My favourite Baking Substitute

The wonders of Date syrup

I'v been experimenting with different sugars in my baking.  Having IBS i can't use sweetners as a substitute as its a trigger.  I found adding banana's and dried fruit allows me to reduce the amount of beet/cane sugar I use.  But you end up getting fed up of everything tasting of banana!!!  

Agave syrup makes a great substitute but its really expensive, so I like to keep it for more fancy baking.

While searching the web, i found several recipes for date syrup.  I'v tried them all and came up with my own personal method.

Date Syrup   Makes 1/2 cup

6-8 pitted dates - diced

1/2 cup boiling water

1tsp lemon juice

I pour 1/2 cup of boiling water over the chopped dates and leave it for 30 mins to soften.  Once soft I transfer to my blender and pulse till the mix is smooth.  (Add lemon juice only if you don't plan to use it the same day)

Leave to cool before keeping in an airtight container in the fridge or using to bake.  Using date syrup allows me to reduce the sugar in a recipe to 1 tablespoon per cup of flour.  It works best in recipes that use oil instead of vegan marg or shortening. 

Date syrup is my favourite sugar substitute for biscuits and cookies. It gives cookies a lovely toffee like taste.   Iv used it in cakes with varying results, as sugar is important for the texture of the baked goods.  Best used in loaf type cakes, rather than cupcakes.

Does anyone else have a sugar substitute for baking? xx