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Low Carb Sweetness

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lithezebra
lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
edited December 2015 in Social Groups
Hi low carbers! How do you feel about the taste of various low carb sweeteners? Has anyone had great success with them?

I've tried stevia, which I hated, Splenda which is okay, not great, but not horrible, and I have erythritol on the way in the mail. I'd like to be able to sweeten my whipped cream and make some low carb chocolates. I don't care about the calories, just the carbs.
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Replies

  • blacktie347
    blacktie347 Posts: 109 Member
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    I like Splenda, and I've made a variation of chocolate meringue cookies with Splenda. Those were good!

    This is a link to a recipe for it with Splenda: http://www.food.com/recipe/south-beach-diet-friendly-chocolate-meringue-cookies-353514
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    @blacktie347 that sounds so good. I have a bunch of unsweetened cocoa powder I'm dying to use, and that's part of my motivation to find a good sweetener. Thanks for the recipe!
  • SoosannahK
    SoosannahK Posts: 238 Member
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    I use stevia and I have to say it was an acquired taste but now it is my go to. The sugar alcohols do not agree with me so I tend to stay away from those.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    I tried Stevia but finally gave up and tossed the rest of my big bag. :( I have done OK with liquid stevia though. I like Splenda pretty well. I have a 3-lb bag of xylitol from Amazon but haven't broken into it yet.
  • totaloblivia
    totaloblivia Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Xylitol is about the only one I like. The only problem us it doesn't dissolve te way sugar does so can be a bit crunchy
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I use stevia or splenda. Our go to dessert is "milkshakes": Ice, 8 ounces HWC, 8 ounces unsweetened almond milk, cocoa powder, sugar free choc. syrup, a little stevia. Blend. Or instead of chocolate we have made them with vanilla extract or Mio flavoring.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    totaloblivia wrote: »
    Xylitol is about the only one I like. The only problem us it doesn't dissolve te way sugar does so can be a bit crunchy

    Hmmm. My chemistry trained brain is wondering if it could be dissolved with heat, a little ethanol, or fat. I'll look it up.

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Splenda Is the only one I've tried, and I cant taste the difference between it and sugar, except it's much sweeter so you only need half the amount. I would like to try stevia but have heard too many negative reports about the taste, so I probably won't bother...
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    It seems like people usually use heat to dissolve xylitol, in oil, or in water or milk, and find it easier if they powder it first with a grinder or a mortar and pestle.

    Here's an example: http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2012/04/16/healthy-chocolate-candy-aka-cocoa-crack/
  • blacktie347
    blacktie347 Posts: 109 Member
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    lithezebra wrote: »
    @blacktie347 that sounds so good. I have a bunch of unsweetened cocoa powder I'm dying to use, and that's part of my motivation to find a good sweetener. Thanks for the recipe!

    Enjoy! I think you'll like them - it's like eating cookies to lose weight :D
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    I like stevia drops. I find I need to under sweeten foods though or it gets an dd taste.

    I will use some xylitol sweetened chocolate chips too, but my stomach doesn't like that much.
  • camtosh
    camtosh Posts: 898 Member
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    I use this mix of stevia and erythritol in baking: http://jp.iherb.com/now-foods-real-food-sugarless-sugar-18-oz-510-g/55361?rcode=muk142 It replaces sugar cup-for-cup. But I notice that eating it too much or too often gives me gas :/ ymmv!
    One Paleo friend tried it in her tea but didn't like the taste, she prefers honey.
    I use stevia drops too in smoothies and lattes sometimes. Sweetleaf drops are good.
  • DittoDan
    DittoDan Posts: 1,850 Member
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    I'm trying a new one that is called a "prebiotic". The brand name is: Just Like Sugar

    It feeds probiotics. You don't have to use much. Its made from Chicory root.

    I made some chocolate fat bombs out of it and they taste great. I also put some probiotics in the fat bomb. (I'm experimenting with fermented foods and probiotics at the moment).

    I hope this helps,
    Dan the Man from Michigan Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
  • marlamp10
    marlamp10 Posts: 26 Member
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    I usually use Truvia in coffee, and sometimes stevia drops. I also just discovered the Swerve erythritol sweetener for baking--I think I like it, but the one pie I made with it was almost too sweet, so I may reduce the amount in recipes for the future.
  • totaloblivia
    totaloblivia Posts: 1,164 Member
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    lithezebra wrote: »
    It seems like people usually use heat to dissolve xylitol, in oil, or in water or milk, and find it easier if they powder it first with a grinder or a mortar and pestle.

    Here's an example: http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2012/04/16/healthy-chocolate-candy-aka-cocoa-crack/

    Thanks, that must be the difference. I used it to make a keto French silk pie and the filling is like a mousse and not heated. To me it tastes pretty much like sugar.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited December 2015
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    DittoDan wrote: »
    I'm trying a new one that is called a "prebiotic". The brand name is: Just Like Sugar

    It feeds probiotics. You don't have to use much. Its made from Chicory root.

    I made some chocolate fat bombs out of it and they taste great. I also put some probiotics in the fat bomb. (I'm experimenting with fermented foods and probiotics at the moment).

    I hope this helps,
    Dan the Man from Michigan Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program

    I bet that is inulin. I have a bottle of it for the soluble fiber, and I've noticed that it tastes sweet. Thanks!
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited December 2015
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    totaloblivia wrote: »
    lithezebra wrote: »
    It seems like people usually use heat to dissolve xylitol, in oil, or in water or milk, and find it easier if they powder it first with a grinder or a mortar and pestle.

    Here's an example: http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2012/04/16/healthy-chocolate-candy-aka-cocoa-crack/

    Thanks, that must be the difference. I used it to make a keto French silk pie and the filling is like a mousse and not heated. To me it tastes pretty much like sugar.

    Maybe powdering the xylitol and letting it sit overnight in the liquid portion of the filling would dissolve it. I'm definitely going to try xylitol.
  • CrewZen
    CrewZen Posts: 26 Member
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    The only sweeteners I can stand are Xylitol (my fav) or Erythriol (which I have on hand because one of my kids is sensitive to the xylitol) ... seems like xylitol takes less to effectively sweeten things. I made a flourless chocolate cake using the xylitol a couple years back - it did great! I use it in tea daily and have used it to sweeten up a cocktail (vodka, heavy cream, coffee, xylitol) to mock a white russian on special occassion. No problems with it dissolving for me ;)
  • Fit_Trekker
    Fit_Trekker Posts: 6 Member
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    I like erythritol fine for a light sweet in coffee and tea but find it doesn't sweeten enough for baking vs. the dry & grainy bulk it creates (plus the cost). Not very patient or confident about experimenting with adding liquids/fats yet to balance that, there might be easy fixes for those with that talent. Different brands of stevia do taste markedly different; I read once about something that in certain processing makes it bitter.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    edited December 2015
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    I found a package of Xyla (xylitol) hiding at the health food store. It's good! I just dissolved some in warm cream and added cocoa powder and coconut oil to make a chocolate sauce. Xyla dissolved well without having to heat it up a lot.

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