PrintBlue Agave
I bought some Blue Agave nectar this weekend to help in my ongoing attempt to decrease the amount of refined sugar I eat (so hard with the huge sweet tooth I have). Now I do not really know what to do with it. I can easily see it's use for things like sweetening tea or coffee but I do not drink either one. I can also see using in sauces and marinades that call for sugar. In thinking about where I could use it most I realize that most of the sugar I eat is in fact from baked goods. Can it really be used successfully in baking? What ratio to substitute, I have seen 1/3 - 3/4 cup for 1 cup of sugar, that's a pretty big range. Does anyone use anything else to substitute for sugar in baking. I am generally of the mind that anything in moderation is ok and will use real butter, sugar, cream etc... but moderation is my problem. love sweets and do not have great willpower. I think if I could use some natural substitutes with a lower glycemic index it could only help.
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9 Comments:
This and honey is what I use to sub. white sugar and often use it in maranarra sauce, good in cakes too, you'll have to play with it alittle to get to where you like it, shhhh heres a secret it's good in BBQ sauce
Markbb at 3:15PM on 02/18/08
Found some guidelines here.
kjgibson at 3:33PM on 02/18/08
I love agave syrup and find that I use quite frequently. I use it as a change anywhere I might also use honey or maple syrup. Works great in fresh salad dressings, or to sweeten fresh whipping cream. I haven't used it much in baking, but I think if you follow any guidelines that use honey as a substitution, agave syrup would be perfect too. Also, I like it in lemonade because it dissolves better than sugar or honey, and has a more neutral flavor than maple syrup. The more you have it around, I bet the more uses you'll find for th agave.
FigswithBri at 4:23PM on 02/18/08
I have been using agave for awhile, I use it mostly on breakfast foods, on waffles, pancakes, etc. I have also been hearing lately that bars are begining to use it in mixed drinks as a sugar substitute.
allakarasik at 4:52PM on 02/18/08
I use agave nectar the exact same way I use honey... I use it to sweeten teas and ">beverages, drizzle it over ">spinach crepes, drizzle over brie cheese with nuts, to sweeten salad dressings or fruit compotes. My ">friend even used it as a sweetener to make my ">Coquito recipe instead of using condensed milk...
I have not played with it in baking yet, but I guess it's an opprtunity to experiment..
Madelyn
KarmaFreeCooking
MadelynRodriguez at 5:22PM on 02/18/08
I've just recently started using it as well! I'm totally used to it in coffee/tea and on oatmeal/yogurt. Mighty Foods has some info about it here including a few recipes. Good luck and feel free to report back!
karenita at 7:11PM on 02/18/08
I have a ridiculous amount of sweeteners in my pantry at any given time. I figured I'd share them, because if you have this many you will always have an alternative to granulated sugar.
Sucanat (the molasses hasn't been removed from the sugar)
Turbinado sugar (very coarse)
raw sugar (finer)
agave nectar
various honeys (light and dark)
pomegranate molasses (very tart - I like it on yogurt)
blackstrap molasses (although I only use this for some baking, it is intense but very good for you)
brown rice syrup (good for making granola)
Unless you are making a very fussy recipe, I'm sure that you could substitute agave in anything - it is sweeter than sugar, though, and I think my bottle advises using 2/3rds the amount. Have fun!
Littlebluesiren at 8:18PM on 02/18/08
Cautionary note -- if you are substituting agave syrup for sugar, especially in baking, in addition to figuring how much agave to use, you will need to adjust your liquids. Look for honey or other syrup substitutions for a starting place.
kjgibson at 8:30PM on 02/18/08
I bake with agave nearly exclusively. By using coconut flour to substitute for a portion of the ap or other flours, I've been able to use it 1 for 1 with sugar measurements. Just be sure to lower the heat on the oven by 25 degrees F, otherwise your baked goods will brown too quickly.
Please visit my blog for recipes and tips on using agave when baking and making frozen desserts.
Deb at Altered Plates
hereandthe at 9:41AM on 02/19/08