How to reduce sugar in chocolate chip cookies without losing the texture [duplicate]
I have my chocolate chip cookie recipe which uses a 1 to 1 sugar to flour ratio. The texture is chewy because I under-cook them on purpose. When cooked golden brown they are snappy like the supermarket chocolate chip cookies. (like pepperidge farm)
I'm trying to reduce the sugar in this recipe for taste and health reason. (I know that chocolate chip cookies are not celery and carrots :D )
I reduced the sugar to reach a ratio of 75% sugar to flour ratio. The cookies need more cooking time, and come out bready/cakey.
Here is the final low-sugar recipe for reference (my original recipe is based on the one on the back of the Tollhouse chocolate chip packages):
- 250g butter
- 110g granulated sugar
- 100g brown sugar
- 1 pack vanilla sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 pack of baking soda
- 1 pinch of salt
- 270g flour
- 300g chocolate chips
- Bake 12 minutes at 190°C
My understanding is that the sugar contributes to some kind of caramelization of the cookie, making it chewy/snappy.
Is there a way to substitute the sugar? Change the ingredients ratio so that we still have a not-too-sweet and not-too-unhealthy cookie?
Best Answer
You can toast your sugar. Stella Parks on Serious Eats and in her cookbook Bravetart explains that toasted sugar undergoes thermal decomposition that make a more complex, less sweet flavor and (importantly to your question) is lower in the glycemic index:
Not only does toasted sugar taste less sweet, it has less sucrose, fewer calories, and a lower glycemic index than plain sugar. How much lower would depend on the extent of thermal decomposition
Toast sugar by putting white sugar on a baking sheet in the oven at 300°F for one to five hours. Stir occasionally. You will likely need to place the resulting toasted sugar mass in a food processor to break it up. It can be used 1:1 for the sugar in the original recipe.
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Does reducing sugar in cookies change the texture?
Reducing sugar in cookies compromises their texture, usually quite drastically. Reducing sugar also affects cookies' overall flavor: less-sweet cookies reveal more background flavors, which can be good (butter) or not (bitter cocoa, harsh spices).What happens if you add less sugar to cookies?
We've researched these questions and have found substantial answers to share with you. The best method to reduce sugar in chocolate chip cookie dough recipes is to cut the measurement of sugar by 1/3. The result will be that the cookies are crisp, soft, and spread very little when baking.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.How does sugar affect the texture of cookies?
Granulated sugarUsing granulated white sugar will result in a flatter, crispier and lighter-colored cookie. Granulated sugar is hygroscopic, so it attracts and absorbs the liquid in the dough. This slows down the development of the gluten (flour), which makes the cookies crispier.Chocolate Chip Cookies | How It's Made
More answers regarding how to reduce sugar in chocolate chip cookies without losing the texture [duplicate]
Answer 2
Your best option is to replace the sugar with something which will give similar properties to the sugar. You're best finding a low sugar recipe instead of trying to adapt your current one.
I'm not a huge fan of sweeteners, especially for baking, but honey can be a good alternative. You usually need a lower quantity in weight (it's more sweet) and it tends to give good texture and flavour.
Here is an article about reducing sugar in cakes you may find useful.
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