Baking With Stevia

Wonderful White Chocolate Chip-Cherry Cookies Serving Size: 2 cookies. Total Servings: 13 (26 cookies) (excerpted from Sensational Stevia Desserts by Lisa Jobs)

2 large eggs
3/4 tsp. stevia extract (minimum to add, add more based on sweetness preference)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups unbleached flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened dried cherries
1/2 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° F. Place parchment paper on two cookie sheets. Beat eggs, stevia and vanilla extract with electric mixer. Add butter and blend well (The mixture will not "cream" as it does in traditional sugar recipes, rather the butter will be separate from the eggs. However, it will incorporate when dry ingredients are added.).

Sift flour, baking powder and salt, then add half to egg mixture. Mix well. Add the balance of the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Dough will be thick. Process dried cherries in food processor until in large bits. Fold chips and cherries into dough mixture.

Shape into 1 1/4" balls and press down with hand until about 2" flat onto baking sheets. Bake for 10 to12 minutes or until bottom of cookie becomes slightly browned. Cool on wire racks.

photo credit: creative commons

(Excerpted from Stevia: Naturally Sweet Recipes for Desserts, Drinks and More!, Book Publishing Company by Rita DePuydt )

8 servings

Filling:

7 to 8 cups chopped apples (peeling is optional)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 to 1 1/2 tsp powdered stevia leaf or 1/2 tsp powdered stevia extract
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
3 tbsp natural peanut butter (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup apple juice or blend

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped nuts and seeds
1/4 tsp powdered stevia extract
3/4 tsp stevia concentrate
2 tablespoons oil

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13" baking dish.

Place the apples in a large mixing bow. Stir in the lemon juice. Mix the vanilla, stevia leaf or stevia extract, flour, peanut butter (if using), cinnamon, and salt into the apples.

Pour the fruit juice into the bottom of the dish. Spoon in the apple mixture.

Mix the oats, chopped nuts and seeds, stevia extract, and stevia concentrate together in a bowl. Sprinkle and stir in the oil. Spread the topping over the apples so it is evenly distributed.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. If the topping gets done before the apples, cover pan with foil the last 15 minutes of baking.

Option: Topping substitute: 1 1/2 cups of granola. Mix 1/2 cup of the granola into the apples, and spread the rest on top. No need to add stevia sweetener or oil from topping recipe above - granola already has sweetener and oil.

photo credit: mewifemommy.blogspot.com

(Excerpted from Stevia: Naturally Sweet Recipes for Desserts, Drinks and More!, by Rita DePuydt, Book Publishing Company )

10 servings

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
6 ounces crushed pineapple with juice (one 8-ounce can)
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp powdered stevia extract
3 tbsp date sugar
2 eggs, warmed to room temperature and beaten
1/3 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup soymilk or milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp maple flavoring
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups grated carrots

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
2 tbsp soy flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil an 8 to 9-inch springform pan or a 6 x 10-inch cake pan.

Soak the coconut in the pineapple and juice. Use all the juice from an 8-ounce can of pineapple but only 6 ounces of the pineapple. Set aside.

Soften and cream the butter in a large mixing bowl. Cream in the stevia extract and the date sugar. Gradually cream in the beaten eggs. Don't worry if the butter separates.

Thin the yogurt with the soymilk or milk and add to the butter mixture. Mix in the vanilla and maple flavoring. Stir in the walnuts, the coconut-pineapple mixture and the carrots.

Sift the flours, leavenings, cinnamon, and salt together twice in a separate bowl.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended. The batter will be stiff.

Spoon the batter into the cake pan, and bake for 1 hour. Cool in the pan.

Release the pan and top with Cream Cheese Frosting (following).

Cream Cheese Frosting

(1 cup)

8 ounces soft cream cheese
2 tbsp soymilk or milk
1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
Finely grated rind of ½ lemon
1/3 tsp to ½ tsp powdered stevia extract (to taste)
1 tbsp honey

Soften the cream cheese with the milk in a bowl. Beat in the lemon juice, lemon rind, stevia extract, and honey. Whip until thoroughly blended and creamy.

photo credit: bubbling-caldron.blogspot.com