Using agave in place traditional sugars in recipes is a snap to do, but it does take a little know-how. We have a few quick tips to aide you in your baking adventures to make sure each and every treat hits the sweet spot without any let down.
Agave isn't a difficult ingredient to add to your pantry and won't crystallize (like honey), making it have a ridiculously long shelf life. Agave is easy enough to interchange in sauces, drinks or stir frying, but baking can be a bit more difficult. The presence of sugar in a recipe does many scientific things, so using agave as a substitution can be a bit of a balancing act. Here's some of the guidelines we use in our own kitchen when it comes to switching in some of this sugar alternative:
• To Reduce or Add?: There are two schools of thought when it comes to the other ingredients in a recipe when agave is substituted. You can either reduce your liquid or add more starch or flour. Our personal theory is to reduce sugar and alter the liquid ingredients before adding additional starches to the mix. We only add starches when the amount of liquid in the recipe can't be subtracted or added without a drastic change in taste (addition of liquors/fruit juices or the need to reduce out all of your liquid). Here's a basic rule of thumb to go by:
· Honey: Replace with equal amounts.
· Maple Syrup: Replace with equal amounts.
· Brown Rice Syrup: Use half as much agave + (up to) 1/2 cup liquid
· Corn Syrup: Use half as much agave + (up to) 1/3 cup liquid
· White Sugar: For every 1 cup sugar called for use 2/3 cup agave minus 1/4 cup liquid.
· Brown Sugar: For every 1 cup sugar called for, use 2/3 cup agave minus 2 tablespoons liquid.
The best rule of thumb is to make the recipe in question once before making substitutions to it. That will allow you to see the texture of the batter/dough/mixture — allowing you to add or subtract liquid/starch as needed and with confidence.
• Mix With Liquid or Fat First: Although agave is a great substitution in baked goods, if it's not added in properly, the results can be a little—well off. A crust or oily layer can form on top of your sweet treats if it's not first combined with the liquids or fats in your recipe. Make sure you get your goods into the oven or refrigerator pronto after your dough/batter is combined to keep the suspension at its best.
• Reduce Your Oven Temperature By 25°: Baking with agave yields great results, but it also browns faster than traditional sugars. Decrease your oven by 25°s and all should be well, with quick breads, you can also tent your pan with foil to keep the browning away until you're ready for it!
• Parchment Paper Is Your Friend: Agave goods can be a little on the sticky side. We're not talking marshmallow sticky, but using parchment paper to make your goods easy to release is a good thing. Most of the extra sticky will go away with contact to air for a few minutes, so remove your goods and pull parchment away from sides and allow to "breathe" for a few minutes before slicing or wrapping for storage.
• On Cakes & Cookies: Although you can replace 100% of the sugars in many baked goods, when it comes to cookies and cakes, we tend to only substitute a partial amount for the best tasting product. You can of course go ahead and substitute the whole amount, but we prefer to create products that still taste like they haven't had any alterations to them.
· Cakes: Replace 1/2 of the sugars with agave
· Cookies: Replace 1/3 of the sugars with agave
· Brownies: Replace: Replace 1/2 of the sugars with agave
· Bars With Fruit: Replace 2/3 of the sugars with agave (100% if it's fresh fruit)
You can read up more on using agave in assorted dishes if you'd like (the more you know the more you grow), make sure to check out All About Agave, Volcanic Nectar, eHow and Wikipedia.
• Related: Recipe: Low Sugar, High Protein, Dairy Free Smoothie
(Image: Flickr member Kelly Sue licensed for use by Creative Commons. The cupcakes and frosting were both made with agave)
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So I gather the reason for using agave in place of sugar is an effort to be that much closer to having a finished product that is all natural? I do know that it is not a dietary aid. So for any counting calories, please know that agave actually has more calories than sugar. Your advice to use in moderation seems wise, taking the added calories into consideration. Does anyone out there have tips on successfully using the stevia sweetener? It has no calories and I'd love to learn how to cook with it.
Teacherteacher: You are correct, agave does have more calories than regular sugar, though you don't use it in equal proportions very often, so often times the reduction of the product is enough to counteract that.
The main reason it's used in our home is to lower blood sugar spikes after it's consumption. Agave won't make you drag mid afternoon the same way eating a standard cupcake at lunch might.
I finally bought some this weekend at WF at I have to say that it tastes really good. We plan to use it in place of honey or syrup.
This is perfect for diabetics. Agave is delicious.
I might also add it's a good fit for those eating a vegan meal plan. Traditional sugar comes in contact with animal bones (one of those things it's best not discussed) and agave eliminates that from their diet!
teacherteacher, agave was something my Dad was looking at as a sugar substitute because his doc told him he should try to eat things that rank better (I can never remember if higher or lower is better, oops) on the glycemic index. It won't cause a spike in blood sugar like table sugar does so it's better for you, or so the thinking goes.
Besides, being more flexible in your cooking techniques is never a bad idea.
Just google "is agave bad?" or even "is agave good?" before you use it. ;) There has been a fair amount of research on agave, and it's not pretty.
Don't be fooled folks, this stuff in large amounts is not good for you. Loaded with carbs and very processed. It's processed more than HFCS. Stick with natural stuff like honey, maple syrup, date sugar or unprocessed sugar. Sugar in all forms really isn't good for you!
I've had personal experience with agave messing me up so I researched it.
Agave has more fructose (90%) compared to the small amount of glucose (10%), but that's not necessarily healthier. Why not just eat fewer or smaller cookies or cupcakes? If you're sensitive to sugars, don't eat any.
Fructose is metabolized by your liver, just like caffeine or alcohol.
I just wanted to mention that although yes, honey does crystallize, it's easy to bring it back to its liquid form (simply simmer it in warm water), and that honey has an indefinite life-span. There's no reason to toss honey in the trash if it's crystallized.
Agave is for people who cant eat sugar. Like me. Its not about being healthy. Its about eating what doesnt make you sick.
While it's true that fructose doesn't imediately become blood sugar like glucose does, that doesn't mean it's better for you than glucose. The amount of fructose in most fruits is fine for the body to handle. Easy. But the amount of fructose in agave is very high (at more than 90%) and the liver has no choice but to turn it straight into fat and send it out as free triglycrides into your bloodstream, making agave a worse risk for heart disease than even regular sugar.
In addition, it circumvents your appetite regulation system leaving you unsatisfied and craving more sugar throughout the day.
New eveidence is even implying that cancer cells readily use fructose to proliferate.
I.E. it's starting to look like fructose (and therefore agave) is even worse for you than regular sugar. Start learning to love stevia and learning which sugar alcohols work best with your system if you have to eat sweet things. For instance, powdered erithritol is becoming more readily available for baking and it's fine for your blood sugar, doesn't get turned into fat and is even good for your teeth.