Satisfy your sweet tooth without sugar; stevia is the secret to these delicious sugar-free treats - A Better Way to Cook

Cheryl Redmond

HERE AT NATURAL HEALTH we love sweets as much as the next bunch. But we know sugar calories are empty calories. And we're also aware that excess sugar consumption has been linked to health problems, from fatigue and moodiness to obesity and diabetes.

All of our recipes use rice, malt, or maple syrup; honey; or evaporated cane juice. These sweeteners are natural and minimally refined, but they affect your blood sugar level the same way that sugar does and, in excess, can lead to the same health problems. There is, however, a natural sweetener that has no calories and won't affect your blood sugar--stevia. The leaves of the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) have been used for centuries in South America to sweeten food and beverages. In this country, stevia is sold as a supplement, often in the weight-loss aisle of natural food stores. (See "What Is Stevia?" page 87.) The extract, available as a powdered or liquid concentrate, is zoo to 300 times sweeter than sugar.

I decided to see for myself how well stevia performs as a sugar substitute by making some desserts. Before I started baking, I bought a bottle of liquid stevia and a jar of powdered stevia. After experimenting with them, I decided I preferred the liquid. I found it easier to measure both by the drop and the spoonful (40 drops equal 1/4 teaspoon). And adding liquid stevia to other liquid ingredients made for easy and thorough blending, (To see what else I learned, turn to "How to Sweeten with Stevia," page 89.)

A Sweet Challenge

Stevia's intense sweetness may seem like a godsend, but I found it poses some real challenges for cooks. You can't simply replace all the sugar in a recipe with stevia because sugar does many things besides sweeten. It makes cakes moist and light. It adds crunch to cookies and crisps. Sugar also caramelizes as it cooks, so it gives baked goods a lovely golden brown hue, as well as a delicate aroma and flavor. Stevia, on the other hand, is used in such tiny amounts that it doesn't provide any bulk or volume to foods. It doesn't help baked goods rise, it doesn't add moisture or crunch, and it doesn't contribute to browning. Stevia also has a slight black licorice flavor and can be bitter if you use too much.

Because of these differences, I realized I would need to choose desserts that didn't rely heavily on sugar for volume, flavor, lightness, or crispness. (Angel food cake and shortbread were out.) And to the extent that these qualities were necessary, I would need to come up with other ingredients to supply them. I had read that stevia works particularly well with fruit flavors, so I settled on mildly sweet desserts that contain fruit.

The first recipe I made was apricot bars. After simmering the apricots until they were soft I pureed them, adding a little lemon juice to brighten the flavor and a few drops of stevia. For the oat crust, I used unsweetened shredded coconut and wheat germ to provide some of the crunch that would normally come from sugar. I sweetened the crust with a combination of stevia and apple butter.

Next I chose scones. Scones are good candidates for a stevia makeover because they're basically sweetened biscuits, which get their tenderness from butter or margarine and their lightness from baking powder. I flavored mine with orange juice and zest and added dried currants for texture. A little stevia brought out the sweetness in the orange juice.

My third baking project was brownies. I really wanted to make a chocolate dessert, but after a lot of experimentation. I decided that chocolate and stevia are not a good match. Unsweetened cocoa and chocolate are naturally bitter, and that quality is intensified by stevia. I made several pans of very dark, very bitter brownies before I reluctantly moved on.

Finally, I hit on the idea of making a sorbet. I used green grapes as the base, or body, of the sorbet, and added fresh lemon and lime juice and plenty of fresh mint. The stevia enhanced the lemon and lime, the mint disguised the black licorice tones in the stevia, and the naturally mild and sweet grapes were a perfect backdrop for the mint and the citrus.

After several days in the kitchen with stevia, my verdict is that it will never replace sugar, but in the right desserts it makes a good alternative. Here are my three sugar-free recipes. The next time you need to satisfy your sweet tooth but don't want sugar, try one of these treats.

Minted Green Grape Sorbet

SERVES 4

This sorbet makes a terrific low-calorie snack
or dessert. It tastes like a frozen lemon-limeade
with a strong hit of mint and grape.

  2 cups seedless green grapes
1/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves
  2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
 20 drops liquid stevia extract
    Pinch of salt

1. Put all ingredients in work bowl of food
processor and pulse several times to blend
completely. Scrape down sides of bowl if
necessary.

2. Pour mixture into small metal bowl and
place in freezer. Freeze completely, about
3 hours.

3. Return frozen mixture to food processor
and process until smooth and pale green
in color. Serve immediately or refreeze in
covered container. (Sorbet can be left frozen
for several days.)

NOTE: If mixture becomes rock hard, you
can soften it carefully in a microwave oven
(providing you stored it in a microwave-safe
container).

PER SERVING: 39 CALORIES, 1 G PROTEIN, <1 G FAT,
<1 G SATURATED FAT, 11 G CARBOHYDRATES, 1 G FIBER,
30 MG SODIUM, 2% CALCIUM

Apricot Bars

MAKES 16 SMALL SQUARES

Because it contains no sugar, the crust for
these bars is soft rather than crunchy. Unsulfured
apricots give the filling a mellow
flavor, and their dark color contrasts nicely
with the crust.

Filling

     10 ounces unsulfured apricots
        (about 36 pieces)
      1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
      8 drops liquid stevia extract

Crust

    1/4 cup canola oil
    1/4 cup unsweetened apple butter
    1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia extract
      1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking
        oats
    1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose
        flour
    1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
      2 tablespoons toasted wheat
        germ
      2 tablespoons unsweetened
        shredded coconut
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an
8 by 8-inch baking pan and set aside.

2. For filling: Place apricots in small
saucepan and add 3 cups water. Bring to a
boil and then simmer, uncovered, over
medium heat until plump and tender, about
15 minutes. Drain apricots and place in
work bowl of food processor with lemon
juice and stevia. Process until completely
smooth.

3. For crust: Meanwhile, stir together oil,
apple butter, stevia, and 1 tablespoon water
in small bowl and set aside. Stir oats, flours,
wheat germ, coconut, baking soda, cinnamon,
and salt together in medium bowl
until completely blended. Add liquid ingredients
and stir to combine. Mixture should
be moist and crumbly.

4. To assemble and bake bars: Press 2 cups
of crust mixture evenly into prepared baking
pan. Spread apricot filling evenly over
bottom crust. Sprinkle with remaining crust
mixture and pat lightly. Bake until golden
brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely
and cut into 2-inch squares. (Bars
can be stored in airtight container at room
temperature for several days.)

PER SERVING: 145 CALORIES, 3 G PROTEIN, 5 G FAT,
1 G SATURATED FAT, 22 G CARBOHYDRATES, 3 G FIBER,
108 MG SODIUM, 2% CALCIUM

Orange-Currant Scones

MAKES 6

These scones are best eaten the day they are
made. Try them with some unsweetened
blueberry jam.

1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup unsweetened plain
    soymilk
1/4 teaspoon liquid stevia extract
  1 cup unbleached all-purpose
    flour
  1 cup whole-wheat flour
  1 tablespoon aluminum-free
    baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
  1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated
    margarine, such as Earth
    Balance or Spectrum Spread
1/2 cup currants

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine
orange juice, soymilk, and stevia in measuring
cup and set aside.

2. Place flours, baking powder, salt, and
orange zest in work bowl of food processor.
Pulse to blend. Add margarine and pulse
until it is incorporated. Mixture will be
coarse and sandy.

3. Turn mixture into large bowl, add currants,
and toss to combine, making sure to
break up any clumps of currants. Make a
well in center of dry ingredients and add
soymilk mixture. Stir with fork until mixture
forms soft dough.

4. Turn dough out onto floured work surface
and pat into rectangle approximately
5 by 8 inches. Cut into 6 squares or triangles.
Place scones on ungreased baking
sheet and bake until pale golden brown,
about 20 minutes. Remove scones to cooling
rack and serve either warm or at room
temperature.

PER SERVING: 299 CALORIES, 6 G PROTEIN, 14 G FAT,
1 G SATURATED FAT, 40 G CARBOHYDRATES, 4 G FIBER,
443 MG SODIUM, 19% CALCIUM

RELATED ARTICLE: What is stevia?

Consider This

The stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) is native to Paraguay, where for centuries its leaves have been used to sweeten food and beverages and as a folk remedy for diabetes and high blood pressure. The leaves are sometimes available ground into a greenish powder. The active sweetening components in stevia, called glycosides, are also isolated and sold as a white powder or clear liquid, In these forms, stevia doesn't confer the health benefits of the leaves but is intensely sweet--200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. In any form, stevia has no calories and won't raise your blood sugar level.

In the past 30 years or so, the Japanese have embraced stevia as a food additive and have conducted numerous studies that have proved its safety (as have other countries). Nevertheless, citing insufficient evidence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not granted stevia GRAS (generally regarded as safe) status, and will allow it to be sold in this country only as a supplement, not a food. You'll find stevia in natural food stores or on the Web at www.stevia.com or www.lowcarbmall.com.

RELATED ARTICLE: How to sweeten with stevia.

Getting Started

Stevia is easy to use as a sweetener for hot or iced coffee or tea. Replacing sugar with stevia in desserts, however, can be tricky and involves some trial and error. If you'd like to experiment with your own recipes, here are some general rules of thumb.

Start Small. It's best to begin with a minimal amount of stevia. Try 1/4 teaspoon of the liquid extract to replace 1 cup of sugar. Then add a drop at a time, tasting as you go, until the mixture tastes right to you.

Go Half and Half. If you feel your recipe needs at least some sugar for its texture or flavor, try replacing half the sugar with stevia, using the substitution guideline above.

Measure Carefully. Stevia is very powerful; a little too much can yield a bitter result. Use a steady hand to pour it into a measuring spoon so it doesn't overflow, or use a dropper.

Try It with Fruit. Stevia complements the inherent sweetness of fruit. It is especially compatible with citrus flavors and is a natural for sweetening lemonade, fruit purees, and iced fruit teas.

Don't Expect Sugary Sweetness. Even though stevia is intensely sweet, it doesn't taste like sugar. It has a hint of black licorice flavor.

Cheryl Redmond, the associate food editor at Natural Health, is a former pastry chef.

COPYRIGHT 2002 Weider Publications
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