[probles]

Does PDX have the tendency to cause gastric "distress?"

I've gone back to induction to try to weed out my "offenders."

Thanks!

Pam