Stevia is a type of no-calorie sweetener sold under the name brands of Truvia, PureVia and SweetLeaf. It is estimated to be 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia does not have an effect on blood sugar levels and can be used in sweets if you are watching your calorie or sugar intake. It is a heat stable sweetener and can be used in baking.
Features
Only use the purified forms of stevia in baking, known as Rebaudioside A, or Reb A. Whole leaf extracts of stevia have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as sweetener. These formulations are instead sold in natural food stores as a dietary supplement. Refined stevia appears on the Generally Recognized as Safe list provided by the Food and Drug Administration.
Size
The most important thing to remember about baking with stevia is that you must use the correct conversions to make your desserts taste delicious. If you use the same amount of stevia as sugar in a recipe, your baked dessert is likely to be inedible. For instance, if the recipe calls for 1 tbsp. sugar, only use 1 ¼ tsp. stevia. Buying stevia in bulk containers will make measurements easier during cooking. Measuring out half or three-quarters of a stevia packet can be trickier than using teaspoon and tablespoon measurements.
Considerations
For cookies, cakes, muffins and brownies, you should still use a portion of sugar in the recipe. Sugar will help the baked goods brown evenly and also keep the structure intact. At a minimum, you should leave ¼ cup of sugar and then replace the rest of the sugar in the recipe with stevia.
Usage
You can make powdered sugar out of stevia as a topping for your baked pies and cakes. Add 1 tbsp. corn starch and eight packets of a stevia sweetener together in a bowl. Place mixture in a blender and mix for two to three minutes before placing on top of your desserts. A cornstarch and stevia blend can also be placed along with fruit for pie fillings.
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