The Good Stuff Simple Swaps – Every Wednesday I share a new Good Stuff Simple Swap, one simple change that helps clean up your everyday eats without overhauling your whole pantry. You can find all the swaps here!
Refined sugar is highly processed and basically just adds sweetness. It’s used everywhere-from baked goods to sauces-but it doesn’t bring much else to the table. Many home cooks choose to swap in real sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, which are minimally processed, flavorful, and easy to use in both everyday and special recipes.
Why Use Honey or Maple Syrup
Honey and maple syrup are incredibly versatile. We use them in all sorts of ways:
- Smoothies, cereal, or yogurt
- Baking muffins- like our mini muffins-pancakes, or cookies
- Drizzling on toast, biscuits, or oatmeal
- Sweetening sauces, dressings, and glazes. We love it in our Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce!
When swapping for sugar in recipes, a simple rule of thumb is to use 1/2 to 2/3 cup of honey or maple syrup for every cup of sugar and slightly reduce the liquid in the recipe to keep the texture right.
Other natural sweeteners we use sometimes include:
- Coconut sugar
- Dates or date sugar
- Maple sugar (great for flavor, but used sparingly)
Supporting Local Honey
If you want to support local beekeepers while getting fresh, flavorful honey, here are a few local favorites we enjoy:
- Brauns Bee Farm
- Dues Honey
- Moorman Bee Farm
- Rindler Honey Farm
Using real sweeteners allows you to enjoy sweet flavors without relying entirely on
Be sure to check out all of the past The Good Stuff Simple Swaps!
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