28 March 2014

Baking With Sweet Freedom

This week has been quite a tough one at work. On the weekend I was in the mood to bake some things to get me through the long hours ahead, and as I have given up refined sugar for lent, I needed a reliable sugar substitute to use. So, when browsing some of the blogs I follow, I was prompted by a few of the recipes on Gemsmaquillage to try out Sweet Freedom – an all natural sugar free syrup.

Sugar free syrups usually ring alarm bells in my head. I think of chemicals and weird things that aren't any better for me than actual sugar. But Sweet Freedom is made from 100% fruit, and I was pleased to see there were only three ingredients listed: apples, grapes & carob.

It tastes just like normal syrup, but with a fruity sweetness, and I like it. I made Joy the Baker's browned butter blueberry muffins and these 5 ingredient granola bars (replacing the sugar and honey with Sweet Freedom) and they both turned out really well.

The muffins were especially good. I really couldn't tell they had been made with a sugar substitute. They were just as soft, fluffy and flavoursome as regular muffins and I will definitely be making them again.

At £2.99 a bottle, Sweet Freedom isn't as cheap or long lasting as a bag of sugar, and I think I'll reserve it for a topping for my pancakes or porridge in future. However, considering it's all natural and impossible to taste the difference in baked goods, it's definitely a repurchase for me, and I'd recommend it to anyone trying to cut down on refined sugar who still wants a sweet treat with their morning (or afternoon) coffee. Have you tried Sweet Freedom before? What are your go to sugar substitutes in baking? You can find out more about Sweet Freedom here.
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11 comments

  1. Ahh these muffins look so goos..amazing they're sugar-free! I haven't tried this before but then again I don't do too much baking, but I guess it can be used for all sorts! Thanks for sharing. Danielle x

    frontière girl

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    1. They were just like normal muffins, I swear, and Joy the Baker is such a fantastic blog with the best recipes :)
      N xo

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  2. This sounds amazing and they look absolutely delicious! I am a bit of a baking novice, but I use sugar substitutes in general so this looks great for cooking with xxxxx


    www.jesscaedmunds.com

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    1. Definitely recommend, Jessica. I just wish the bottles were a bit bigger for £2.99!
      N xo

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  3. Cool, I've never heard of this before - but always interested to hear about natural sugar-free alternatives! Those muffins look scrumptious :)

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    1. I'm surprised it even exists, I always thought sugar free things were bad bad bad!
      N xo

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  4. We always use maple syrup, agave syrup or honey at home. This sounds great too. But I find it quite strange that it says 'low in fructose' because that's basically the sugar we only find in fruits :)
    The muffins look gorgeous!

    Sofie x
    Little green Sofie

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    1. That's a point. I wonder why it says that? Hmm. I'll have to do some reading :)
      N xo

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  5. I've been attempting to give up refined sugar for a while now and this looks perfect! I've tried to use sugar substitutes to bake sugar free cakes etcetera but none have worked (except for a lemon drizzle which I am posting about soon) - this sounds perfect! How exactly do you replace the sugar with this syrup? Cup measurements would stay the same I'm sure, but how would you go about using the syrup in a recipe where the sugar is measured in grams? Thanks Naomi!

    Emma x | Reverie Lane

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    1. It is the best sugar replacement I have found so far and I recommend you try it, it is especially good with pancakes!
      With the measurements, I have an electric set of scales so I simply put the mixing bowl on the scale, click on the grams setting and squeeze the sweet freedom into the bowl until the weight comes to about 80g (if the recipe requires 100g sugar, for example). I'm not sure if that's how you're supposed to do it but it seems to work OK for me!
      Naomi xo

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  6. Great post on "Baking With Sweet Freedom". As a professional chef i have to appreciate your work. Keep Posting useful posts like this. Keep in touch with my websites- chef colleges dubai | chef courses dubai

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