Replacing Sugar With Maple Syrup In Baked Goods

After successfully eliminating all refined sugar from my diet (you have to constantly read labels because companies change ingredients without you otherwise knowing....) I decided that I wanted to bake with honey, dates, or maple syrup wherever I could.  I wrote about converting recipes to honey here and this post will share the few steps to take when converting recipes to using maple syrup.

Maple Syrup contains antioxidants as well as minerals like zinc & potassium as well as a lower glycemic index, meaning your blood sugar won't spike as much when you eat it.

Maple syrup is similar in sweetness to white sugar.  It is liquid instead of granular, and cooks a bit differently.  All of these factors must be considered when converting a recipe.

Here are the basic guidelines:

1. For every 1/2 cup of sugar, use 1/3 - 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
2. For every 1/4 cup of maple syrup, decrease liquids by 1 Tablespoon. (*if there are no liquids, add 1 scant Tablespoon extra flour per 1/4 cup maple syrup used*)  
3. Reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Make sure to bring refrigerated maple syrup to room temperature prior to incorporating ingredients.

Although maple syrup isn't the perfect solution to all baked goods (the flavor can range from mild to robust), with a little trial and error you'll figure out which items it fits perfectly in!