that nasty sweetener aftertaste
 

Hi Karen,

A friend and I have been experimenting with lc desserts, and we are finding the sweetener aftertaste to be a problem. Both of us are really bothered by it, even in recipes that other people rave about in posts here. I usually use a combination of splenda, sugar twin (from canada) and sometimes da vinci syrups.

Do you have any strategies to cut down on that bitterness? We have noticed that cream seems to cut it really well. For instance, for a party on the weekend I made almond biscotti and key lime pie from the Low Carb Comfort Food cookbook. The key lime pie tasted great, but the biscotti had the strong aftertaste, even though it had less sweetener.

For now I am sticking to desserts with lots of dairy, but would really appreciate any advice you have. thanks! -Sarah

Hmm, I don't think there is any way to combat it, except in the way you pointed out.

My personal preference is a combination of chicolin and stevia. There is no chemical aftertaste, but the full mouth feel of sugar is absent.

When I'm making sweets for guests or at the restaurant, I use a combo of Canadian Sugar Twin and Splenda, but I use half the amount called for. If a recipe says 1 cup Splenda - or sugar - I use 1/4 cup each of Sugar Twin and Splenda.

Karen

OK, I will try combining and reducing the sweeteners like you said and see if that helps. Thanks Karen!

Hi Karen:

That is my favorite as well. I made the mock danish with splenda the first time (so as not to stray from the recipe) and noticed the aftertaste. I also tried the DaVinci syrup with the same effect. I just don't get that with my stevia/chicolin. I also don't get that feeling of "having to have more" with stevia, which I get with splenda.

Is there a "full mouth feel of sugar" with splenda? I'm not really sure what that means, I guess, cause I rarely have it.

I'm kind of excited that such a good cook as yourself prefers stevia. I have a low carb stevia cookbook (I ordered from the US), but haven't made many things with it. The cheesecakes look wonderful though, especially the frozen lime pie. I'm always afraid if I make something, I'll eat the whole thing in one sitting. I forget, that it was the sugar causing the bad eating behaviour.

Are all your desserts "stevia" friendly? I have a conversion chart in my stevia cookbook I can use.

Thanks,
Wanda

Yep! The thing about using artificial sweeteners is you always use them to taste. The provide nothing to the actual "structure" of whatever you are making.

The full mouth feel comes from the combination of Sugar Twin and Splenda. Either by themselves does not have it.

Karen

Karen, is that the same thing as the synergistic sweetness that Dr. Atkins talks about when mixing different sweeteners together?

It is indeed!

Karen

What about the sweetener used in Crystal Light? It has no aftertaste whatsoever!

Stargrrl

Crystal light - as far as I know - is sweetened with aspartame and ace-k. There are a lot of reasons not to consume aspartame, but like anything chemically derived, you'll find the pro-people and the con-people.

Aspartame is also not heat stable so you can't bake with it.

Karen

Thats too bad... I dont know if its just me but I just dont find an aftertast with crystal light whatsoever. They must have done something right! I dont have too much experience with baking although I love to cook (Cooking Light zine I just LOVE) or especially with low carb baking but I am going to be trying a bread recipe I got turned on to here. My in laws have a bread machine so Im taking myself, husband and recipe over there this weekend to give it a try, wish me luck!

Hi Karen,

This is my first post--what a great forum! I've just ordered some of the chicolin and stevia from Canada and was wondering how much of the mixture to use to replace one cup of sugar (or any other amount). The Wolfe Clinic website says 1 tsp. replaces 1 cup of sugar, but that sounds low. Is it correct?

Thanks so much,
Linda

For fattier things like mousses and cheesecakes, you will have to use a bit more than if you were making something with a smaller amount of fat. The beauty is that you can add it to taste as it adds no structure or texture to desserts.

Karen

where do you get the chicolin and stevia
 

Does it come together.
Can you tell me about this stuff

Not as far as I know. If you scroll up to my January 20th post, there's a link to a site that goes into Chicolin and Stevia in full detail.

Karen

There's a stevia product in Ontario that I get from my HFS that mixes stevia and chicory root extract (the ingredient in Chicolin). Nothing else. Go to the following link for more information. It's a longish post (I seem very guilty of that :blush: ), but the info is about 1/2 way down.

Click here
You know, Karen, you just gave me a way to use up my bottle of Chicolin. I forgot I even had it. Thanks.

Wanda