If you had to pick one sweetener......

[amcal]

If you had to pick one sweetener and only one to have in the house, which would you choose?

We aren't huge on sweets but, I like a little sweetener in my coffee and the kids like hot chocolate on occasion. And we do do the occasional baking.

So, while I know sweeteners aren't health food, if we're going to use them, I'd like to make the best possible choice and pick the one that is the most diverse.

I'm thinking raw, local honey? or grade B maple syrup? molasses? I just don't know.....

[deditus]

I don't think I could pick one over the other - I need raw honey and maple syrup! Oh well, I guess if you made me pick just one, I would go with raw honey since it has medicinal properties, too.

[Elecampane]

I'd pick raw, local honey but I'm not sure for baking how easy it would be to sub in. For a dry sweetener I'd use (and do use) sucanat.

[lil_earthmomma]

I'd pick maple syrup. I've been able to sub it into all of my baking including bread without any trouble! :

[Cristiaz]

I use honey and maple syrup for different things. I have recipes that call for agave and honey wouldn't work so I might try brown rice syrup. I'm going to research it first to make sure

[AllyRae]

Raw local honey.

[crunchy_mama]

raw honey. I don't have easy access to maple syrup anyway.

[cristeen]

Honey. I use it fairly exclusively already. I have maple syrup, but it's only for very specific recipes. And molasses isn't a sweetener, it's a flavoring - I treat it kinda like vanilla.

[amcal]

I think of molasses as a sweetener. It's certainly not as sweet as honey or sugar but, it's definitely sweet. I actually really enjoy it in coffee. It give sweetness and a depth of flavor that's really nice.

[greenmom4]

I'd pick honey since I can't find maple syrup locally. But realistically I keep honey, maple syrup and rapadura in the house. I'm interested in date sugar, tho - does anyone use that from time to time?

[SageR]

I would choose the honey. It is easy to get and fairly affordable. Plus you can use it medicinally. We have Grade A maple syrup too, which is my favorite, but it is much too expensive to use in baking.

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by amcal

I think of molasses as a sweetener. It's certainly not as sweet as honey or sugar but, it's definitely sweet.

I like it too, but you can't sub it for sugar in say a pound cake recipe.

I've used date sugar also. It doesn't dissolve though, so it's a pain in certain applications.

[Koalamom]

My dd is allergic to raw honey, so my choice is grade C maple syrup- the highest mineral concentration of the maple syrups. I am in VT, so I can get it for 30 a gallon. Good deal!!

And I love molasses as a sweetener. We eat it off a spoon for a treat and mineral boost. We use it to feed the soil micro organisms in the garden.

[Brown Lioness]

Oh wow....i guess it would be maple syrup just because i can use it in so many things.....eh, its a tie with honey, since I use honey in my face masks, lol.

[Ruthla]

For wholesomeness, versatility, and overall nutrition, I'd probably go with raw honey. But for budgetary reasons (and even more versatility), I'd probably pick refined granulated white sugar.

But I'm glad I don't have to pick just one. I use honey in mild flavored teas. I use molasses in stronger flavored teas. I use brown sugar to make syrup for pancake topping/mixing in oatmeal/etc. I use white sugar to make chocolate syrup, for bread baking, the girls use it for making "non TF" sweets, etc.

[mamadelbosque]

If I could only pick one? I suppose honey, but maple syrup would be a close second! (of course, I can get both for fairly cheap around here - honey for ~30 a gallon and maple syrup for 25, so... yeah. If I didn't have wonderful local choices, I might opt for plain old white/brown sugar)

[Laniemama]

I'd probably pick honey over maple syrup, but I have a wonderful local source for both and use them both, but probably the honey a little more. I also use stevia a lot, even though it seems expensive for such a little amount, you literaly use less than a pinch in most recipes! The first small container I bought of it lasted me about 6 months. I also am growing a stevia plant right now, so we'll see how that goes!

[Metasequoia]

That's tough - I'm torn between raw honey, maple syrup & palm sugar (coconut.) I think coconut sugar is the easiest on blood sugar, which is important to me. But I like the healing qualities of raw honey. And maple syrup, we just love it...