In order of sweetness, there are five sugars you should be familiar with: fructose, sucrose, glucose, maltose, and lactose. They range in sweetness from the highest, fructose, or fruit sugar, to the lowest, lactose, or milk sugar. Sucrose is made from sugar cane or sugar beets and is our common table sugar. Maltose is derived from barley and other grains and is most associated with brewing beer. It also occurs when glucose caramelizes.
Other sources of sugar used for cooking include honey, maple syrup, molasses, sorghum (like molasses, but from an African grain), and corn syrup. Corn syrup is primarily glucose and therefore less sweet than honey or table sugar. If you think of the slave trade, you may remember the problem caused by the New World craving for sugar.
Molasses is a less refined liquid derived from cane sugar or sugar beets. Brown sugar is made by adding 1-3 tablespoons of molasses back to plain white sugar. I never buy brown sugar anymore, but I have molasses on hand and add more or less to get the light or dark brown sugar that is required in a recipe. That way I don’t have to deal with that rock solid lump of brown sugar in my pantry.
Honey is also a sweetener that can be used in place of sugar. It is natural and although it can crystallize, it never spoils. You can use 2/3 cup honey (or maple syrup) plus 1/4 cup flour as a substitute for 1 cup white granulated sugar. When baking with honey, reduce the heat to twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit and cook a little longer. Honey also tends to darken the final product more than if you use white sugar. Since I usually have honey on hand, I use an equal portion of honey instead of corn syrup, when a recipe calls for corn syrup.
Powdered or confectionery sugar is very fine granulated white sugar. You can make it yourself by putting plain sugar in a coffee grinder. It is useful for frosting and frosting, where rapid dissolution is important. Note that store-bought powdered sugar has an anti-caking agent added. Check to see, but that agent is probably cornstarch or wheat flour. You can use ½ cup of honey plus 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar as a substitute for 1 cup of powdered sugar.
If you really want to cut down on granulated sugar in a recipe, replace half with skim milk powder and increase the overall sweetness by adding fruits, such as raisins. To add sweetness without adding calories, consider doubling the amount of extract you use in baking.
The obesity problem is often related to high fructose corn syrup, which is used in many sodas and foods. Corn syrup used in baking is made from corn and is a glucose, while high fructose corn syrup introduces protein and creates a syrup that is slightly sweeter. Because white sugar costs more and the government subsidizes corn, American food manufacturers prefer to use this derivative of corn to sweeten foods.
The sugar substitutes mentioned here are the most commonly used sweeteners that are readily available in grocery stores. Chemical substitutes like saccharin or aspartame and more natural sweeteners like agave and stevia are substitutes that will require further scrutiny.
