Thursday, September 3, 2009

Swerve - the BEST natural sweekener I have found!




I've been doing a lot of research on natural sweeteners on the market and when I came across Swerve, my initial impression was - yet another natural sweetener that requires some tweaking to work into my recipes. WOW was I wrong!

Swerve looks, tastes, and behaves like sugar! And I'm not talking "splenda"-type look/behaviour. When you look at the stuff, you would think it was sugar. The sweetness measures the same as sugar (cup for cup) which is a big attraction since many natural sweeteners require tweaking to get the same amount of sweetness as regular sugar. It has no calories and no bitter aftertaste (unlike Stevia which takes some getting used to).

I was so impressed by first look at Swerve that I decided to test it in several ways to see how it stood up to sugar.

Coffee - I like to have some sweetness in my coffee. It doesn't have to be very sweet but I always need it. Using Swerve in my coffee was just the same as using sugar - same amount for the same sweetness (minus the calories of course!).

Carmelizing - Ok, I KNEW this was pushing it. How could this possibly melt and carmelize like sugar? It was VERY close - so close, that Swerve makes and sells candied pecans that taste like they were made with sugar!

Baking - I decided the biggest test of all would be in baking. I made some muffins and used Swerve in place of the sugar. I was skeptical because heating some of these sugar alternatives (artificial and natural) can cause the properties to change in an undesirable fashion (I recall several years ago pouring an artifical sweetener in my coffee and it just kept losing it's sweetness when it was heated). Success!

Confectioner's sugar - YES - they even make confectioner's Swerve which looked and tasted just like the real thing!

THE BAD: The only drawback I found to Swerve is the price. One pound sells for $13.99 which is quite steep.

Hopefully, as this company gains a foothold, the price will decrease.

Of all the natural sweeteners I have tried, this one was by far, the BEST! If you go to their website, you can even request a sample to try for yourself.

1 comment:

Swerve Sweetener said...

Swerve™ is a remarkable, great-tasting all natural no calorie sweetener and the only one that tastes, measures, cooks and bakes like sugar. Unlike other sugar alternatives, Swerve™ has no bitter aftertaste and has a high digestive tolerance (no laxative effect).

From sweetening your favorite beverage, to use in a wide variety of reduced-calorie and sugar-free foods, Swerve™ is perfect for all your sweetening needs. With a caloric value of zero, Swerve™ is very popular for baking and as a general sweetener for those concerned with calories or blood sugar and insulin levels. It’s perfect for diabetics.

For more information, visit our about Swerve™ Sweetener page, and our frequently asked questions about Swerve™ page.