What is anyone's opinion on artificial sweetners for baking?
I've read stevia is good/better health wise than splenda or even real agave nectar.
I want to make my holiday treats with the least amount of sugar as possible-none at all would be great.
I've used splenda & Brown sugar/splenda in the past and it works well.

Ive used Stevia. Stuff I make usually comes out alright. I would do a bit of experimenting first as the quanities that you use are different.

I've used Stevia for years, there are definately different strengths and types. I usually find that it works best when added with another sweetener, such as a bit of honey or even splenda, sometimes it's a little bitter on it's own to get the sweetness you desire. I do have a measure conversion chart for the different types, I can send it to ya if you would like.

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sometimes it's a little bitter on it's own to get the sweetness you desire.

I agree totally. I tried switching to it for my oats, but it literally tasted like a leaf to me. I know its supposed to be better for you, but I just stick with the splenda

Hey Jared you can always tried the flavored liquid type for your oats, it's not as harsh as the dry and it comes in several different flavors....even root beer. I sometimes put some of that in my water...pretty good.

I have found that I like the white stevia liquid best, especially for use with baked goods. I find though, that with baking, it is best to mix the liquid with another sweetner. My favorite so far is mixing liquid stevia with organic erythrol. Erythrol is a sugar alcohol/natural sweetner. It is not as sweet as sugar, but when mixed with stevia, it takes the bite (bitterness that I taste) out of the stevia and makes a rather sweet and delicious baked good. Again, it is based on your own taste, but I've had great success using Amazon Teas Stevia liquid and Organic Zero Erythrol. There are a ton of other brands and different versions of stevia as mentioned earlier, the trick is finding the one you like.

Went stevia shopping-yes, there are many brands.
I'll just experiment. There was one called Stevia Supreme-mixture of stevia & erythrol.
Shar-I would appreciate the conversions; sending you pm with my info.
Sounds like it will be trial & error. My family is already suspicious of what healthy ways I change their food-it has to taste good to fool them.

Prune butter and apple sauce are also good substitutes that can be used in baking to replace sugar and fat. Both can be used to replace the fat...you can replace the amount oil or butter in baked goods with equal amount of applesauce/prune butter. Because both are so sweet, you can cut the sugar by more than half (or use the splenda or stevia as replacement). They make cookies less crispy, more muffin-like texture so you need to play with the amounts. I've made oatmeal raisin cookies that taste great by replacing the eggs with egg whites, replaced half the fat with prune butter (gives a molasses like flavor) and replaced the sugar with splenda for baking.

I went to our local health food store and they sold a baking stevia powder. It is by NuNaturals. MoreFiber Baking Blend, made with NuStevia Extract. It's vegan,no sucralose, no aspartame, zero calories, won't raise blood sugar. It also has the conversions listed on label. For 14.11 oz (400 grams) container cost me $9.99.

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Originally posted by smadera:
I went to our local health food store and they sold a baking stevia powder. It is by NuNaturals. MoreFiber Baking Blend, made with NuStevia Extract. It's vegan,no sucralose, no aspartame, zero calories, won't raise blood sugar. It also has the conversions listed on label. For 14.11 oz (400 grams) container cost me $9.99.

I saw it but I already orederd stevia. Please let me know how it does. It is definitely cheaper at my store too.

FYI, stevia is not an artificial sweetener, it derives naturally from the stevia plant. While long term health effects have not yet been evaluated, compared to artificial sweetners it is much better (IMO). Artificial sweeteners promote free radical production in your body.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: CR,

I've been using natural applesauce (store bought, not homemade) as a 1:1 substitute for oil for years. I also just started using agave nectar in place of sugar and sugar substitutes (follow the instructions on the bottle for the correct ration). It is a tasty alternative for those who are trying to stay away from splenda, stevia, etc.