***Disclosure: Disclosure: This post is part of the SPLENDA® 365 SWEET SWAPS ™ blogger program by McNeil Nutritionals, LLC. and The Motherhood, who sent me products and compensated me for my time. Opinions, experiences and photos shared here are my own, and I hope you enjoy them***
If your anything like me then a little help in the cooking and baking section is always good. Working with SPLENDA and The Motherhood I’ve learned quite a bit. So here are some tips and cheats for you. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can come back for quick and easy reference when you are cooking or baking:
Confections
In recipes where the amount of sugar is quite high, sugar often contributes significantly to the structure and texture. So for frosting, candy, fudge, caramel, pecan pies, angel food or pound cake you’ll get the best results when you only replace about 25% of the sugar required with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener instead of a full sugar replacement.
Volume/Height
You may notice a smaller yield when substituting SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener for sugar. In some cases, cakes and quick breads will not rise as high as their full-sugar counterparts, but they will still taste delicious!
To achieve a better rise:
Switch from 9″ round pans to 8″ round pans with 2″ sides. Also, try adding 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 cup of SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener you use.
Creaming
When creaming butter or margarine with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, your mixture will appear less smooth than it would with sugar, and may separate upon the addition of eggs. This is completely normal. Just continue following the recipe instructions.
Texture
Cookies often rely on brown sugar for their chewy, crunchy texture. To retain the texture, replace only the white granulated sugar in your cookie recipes. You can also try replacing a bit less of the total sugar or by using SPLENDA® Sugar Blend. You may need to flatten the cookies before baking to aid with spreading. Jams, jellies, puddings and custards, when made with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener may be slightly thinner or soft-set. See Storage
Don’t forget – you need only half as much SPLENDA® Sugar Blend as the amount of sugar called for in your recipe since only 1/2 cup is needed to replace 1 cup of regular sugar.
Flavor
For cookies, puddings and custards, use an additional teaspoon of vanilla extract per one cup of SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener to enhance flavor. For quick breads and muffins, add one or two tablespoons of honey or molasses to boost flavor and provide some moistness.
Yeast Activation
SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated does not contain enough carbohydrate to activate yeast, so we recommend that you add a bit of sugar or honey to your recipe to help with the rise of the product.
Browning
In the baking process, sugar caramelizes to produce the familiar golden brown color of baked goods. Baked goods made with little or no sugar do not brown like recipes made with sugar. To help achieve a more golden brown color when baking with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener, lightly spray the batter or dough with cooking spray just before placing in the oven.
Bake Times
Your baked goods made with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener may bake more quickly than those made with sugar.
Cakes: Check 7-10 minutes before the original recipe’s expected bake time.
Cookies, brownies and quick breads: Check 3-5 minutes before the original recipe’s expected bake time.
Storage
Sugar acts as a preservative, helps retain moisture and keeps baked-goods fresher longer.
All fresh baked goods are best eaten within 24 hours. If you want to keep your baked goods made with SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener longer, wrap well and freeze.
For canning, SPLENDA® Granulated Sweetener does not provide preservative properties. However, it is heat stable and can be used as a sweetener in canning.
Conversion Charts
For even MORE tips & tricks check out http://www.splenda.com
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