In order of sweetness, there are five sugars you should be familiar with: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, and lactose. They range in sweetness from the highest, fructose, or fruit sugar, to the lowest, lactose, or milk sugar. Sucrose is made from sugar cane or sugar beets and is our common table sugar. Maltose is derived from barley and other grains and is primarily associated with brewing. It also occurs when glucose caramelizes.
Other sources of sugar used in cooking are honey, maple syrup, molasses, sorghum (like molasses, but from an African grain), and corn syrup. Corn syrup is mostly glucose and therefore less sweet than honey or table sugar. If you think of the slave trade, you might remember the problems caused by the New World’s desire for sugar.
Molasses is a less refined liquid derived from sugar cane or sugar beets. Brown sugar is made by adding 1 to 3 tablespoons of molasses to regular white sugar. I never buy brown sugar again, but I keep molasses on hand and add more or less to get the light or dark brown sugar called for in a recipe. That way I don’t have to deal with that rock solid brown sugar cube in my pantry.
Honey is also a sweetener that can be used in place of sugar. It is natural and although it can crystallize, it will never go bad. You can use 2/3 cup honey (or maple syrup) plus ¼ cup flour as a substitute for 1 cup white granulated sugar. When baking with honey, reduce the heat twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit and cook a little longer. Honey also tends to darken the final product more than if you use white sugar. Since I often have honey on hand, I use an equal portion of honey instead of corn syrup, when a recipe calls for corn syrup.
Powdered or confectioner’s sugar is very fine granulated white sugar. You can do it yourself by putting regular sugar in a coffee grinder. It is useful for icings and icings, where it is important that it dissolves quickly. Keep in mind that store-bought powdered sugar has an anti-caking agent added to it. Check to see, but that agent is most likely cornstarch or wheat flour. You can use ½ cup of honey plus 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar as a substitute for 1 cup of powdered sugar.
If you really want to cut down on the granulated sugar in a recipe, replace half of it with nonfat dry milk and increase the overall sweetness by adding fruit, like raisins. To add sweetness without adding calories, consider doubling the amount of extract you use in your baking.
The obesity problem is often linked to high fructose corn syrup, which is used in many soft drinks and foods. Corn syrup used in baking is made from corn and is a glucose, while high fructose corn syrup introduces protein and creates a syrup that is a bit sweeter. Because white sugar costs more and corn is subsidized by the government, American food manufacturers prefer to use this corn derivative to sweeten foods.
The sugar substitutes mentioned here are the most commonly used sweeteners that are readily available in grocery stores. Chemical substitutes like saccharin or aspartame and more natural sweeteners like agave and stevia are substitutes that will require further examination.