Peanut Butter Cups with less sugar?

November 16, 2007 1:13 PM

Can you tweak this Nigella Lawson peanut butter cup recipe to be lower on the glycemic index?

I saw this great recipe online and I was wondering what I could substitute for the sugar without changing the outcome too much.

I'm very sensitive to sugar so I can tell the difference between sugar and honey to my system. So any small change to the glycemic index would be worth the trouble to me.

Turbinado sugar? Honey? Wouldn't honey make the recipe to gooey? Is there another sugar I don't know about that would work?

Have you successfully made sugar substitutes in a candy recipe like this?

posted by cda to Food & Drink (18 answers total)

splenda for the sugar would do loads. Its a no bake recipe, so it shouldn't affect much as far as texture goes.
posted by stormygrey at 1:16 PM on November 16, 2007

Sugar is a structural ingredient so it's tough to make a direct substitute for it without remaking the recipe from scratch. Based on this Splenda thread I think you might be able to use it to replace some or all of the sugar. Peanut butter doesn't get light and airy like cake does.
posted by GuyZero at 1:17 PM on November 16, 2007

Snap!
posted by GuyZero at 1:17 PM on November 16, 2007

You could also substitute the milk chocolate or plain chocolate for dark chocolate. IMHO that would taste better anyway.
posted by arha at 1:20 PM on November 16, 2007

The powdered sugar in the recipe acts both as a sweetener and as a binding agent for the peanut butter.

If you want to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe, I'd take roasted unsalted peanuts and swizz them in the food processor to make very fine crumbs. This'll provide you with the binding agent action you need. Mix with the peanut butter (for softer consistency) and sweetener to your taste to get the peanut base. You'll achieve the same effect without the nasty sugar cankers.

Just a suggestion.
posted by LN at 1:22 PM on November 16, 2007

I think a darker chocolate for the top would bring down the glycemic hit--using all dark chocolate instead of milk and semi-sweet. And if there's a way to substitute agave syrup (11) for the sugar (75), that would help too, but that's a serious change to the recipe and would involve some testing. Which would no doubt affect glycemic levels in its own way.
posted by cocoagirl at 1:25 PM on November 16, 2007

Yeah, to pile on here, you could use a bitter chocolate couverture (like this as opposed to Baker's bitter which is mediocre) and just-peanuts peanut butter, which would cut out some of the indirect sugar content without affecting the taste very much. It would probably taste better IMO.
posted by GuyZero at 1:27 PM on November 16, 2007

There's a 50/50 Splenda/Sugar blend for baking out there, available in most supermarkets. If the 100% splenda move doesn't work, you could try that one next.

Also, don't use JIF or any other processed peanut butter. Go for the 'smooth' naturals, which don't have added sugar. Perhaps a different nut butter? My local co-op has many kinds...
posted by unixrat at 1:29 PM on November 16, 2007

Regular Splenda, not the baking mix, will work fine here. (The baking mix would too.) Most of the structure of the bottom comes from the peanut butter, and some from the powdered sugar. A little cornstarch to thicken it if necessary. As for chocolate, use a bitter chocolate and if desired sweeten it with some Splenda. This is still a very unhealthy treat given all the fat, especially the saturated fats in the butter.
posted by caddis at 1:45 PM on November 16, 2007

use a natural peanut butter with no sugar, and reduce the amount of sugar you use (or use a splenda blend). the sugar here is just for flavor, not structure, so you could use as much or as little as you want. i wouldn't use honey or agave nectar here--it probably wouldn't set properly.

also, i would skip the milk chocolate and just use bittersweet, which should have less sugar (use good stuff, not hershey's).
posted by thinkingwoman at 2:30 PM on November 16, 2007

Do you ever use agave syrup? It's supposed to be lower on the glycemic index than honey or sugar. I've tried it in tea and whatnot, but never in actual cooking, so I can't vouch for its bake-worthiness.
I'm sensitive to sugar as well, but I still haven't been able to find out why (not diabetic).
posted by fructose at 2:35 PM on November 16, 2007

There's a peanut-free peanut butter type stuff made with brown peas of some sort, perhaps that has a lower GI than regular peanut butter... I can't remember what it's called though, and I can't really vouch for the taste either.
posted by glip at 2:52 PM on November 16, 2007

I don't know shit about glycemic index but Dates are a natural sweetener that also work as a binding agent.

Also, I've used Agave nectar countless times as a sweetener--I've never baked it but I have dehydrated it. The problem of course is that it's a wet sweetener and sugar's dry. I don't think it's what you're looking for. Stevia in a powder form might work but I can't say for sure.
posted by dobbs at 3:07 PM on November 16, 2007

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. That's just what I was looking for.

I do want to preserve the texture of the peanut butter part so I was wondering about the powdered sugar being a binding agent.

I may try putting Splenda in the blender to make it like powdered sugar. (If I don't find powdered Splenda at the store.) And I'll try cornstarch and peanut powder too.
posted by cda at 4:23 PM on November 16, 2007

i don't know anything about splenda, but you can definitely powder natural granulated sugars such as succanat or turbinado in a powerful enough blender, they have the same texture as powdered sugar afterwards.
posted by lgyre at 7:59 PM on November 16, 2007

As someone mentioned above, if you don't get the proper consistency in the cups, try some cornstarch. Powdered sugar usually has cornstarch mixed in (to keep it powdery, if memory serves?), so you may need to toss a bit in if you omit the powdered sugar as an ingredient.
posted by the luke parker fiasco at 11:15 PM on November 16, 2007

You can also use fructose powder instead of sugar.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:46 AM on November 17, 2007

Nthing all those who called for bittersweet chocolate - the higher the cocoa content, the less sugar. A good 85% cocoa content is heaven.

I cook exclusively with stevia and dates. For no-bake recipes, I've had pretty good luck blending dates thoroughly, adding a bit of cornstarch to dry the mixture out, and then doing a straight substitution for half the called for sugar. Then I would try first adding the second half as a stevia extract powder, following the proportional guidelines (I use the KAL brand, and one teaspoon equals one cup of sugar). If that didn't work right (usually too much textural difference), I would try to flesh out the volume of the stevia using powdered milk.

Stevia does not taste the same as sugar - that's why I use dates - they have natural sugars (and loads of fiber) in them, and they balance out the potential bitterness of the stevia.

The recipe sounds good - I'll try it out too. Let us know what you choose to do!
posted by dirtmonster at 5:30 AM on November 17, 2007