How to bake with Stevia instead of sugar - Livestrong.com
Whether you're on a diet or have diabetes and want to enjoy something sweet without sugar, the natural sweetness of stevia is a good alternative.The negative aspects of refined sugar are not present in baked goods with no calories or glycemic index of zero.
A little goes a long way.Making up for lost bulk is one of the reasons why ingredient adjustments are required when substituting for sugar.Depending on the product's stevia-to-sugar ratio, the amount of stevia is necessary.
It's important to check the product label for proper sugar-to-stevia conversion when baking with stevia.The ratio depends on the type and brand of stevia being used.
It has been used in South America for hundreds of years.According to a May 2015 article in Nutrition Today, it is now used in processed forms to help with weight management.The components that make the plant sweet are called seviol glycosides.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers high purity forms of these to be safe.
If you want to substitute for sugar, you should only remove half of the sugar.This is due to the effects that sugar has on the environment.
Commercial sugar and blends are also available.The package has directions for sugar-to-stevia conversion.Many of these are designed for a cup-for-cup ratio making baking with stevia no different than when using regular sugar.
The amount of sugar in one packet is similar to that in 2 packets.One cup of sugar is equal to 24 packets.If you are using a bag of baking stevia, 1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 cups are equal to 1 cup of sugar.The stevia-to-sugar ratio is much lower for pure powdered stevia.1 cup of sugar is equal to 1 ounce of powdered stevia.The bags of baking stevia are more convenient than individual packets.
There are some changes that should be made to substitute for sugar.It's a good idea to use stevia in recipes for crisp cookie types.It is a good idea to add pumpkin, applesauce, uncooked oatmeal or nut and seed butter to your cookie dough.Your cookies could end up wet.
To maintain the volume of the cake batter, separate the egg whites and whip them to stiff peaks.The cake needs to be inverted onto a cooling rack in order to maintain volume and prevent it from collapsing.