Baking without using sugar or artificial sweetners?

[mamaUK]

I love baking, but I don't want to use refined sugar or products such as Splenda. I would love some recipes which are sweetened with honey or applesauce or any other natural products. Can anyone help me? I don't even know where to begin and feel a bit overwhelmed! This is so hard for me, I love cakes/biscuits/anything sweet and think I am passing this onto my children. The only positive thing is that at least all the cakes/biscuits I make are made from scratch and not just junk food but I still feel guilty. I would so much love some help with this from someone.

[mamadelbosque]

This is my moms old blueberry muffin recipe, using honey or brown sugar.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
¼ cup brown sugar or honey
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk, or sour milk
3 TBSP. Oil or melted butter
1 cup blueberries

Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly. Add beaten egg, milk, oil and blueberries. Mix only until dry ingredients are moist. Grease muffin pans and fill half full baking in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Check to see if done by inserting toothpick in middle, if dough sticks to toothpick it needs to cook more.

You can use ½ whole wheat flour and ½ white

To make sour milk:
To one cup of milk add 1 TBSP of lemon juice or vinegar. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.

To make buttermilk:
Leave ¼ - ½ cup commercial buttermilk in bottom of its container. Fill with milk, leaving ½ to 1” head space. Close container and shake well. Let sit in warm place all day or overnight. It will take about 10 hours in winter, 5-10 hours in summer. When slightly thickened, refrigerate. Save some for the next batch.

There's lots of others out there, and theres a general rule with using honey instead of sugar in most recipes. I forget it exactly, but I think its something like 1/2 as much honey as sugar and cut whatever liquid down by 1/2 as much honey (so if you use 1/2 cup honey, use 1/4-1/2 cup less liquid - water, milk, whatever).

[mamaUK]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

This is my moms old blueberry muffin recipe, using honey or brown sugar.

Blueberry Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. Baking soda
¼ cup brown sugar or honey
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk, or sour milk
3 TBSP. Oil or melted butter
1 cup blueberries

Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly. Add beaten egg, milk, oil and blueberries. Mix only until dry ingredients are moist. Grease muffin pans and fill half full baking in 375 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

Check to see if done by inserting toothpick in middle, if dough sticks to toothpick it needs to cook more.

You can use ½ whole wheat flour and ½ white

To make sour milk:
To one cup of milk add 1 TBSP of lemon juice or vinegar. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.

To make buttermilk:
Leave ¼ - ½ cup commercial buttermilk in bottom of its container. Fill with milk, leaving ½ to 1” head space. Close container and shake well. Let sit in warm place all day or overnight. It will take about 10 hours in winter, 5-10 hours in summer. When slightly thickened, refrigerate. Save some for the next batch.

There's lots of others out there, and theres a general rule with using honey instead of sugar in most recipes. I forget it exactly, but I think its something like 1/2 as much honey as sugar and cut whatever liquid down by 1/2 as much honey (so if you use 1/2 cup honey, use 1/4-1/2 cup less liquid - water, milk, whatever).

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me, I really appreciate it! I think I will try this recipe this weekend. It sounds delicous! Also, thank you very much for telling me how to make the two types of milk, i just assumed I would have to buy sour milk and buttermilk from the shop in a carton LOL. Thank you!

[Magelet]

I took a great recipe for challah (sweet jewish bread) and just substituted honey 1 for 1 with the sugar, and it's great!

if you want sweet biscuits, why not add a few drops of maple syrup or even use rapadura/sucanat or palm sugar instead of refined sugar? (though honestly for sweet biscuits, I often like making normal biscuits and putting the honey on after they're cooked, with lots of butter too.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

This blog has some good ones.

A post about desserts.

This blog has some good ones too.

You will probably have the best luck googling for recipes with search terms like "whole food brownies sweetened with honey" or something like that.

[napless]

Oatmeal cookies

1/2 cup/125 mL oil

1/2 cup/125 mL honey

1 egg

1/4 cup/60 mL water

1 tsp/5 mL vanilla

1 cup/250 mL whole wheat flour

1/4 cup/60 mL dry milk powder

1/2 tsp/2 mL baking soda

1/4 tsp/1 mL salt

1 1/2 cups/375 mL rolled oats

1/2 cup/125 mL ingredient of your choice (chocolate chips, carob chips, nuts, raisins, seeds, or coconut)

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

Grease some cookie sheets.

In a large mixing bowl, put the oil, honey, egg, water and vanilla.
Beat until smooth.
Add the flour, milk powder, baking soda and salt.
Mix well.
Add the oats.
Mix well.
Add the extra ingredient of your choice.
Mix.

Drop the batter by spoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheets.
Bake until light brown (about 10 minutes).

[napless]

Banana muffins

1 1/2 cups/375 mL whole wheat flour

1 cup/250 mL rolled oats

2 tsp/10 mL baking powder

1 tsp/5 mL baking soda

1/2 tsp/2 mL salt

2 eggs

1/4 cup/60 mL cooking oil

1/4 cup/60 mL honey

1/4 cup/60 mL milk

3 medium bananas, mashed

1/2 cup/125 mL chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 400F/200 C.
Get out your muffin pans. (I make 12 regular sized muffins and 12 mini-muffins with this recipe.) Grease the muffin pan(s), or get out the paper cupcake liners. This recipe makes enough for 12 regular sized muffins and 12 mini muffins.


In a large bowl, put the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Mix. Make a well in the middle.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs until they are frothy. Add the oil, honey, milk and bananas. Mix thoroughly.
Pour the banana mixture into the well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten it all. (Stop! Don't overmix! The secret of making perfect muffins lies in the stirring. It's okay if there are still some flecks of flour visible. The batter will be lumpy - that's fine! Resist the urge to keep stirring!)
Fill your muffin cups about 3/4 full.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.

[WorldsBestMom]

Hey ladies thank you for the information too. Ill see if I can try baking with some natural sweeteners.

[theoldmommers]

I use The "I Can't Believe This Has No Sugar" Cookbook by Deborah Buhr. She uses frozen fruit juice concentrates, date sugar, rice syrup, etc. My husband is a big sweets eater and my 7 year old had to tell him off for eating more than his fair share of the spelt and carob chip cookies! I have to say some of the recipes I really can believe there's no sugar in it, but overall lots of good ideas in there. I also always use 100% whole wheat pastry flour in my baking which makes us all feel lots less guilty.

Good luck!