With the holidays on the way, anyone hoping to lose -- or even maintain -- weight is faced with big challenges.
Mary Ann Brody, the chef adviser for the Weighty Matters blog, can help: her guidelines for using Splenda in place of sugar. Here's what she has to say:
"Splenda measures just like sugar. So if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, you will use 1 cup of Splenda. It is the only sugar substitute I am aware of that measures like sugar and the only one that is recommended for substituting in baking.
"Splenda works best in recipes where sugar is used primarily to sweeten, such as in beverages and recipes such as cheesecakes, pies and custards. I've had great luck using Splenda for making my homemade cranberry sauce, sweetening strawberries for shortcake and making a simple sugar substitute for a killer mojito.
"For those recipes where sugar does more than sweeten, such as adding volume to a recipe or used for browning, you may need to modify your recipe. Here are a couple of tips from Splenda for adapting your own recipes:
"To help baked goods rise, try adding 1/2 cup of nonfat dry milk and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda for every 1 cup of Splenda.
"Check baking progress 7 to 10 minutes prior to original recipe baking time for cakes; 3 to 5 minutes for cookies and quick breads."
Join in our blog
Join in the fight to lose weight with our Weighty Matters blog: go.azstarnet.com/weightymatters
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Copyright (C) 2009, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson