Effects of reducing sugar in cookies
If I want to reduce the amount of sugar (to reduce sweetness) in a cookie recipe, how would that affect the end result (mainly with respect to texture) and what can be done to negate it?
Best Answer
Sugar isn't added to baked goods just to sweeten them: it also does things to the fats and starches to help create the texture. This is related to why some recipes require castor sugar (i.e. very fine crystals) and others do not.
One solution you could experiment with is changing the sugar. Dextrose is noticeably less sweet than cane sugar, for instance, for the same quantity.
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How does reducing sugar affect baking?
Baked goods with sugar (and thus more retained water) tend to be softer, moister, and have better shelf life. The more you reduce sugar (without any other adjustments), the drier and more crumbly your baked goods will be \u2014 and the shorter their shelf life.What happens when sugar is reduced?
Cut added sugar and you could lower calories and body weight, which could improve your cholesterol. But it's not just the weight loss. Even at the same weight as others, people who got less than 20% of their calories from added sugars tended to have lower triglycerides.What happens if you reduce sugar in a cake recipe?
It provides volume and lightens up the texture. Reducing sugar in creamed cakes might make the batter separate slightly, but it's safe to reduce up to 25% of the total sugar content. The cake will be somewhat drier, but the flavour of the butter will shine through! Sponge cakes rely on the aeration of eggs for volume.How do you reduce the sweetness in cookies?
When my chocolate cookie dough was too sweet, I put crushed walnuts and hazelnuts on top of the dough before I baked them, and when they came out of the oven I sprinkled a tiny bit of salt on top of the cookies. This helped tone down the sweetness a lot.REDUCE YOUR SUGAR INTAKE: 10 tips that helped me cut sugar effectively
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Answer 2
Sugar works as a tenderizing agent in baked goods. Since water loves sugar, they bind together, adding a bit of moisture. It's probably ok to reduce the sugar by 1/3 without seriously affecting the end product. You may need to add a little more fat (as a tenderizer). I suggest experimenting with your recipe, reducing the sugar a little at a time until you come up with an acceptable end product.
Answer 3
Sugar will make your cookies more crunchy. If you add less sugar, they will be more crumbly and dry.
Answer 4
they will be softer (less hard) cutting the sugar. i prefer them this way.
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