Many are searching for sugar substitutes • TRUVIA, an American sweetener, has arrived in the Israeli market • Maya Darin tested how it fits into baking

• Tahini Cookies

Every natural product is superior to industrial material, no matter what big and constricted promises the packaging promises. And this time Sugar, the number one public enemy who shares the same fate as Sodium. Its consumption should be significantly reduced and reduced, but until such a miracle happens there are alternative ways of dealing with the sector.

First, the sugar can be replaced with healthier natural sweeteners for the body such as natural maple, natural silane, but also in this case be careful and reduce the amount of consumption. Brown sugar, cane sugar, honey are derivatives of sugar and their effect on the body is similar.

The great difficulty with all kinds of sugar substitutes, including natural ones, is all about baking. In these cases it is very difficult to take the reins in your hands and decide on converting the sugar in the pastry with natural syrup as great as it is because the chemical reaction of these ingredients is different and creates a completely different pastry.

For the growing healthy baking world, a host of dedicated sugar substitutes are being produced. Most are designed to save calories, some are aimed at the population of diabetics and few are actually engraving the holistic health flag on their flag.

Truvia's brand new product series is hybrid because it is based on a mix of sugars that does make the calorie-reduced intervention very sweet and acts like sugar for anything in the sense of baking.

The fine print

We must not fall into the marketing bin that accompanies the launch of the product and its introduction into the Israeli market. In the bag with the name brown sugarcane mix with erythritol and stibiol glycosides, there is still 55 percent of simple sugar, however brown.

Whatever Stevia itself has no caloric value, that's true, but from the label reading we don't know for sure what percent of Stevia is in the compound, as it is listed together with Erythritol without indication how many percent of each is in the mixture.

True, the growing stevia plant in South America is a natural, low-calorie sweetener. But as long as it is marketed with other sugars, it is necessary to check with tzits whether the promises made by the packaging are fulfilled by reading the list of ingredients and nutritional notation.
For those who only care about saving calories there may be a point in the new products, but not beyond. For these, I converted my favorite recipe and used one of the brand's products. The result was delicious and good but, as mentioned, health from it onwards.

Tahini cookies, chocolate and peanut butter

List of components for about 30 cookies
1 cup full spelled flour
¾ A cup of plain flour
⅓ teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon of baking soda
80 g butter at room temperature
1/4 cup (15 g) brown cane sugar mixture with erythritol and cesetibiol glycosides
½ cup fine raw tahini
2 tablespoons of peanut butter
1 egg
1 yolk
100-150 grams of small chopped dark chocolate / chocolate chips

Instructions
Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line 2 molds in baking paper.
In a mixer bowl with a guitar hook put all the ingredients and mix to a uniform mass
Make small balls about 4 cm in diameter
Place the cookies on the pan in small spaces and bake for about 9-12 minutes until the cookies are slightly stabilized.
Note that after baking the cookies remain soft, do not worry, they will settle when cooled. Therefore, it is advisable to leave them in the mold until completely cold.