Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Low Sugar Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

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chocolate peanut butter cake 2

Happiness is taking part of one recipe and part of another recipe and putting them together to make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake recipe. Happiness is having your cake and eating it too because of the low sugar content. Happiness is a cup of coffee with this cake. Really, this whole post and all that is included is really very happy.

Unless you can’t have dairy or gluten or nuts. Then this post really just stinks.

But for the wheaty, milky, nutty (you know who you are) people out there, we shall enjoy this cake on behalf of our dairy free, gluten free, and nut free friends. We’ll feel just a little bit bad that you can’t eat this with us, but we trust that you can take this idea and run with it. You’re good at adapting, right?

So Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. This is amazing, and it only has 1/2 cup of sugar in it so if you want to eat it for breakfast, by all means, do it.

Here’s what I did:

I made this Chocolate Cake. When it cooled, I topped it with this Peanut Butter Cream Frosting. Everyone at our house loved this cake! (except for Malachi, who hates peanut butter – what is the matter with this child?)

Now, you can also bake this Peanut Butter Cake and top it with this Honey Sweetened, Low Sugar Chocolate Frosting for a variation of Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake. Again, happiness is taking part of one recipe and putting it with part of another recipe. (This concept does not apply to everything. Do not mix and match my Alfredo Sauce with Pasta recipe with Apple Butter or Barbeque Sauce. I should not have to explain this.)

Low Sugar Chocolate CakeYum

1 cup melted coconut oil
1 cup water
4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sucanat
dash of sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sucanat, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring oil, water, and cocoa to a boil. Pour liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredient mixture. Stir well. Add sour cream and eggs, mixing well. Pour batter into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup natural peanut butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia

Whip together all ingredients until thick and smooth, sweetening with stevia to taste. Spread over cooled cake.

Low Sugar Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake

Mixing and matching rocks. Who’s a fan of chocolate and peanut butter? What’s the weirdest food combination you like to eat? I have no idea why I’m asking that.

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Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait (With a “To-Go” Option)

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Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait 1

There is only one requirement for making this recipe: All parties – including the makers and the recipients – must lick the bowl, dish, cup, spoon, and spatula when preparing, serving, and partaking in each Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait. Lickage (oh, it’s totally a word) is not an option. Failure to lick said bowl, dish, cup, spoon, and spatula will result in…you know, the missing out of the enjoyment of every last taste of goodness. It would be devastating, and friends don’t let friends not lick delicious creaminess out of the bowl. This is how you know how much I love you. I insist on the lickage (pronounced lick-uj). You can thank me later.

You know what is so amazing to me about recipe creation? It is that with just a couple of little tiny tweaks, one recipe becomes another – with very little thought or effort. Case in point: I basically took my Low Sugar Cheesecake filling, tweaked the measurements just a little bit, and spooned it into bowls with layers of sliced strawberries. Really. I’m not as smart as you didn’t think I was. It’s simply a matter of changing things up, of taking one idea and forming another, and also of being way too lazy to bake a cheesecake crust.

It’s also a matter of…fresh strawberries are amazing.

If that’s not motivation enough for you to go to the kitchen immediately to make these, then I should let you know that these little parfaits can be put together in a very short amount of time, they have very little sugar, and they are seriously bowl/dish/cup/spoon/spatula lickin’ good.

Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait (serves 6-8)Yum

5.0 from 2 reviews
Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait (With a "To-Go" Option)
 
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Ingredients
  • 2½ cups heavy whipping cream
  • 8 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 Tablespoon real maple syrup
  • Liquid stevia to taste (I use about 20 drops) (Use a few Tablespoons of sugar if you prefer.)
  • 1 -2 pounds fresh, sliced strawberries
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients (minus the strawberries) into a blender.
  2. Whip until smooth and creamy.
  3. Spoon mixture into bowls or cups - layering them with sliced strawberries.

Lick the blender. Lick the spoons. Lick the spatula that you will use to get every last little bit of goodness out of the blender.

Lick your lips, lick your chin, lick your fingers. That oughta do it.

Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait

And guess what else? I learned that these Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits are perfect for a treat-to-go! Simply layer the parfait in 8-ounce jars, cover with a lid, and take them with you. (Pack a spoon though, because while licking is good, it is rather difficult to be that good of a licker.)

Low Sugar Strawberry Cheesecake Parfait - To Go!

Feeling more like a blueberry, a blackberry, a raspberry, or a peach? By all means, switch out the strawberries with any or all of the above. See, the choice of fruit is optional. It’s the lickage that is a requirement.

Go therefore and begin fighting over which family member gets to lick the spatula.

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Low Sugar Carrot Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

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This Carrot Cake might be my family’s favorite low sugar treat so far!

I cut the sugar from the original recipe from 5 1/2 cups to just under 3/4 cups total. Not too shabby, eh? And just look at this plate of deliciousness!

Low Sugar Carrot Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

I personally like the Stevia Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting recipe you’ll find with this Super Moist Chocolate Cake recipe. But my boys were asking if maybe I could make the frosting just a little bit sweeter this time. Why not? I simply added 3 Tablespoons of real maple syrup to the frosting and they LOVED it. How’s that for a healthier alternative to 4 cups of powdered sugar? Oh yes.

Low Sugar Carrot CakeYum

Low Sugar Carrot Cake With Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
 
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Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup sucanat
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 cups finely shredded carrot (about 6 carrots)
  • 1 cup melted coconut oil
  • 4 eggs
Instructions
  1. Stir together flour, sucanat, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
  2. Mix in shredded carrots, melted oil, and eggs.
  3. Pour batter into a buttered 9x13 inch baking dish.
  4. Bake in a 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
  5. Allow cake to cool completely before spreading on frosting.

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces softened cream cheese
¼ cup softened butter
3-4 Tablespoons real maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

With a hand mixer (or in your blender), whip together all ingredients until smooth. Spread over cooled cake.

Go forth and pin this recipe. Or print it and pin it to your shirt so you can make it this weekend. This is an order, or at the very least, it is a very sweet suggestion.

Looking for more Low Sugar Recipes?

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Low Sugar Super Moist Chocolate Cake (That Doesn’t Taste Low Sugar)

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There’s a chocolate cake recipe our family has been making for years. It’s one of our favorite of all cakes – mostly because it’s not dry like many homemade cakes can be.

Low Sugar Chocolate Cake

But – you know how my body won’t let me eat much sugar anymore? I mostly don’t even want it – but sometimes I just get a hankering for something chocolaty. That’s what inspired the invention of Chocolate Whipped Cream, Coconut Fudge Bars – and now this – a Low Sugar Chocolate Cake. I decided to try making our favorite chocolate Texas Sheet Cake recipe with less sugar to see how it would turn out.

You guys!!!!!! Why in the name of a diabetic coma do recipes (including many of mine) call for so much sugar???!?! Originally, this recipe includes 6 cups of sugar. SIX. That’s 2 cups in the cake and 4 cups in the frosting and none of us can possibly imagine that cutting out so much of the sugar would still produce a cake that actually tastes good.

Well neener, neener to all of us. I just recreated this cake to include a grand total of 1/2 cup of sugar. Yes, that is one-half cup. Total. Neener. 

I love this cake like nobody’s business. But what do I know? I’m the one who can no longer tolerate much sugar, so even the barely sweet stuff tastes quite sweet to me. The true test was serving this to my children. They still love their sugar (what kid doesn’t?) and they are used the “the regular way” we’ve always made the Texas Sheet Cake. Would they feel like the cake wasn’t sweet enough? I mean, going from 6 cups to just 1/2 cup of sugar – that’s a big drop.

Two things:

  1. Yes, they could tell.
  2. No, they didn’t care.

They ate the cake, they liked the cake, they had seconds on the cake (which was only allowed because of the low sugar content). This makes me think that we could likely drastically cut the sugar in most cake and cookie recipes and everyone would still enjoy the treats. Why yes I will be testing this theory. And I will share my results with you – one recipe at a time.

One thing to note: The brand of stevia you use in the frosting really does make a difference. Some stevia has a stronger, more bitter taste than others. My family prefers NuNaturals Alcohol-Free Stevia. It’s much less bitter. But no matter what brand you use – if you overdo it, the taste goes from sweet to bitter. A little goes a long way – don’t forget! (More info on stevia here.)

Low Sugar Super Moist Chocolate CakeYum

5.0 from 2 reviews
Low Sugar Super Moist Chocolate Cake (That Doesn't Taste Low Sugar)
 
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Serves: 15
Ingredients
  • 1 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • ½ cup sucanat
  • dash of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 2 eggs
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sucanat, salt, and baking soda.
  2. Set aside. In a saucepan, bring oil, water, and cocoa to a boil.
  3. Pour liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredient mixture.
  4. Stir well.
  5. Add sour cream and eggs, mixing well.
  6. Pour batter into a 9x13 inch baking pan.
  7. Bake in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

Stevia-Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons softened butter
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use about 20 drops)

In a large bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. Add softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and stevia – whipping until well combined and smooth. Spread over cooled cake. Store in refrigerator. Makes about 20 servings.

Low Sugar Super Moist Chocolate Cake

Part of what makes this cake so moist is the use of sour cream. It doesn’t hurt that we use an entire cup of coconut oil. Bring on the healthy fat! You can use regular whole wheat flour if you like, but whole wheat pastry flour (ground from soft white wheat berries) really helps make this cake less dense.

So here’s to this amazing Low Sugar Chocolate Cake. Now we can have our cake and eat it too and not even have a sugar crash afterward. Of course, we will also still be eating our veggies with this lovely side of chocolate. Amen and amen.

Have you tried cutting back on sugar in your diet? Have you found recipes to turn out successfully when you cut the sugar? 

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The Easiest Cheesecake With The Lowest Amount of Sugar

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I push and I push when it comes to eating fruits and veggies. (We call these “freggies,” by the way. I’m determined to get this word into the dictionary. Freggies. Freggies.  Freggies.  Keep saying. Keep writing it. Pass it on. Freggies is a word because we all say so.)

So I highly encourage us to all eat an enormous amount of freggies each day. Our bodies need them and love them. I also encourage us to cut way back on the sugar. Our bodies need us to. Therefore this recipe, and all my recent healthier treat recipes are:

1) Your reward for eating so many freggies.
2) Your opportunity to enjoy a dessert that won’t give you sugar overload.

See, we can have our cake and eat it too. We just need to use wisdom. Sweets are a treat, not a food group.

I encourage you to read:  Breaking Free of Sugar Addiction ~ Should We Be Eating Stevia? for more of my thoughts on this subject. Then, I would like you to file this newest recipe away for the next time you need to make an easy treat to share. It is very low in sugar, but you’ll still be enjoying a rich, delicious treat!

When I posted the recipe for this Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert, several asked, “How can I make this without chocolate?” Ah…very simple. Just leave out the cocoa. And while you’re at it, if you’d like a pumpkin variety of this dessert, you’ll find it here:  Low Sugar Pumpkin Cheesecake

Easiest Cheesecake Recipe

Easy Cheesecake DessertYum

Shortbread Crust:

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat for this)
1/2 cup sucanat (or brown sugar if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups melted butter

Stir flour and sucanat together in a bowl. Add melted butter, combining well. Press mixture into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Cheesecake Filling:

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use 30-40 drops)
2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
Baked and cooled Shortbread Crust

Cream together softened cream cheese, vanilla, and stevia. Set aside. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold in cream cheese mixture until smooth. (I actually throw all ingredients together in my BlendTec and let it do all the work of whipping and blending at the same time.)  Spread mixture over cooled Shortbread Crust. Cover and chill for about two hours until set. Makes about 18 servings.

So freggies first, low sugar cheesecake second. It’s a win-win.

Which of the cheesecake recipes will be your favorite? The plain, the pumpkin, or the chocolate?

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Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert

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Not that you have to wait until Valentine’s Day to make this, but just in case you’re starting to think about hearts and chocolate and treats with the ones you love – I thought you might be interested in this recipe. You should probably make one now, then another early next week, then another on Valentine’s Day. Or would that be considered cheesecake overkill? (Is there such a thing?)

Remember this Chocolate Cheesecake Pie recipe I shared about this time last year? Here’s another similar idea using stevia to lightly sweeten. I also used my Shortbread recipe for the crust this time since I’ve discovered what a great, buttery crust it makes. It does not get any easier than this! (Here are Pumpkin Pie Bars with shortbread crust and Pumpkin Cheesecake with the same crust. Told you I love it.)

chocolate cheesecake
Easy Chocolate Cheesecake DessertYum

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use 30-40 drops)
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Baked and cooled Shortbread Crust

Cream together softened cream cheese, cocoa powder, vanilla, and stevia. Set aside. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold in cream cheese mixture until smooth. (I actually throw all ingredients together in my BlendTec and let it do all the work of whipping and blending at the same time.)  Spread mixture over cooled Shortbread Crust. Cover and chill for about two hours until set. Makes about 18 servings.

Easy Chocolate Cheesecake Dessert

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Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

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Hallelujah, this peanut butter cake has less sugar than most breakfast muffins! This isn’t difficult, of course, because who decided it was a good idea to stir a bunch of sugar, corn syrup, and white flour together and call it “breakfast?” My apologies to all the donuts, poptarts, and poofy-puffs out there who just got their feelings hurt. It’s really not your fault.

Peanut Butter Cake

Indeed, not only do I serve this for desserts or snacks, I have been known to serve it for breakfast.

Now I know what you’re thinking. “This girl makes cake for breakfast all the time!” Okay fine. You caught me. (Other breakfast cake recipes: My Original Breakfast Cake and Pumpkin Breakfast Cake)

We do quite a few breakfast cakes around here, and I keep inventing more ideas. This is because breakfast cakes are easy and filling. My current favorite way to make breakfast is to bake a cake the night before, frost it with stevia sweetened frosting, then wake up to a ready-made meal. Pull out applesauce and fresh berries, and breakfast is served.

Here’s a little known secret about muffin and quick bread recipes: The batter can usually be spread into a 9×13 inch pan and baked into a cake. If you sub out white flour with whole wheat, replace the large amount of white sugar for a smaller amount of sucanat or honey, you have yourself a delicious and fun breakfast.

Serve meat or eggs with your cake if you need additional protein to start your day. Always serve fruit with your breakfast. (Sometimes I’m bossy.)

Low Sugar Peanut Butter CakeYum

Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting
 
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Ingredients
  • ¼ cup butter
  • ¼ cup peanut butter
  • ½ cup sucanat
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, melt together the butter and peanut butter.
  2. Stir melted mixture into the sucanat.
  3. Add eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla.
  4. Mix well, then stir in flour and mix until smooth.
  5. Pour batter into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  6. Bake in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  7. Allow cake to cool before frosting.

Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup natural peanut butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia

Whip together all ingredients until thick and smooth, sweetening with stevia to taste. Spread over cooled cake.

Low Sugar Peanut Butter Cake with Peanut Butter Cream Frosting

Before anyone else can say it, I’m going to. “Did you see how much fat is in that frosting?!?!”

Mm-hmm. If it isn’t obvious to you by now by reading posts from this butter and coconut oil loving girl, it should be very clear to you how important I believe it is to eat plenty of healthy, real fats. Our brains need fat to thrive! (Why yes I have researched this for hours and hours.) It just so happens I’m nourishing my brain by eating this cake with a thick layer of frosting.

The low amount of sugar in this cake (which I cut into 24 pieces, by the way) combined with whole grains and healthy fats makes for a very nourishing treat. In case you’re wondering, the reason I use cream cheese and cream in my stevia sweetened frosting recipes is because when whipped together, those cream products provide bulk (taking the place of three cups of powdered sugar). Also – it’s cream cheese and cream! Does life get any yummier?

So there you go. If you haven’t served cake for breakfast yet, do this. Tell your kids I said, “You’re welcome.”

What’s your breakfast cake status? Tried it yet?

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Low Sugar No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

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One day when I was nibbling on a little piece of lightly sweetened and buttery Shortbread, it occurred to me: This would make a fantastic cheesecake crust. Then one day when I was baking a pumpkin, it occurred to me:  I should use that pumpkin to make pumpkin cheesecake. These were both very, very good ideas, if I do say so myself.

Why a shortbread crust? I’m not sure why, but making a graham cracker crust for cheesecakes always seems like too much work to me. Probably because that was always my job when I was growing up, so now I have deep-seated graham cracker crust baggage from my past. That, and I never have graham crackers on hand and I don’t want to make a batch of homemade Graham Crackers only to crush them for a crust. Seriously, who knew a graham cracker crust could be such cause for discussion that it would take up an entire paragraph when I could just be sharing this great recipe with you?

So Shortbread Crust. I highly recommend it. Stir the three ingredients together, press them onto the bottom of a dish, and bake. You can’t go wrong, especially because this recipe includes lots of butter. That, of course, makes it amazing.

No-Bake Pumpkin CheesecakeYum

Shortbread Crust:

3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground hard white wheat for this)
1/2 cup sucanat (or brown sugar if you prefer)
1 1/2 cups melted butter

Stir flour and sucanat together in a bowl. Add melted butter, combining well. Press mixture into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:

2 8-ounce packages softened cream cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Real maple syrup or liquid stevia to taste (I used 4 droppers full of stevia)

Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over prepared shortbread crust. Spread until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

My system doesn’t handle much sugar any more (which seriously limits my cheesecake eating opportunities, woe is me). Making this simple cheesecake with stevia (a natural sweetener, not a sugar or an artificial sweetener) is a fantastic option. This treat is not super sweet, although you can make it as sweet as you like by simply adding more stevia, maple syrup, or even sugar if you like. Now that I know that stevia makes a cheesecake and shortbread makes a great crust, my cheesecake lovin’ self is happy and my graham cracker crust anxt is minimized.

What is your relationship with the graham cracker crust? You should join me in loving a shortbread crust. Easy, delicious, and full o’ buttah!

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Pumpkin Breakfast Cake with Stevia Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

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If it’s made with whole grain, is low in sugar, includes an entire cup of healthy fat, has 4 eggs, and one of its main ingredients is a vegetable – you can use the words “cake” and “breakfast” in the same title. Of course, nothing is stopping you from using the word “birthday” and “cake” in the same title for this very recipe. After all, who says birthday treats have to be loaded with sugar? I just love that this recipe is healthy and filling enough to be a great breakfast option. I serve this with a side of applesauce and my family loves it!

You might look at this recipe and think that it is surprisingly similar to my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe. That’s because it is.  ;)  I took the recipe, and made it into a cake with a stevia sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting. See? It’s not so hard to be creative in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cake2

Pumpkin Breakfast CakeYum

3 cups whole wheat flour (I used freshly ground hard white wheat)
1/2 cup sucanat
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 eggs
2 cups pureed pumpkin (or one 16 ounce can)
1 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)

Stir together flour, sucanat, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add eggs, pumpkin, and melted coconut oil. Spread batter into a 9×13 inch baking pan. Bake in a 350° oven for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow cake to cool before frosting.

Stevia Sweetened Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Liquid stevia to taste (I use 2 droppers full)

Whip ingredients together until smooth. Spread over cooled Pumpkin Cake. Store in the refrigerator.

As you can imagine, I will be adding some pureed spinach to this cake next time I make it. Why not, right?

Here’s another Breakfast Cake recipe our family loves. Now tell me: What will your family say when you tell them you’re having cake for breakfast?!

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Switching to Whole Food Sweeteners Without Breaking the Bank

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While switching from processed food to nourishing food doesn’t have to be terribly expensive, there’s no way around this one:  White and brown sugar are cheap. Sucanat, real maple syrup, muscovado, honey, and stevia are not cheap. I can get a 2-pound bag of brown sugar at the store for $1.78. Sucanat, on the other hand, is usually $5.00 for 1.5 pounds. Ouch! It’s worth it to buy the good stuff, but it isn’t fun to pay for.

While I don’t have any earth shattering advice about finding fantastic deals on these wholesome sweeteners, I do have some suggestions based on what works for me.

Switching to Whole Food Sweeteners Without Breaking the Bank

1. Stop eating so many sugary desserts.

I know. You’re rolling your eyes. I feel your pain on this one because I’m a recovering sugar addict. Pray about this and let God’s power be your will-power. You don’t have to cut out desserts altogether (unless you feel called to). You simply need to keep sugary foods a treat instead of pouring on the sugar like it’s a food group. You’ll be amazed at how much money you save on sucanat, honey, and maple syrup when you stop eating so much.

2. Cut the sugar in half.

When baking muffins, quick breads, and breakfast bars, I find that half the sugar called for in many recipes (even mine!) works just fine. The baked goods are still sweet and tasty. This saves quite a bit of money on wholesome sugars!

3. Drizzle your syrup.

Dousing your pancakes or waffles in real maple syrup? That’s an expensive breakfast! A little drizzle of rich, flavorful maple syrup goes a long way. It’s also fun to pour a tiny quarter-sized bit of syrup onto your plate, then dip the corner of each bite to sweeten it just a touch.

4. Pull out the cheap stuff when feeding a crowd.

If I’m feeding 40 teenagers, I leave my sucanat in the pantry and pull out the cheap brown sugar. There’s no need to use $6 worth of sucanat when I can use $1.50 worth of brown sugar for a big group of kids who really don’t care about whether or not the brownies were made with organic sugar or not. I certainly don’t mind sharing “the good stuff” with company occasionally, but it just really isn’t worth spending extra money when three pans of dessert are going to be devoured in two minutes. I never compromise on using real butter (instead of margarine), and I always use my freshly ground flour (no one can even tell) – but compromising on sugar? At least it’s actual sugar instead of artificial sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Which leads me to…

At the end of the day…

It’s all sugar.  Sucanat is healthier because it’s processed very little and still contains nutrients. Real maple syrup is straight from the tree. Honey is made by bees and is as natural as it comes. But to our bodies? It’s all sugar. Read this post about Breaking Free of Sugar Addiction for more of my thoughts on this.

This means you may decide that switching to sucanat (and paying the higher price tag) is just not worth it.

I believe the bigger focus needs to be on cutting back on sugar (in all its forms). Focus on filling up on fruits and vegetables instead. You’ll be amazed at how sweet your fruits and vegetables taste when your palate isn’t coated with a cookie.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Which sugars do you choose to purchase and use for your family?

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