Baking with Less Sugar: Recipes for Desserts Using Natural Sweeteners and Little-to-No White Sugar

by Joanne Chang, Joseph Deleo (Photographer)

Recipes for mouthwatering desserts with minimal refined sugar from the James Beard Award–winning pastry chef and author of Flour.   Trust Joanne Chang—beloved author of the bestselling Flour and a Harvard math major to boot—to come up with this winning minus the sugar = plus the flavor. The sixty-plus recipes here are an eye-opener for anyone who loves to bake and wants to cut back on the sugar. Joanne warmly shares her secrets for playing up delicious ingredients and using natural sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, and fruit juice. In addition to entirely new go-to recipes, she’s also revisited classics from Flour and her lines-out-the-door bakeries to feature minimal refined sugar. More than forty mouthwatering photographs beautifully illustrate these revolutionary recipes, making this a must-have book for bakers of all skill levels.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Reference, Health, Food and Drink

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 21, 2015

About the author

Joanne Chang is the chef-owner of Flour Bakery in Boston. She has a degree in applied mathematics and economics from Harvard University and was a pastry chef at Payard Patisserie and Mistral. She lives in Boston. Christie Matheson is the author and co-author of several books, including Salty Sweets. She lives in San Francisco. Keller + Keller are Boston-based food and lifestyle photographers."

Reviews

[lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been baking since I was a little girl because my mother refused to buy any sugary foods. So I feel pretty familiar with sugar, and I understand that it's not so great to eat. Since limiting it from our diets my husband and I have been in much better moods and have more even energy, since we aren't crashing and burning from our dead sugar rushes constantly. That being said, my mother's lesson exists in my life to this day, and I am loathe to buy sugary products, even though I have a sweet tooth that won't quit, despite my years-long loyalty to the South Beach Diet. This means I have to make most of my sugary treats, which I do, in small batches. I try my best to use recipes with the least amount of sugar, and I am constantly trying recipes that pop up on vegan blogs, since they usually try to use other kinds of sweetener (and I refuse to use Splenda or the like in my baking!). I have thought about replacing white sugar with other kinds of sweetener, such as honey, but I never have since I couldn't be sure it wouldn't completely change the taste and texture of what I was baking, and I am not bold enough to experiment with the proportions on my own. I was therefore thrilled when I saw this book, and hounded the MSS ladies until they agreed to purchase it for the library.

I was not so thrilled when I looked at the first pages, and saw that the author had included a long list of reasons why sugar is used in baking. To hold up egg whites for example, and to keep too much gluten from forming. It all made perfect sense, so then I was questioning why we would even do away with sugar in the first place. Then I looked at the recipes, and I was even less thrilled. Most of them have very limited sugar, which is awesome, but they make up for the calories, richness and flavor by adding in a ton of heavy cream to almost every recipe. I went back to the list of reasons why sugar works so well in baking and I realized that in order to keep up with the chemistry of baking, extra fat has to come in somewhere, so the question becomes do I want extra fat calories, or extra sugar calories? I haven't quite made up my mind yet, but this book made me realize there is a reason why I can't just replace sugar in baking, and why the vegan treats I make with applesauce and maple syrup lack a certain something. I give it 2 stars for that, but I am hesitant to try any recipes in this book due to the multiple cups of heavy cream I would need to make a single recipe. I guess I have to try again to kick my darn sweet tooth.

[Susan Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great low sugar recipes

I like ideas using low or no sugar. I use coconut sugar as a direct replacement for white sugar and haven't seen any problems. Great book for healthier alternatives to sweeties.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. Beautifully photographed and designed, but most of these recipes are too complex for me.

[Carolyn Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because the concept was super cool. I never got a chance to use it so might update later.

[Isabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lovely (visually) book as one expects from Chronicle, but printed in China??? really Chronicle, did you have to do that? It would otherwise have gone on my wish to purchase list. Even though I just said it is a lovely book, the style is a bit too studied. It didn't quite strike true.

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tried the Dark Chocolate Whoopie Pie recipe with moderate success. Did think the lack of sweetness was a drawback the deep chocolate flavor didn't quite make up for. Was much happier with the Pecan-date Shortbread Bars. Would definitely make those again.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Little-to-No White Sugar" but still plenty sweet

Don't pick up this book thinking that you're going to get recipes made with things like coconut sugar, stevia, or other kinds of alternatives. Chang's focus is on recipes using honey, maple syrup, molasses, fruit/fruit juice, and chocolate, as well as recipes that simply reduce the amount of white sugar. She also tends to replace sugar with fat, like heavy cream and creme fraiche (an interesting reversal of the 90s' low-fat craze: just replace fat with sugar/carbs...plus ca change, etc).

While the premise may not be quite what the title promises, there are a number of solid-looking recipes in this book that look to keep a healthy-ish balance of sugar and fat, and I'm looking forward to trying them:

- pear-cardamom walnut scones
- lemon-polenta-pistachio buttons
- vanilla honey rice pudding
- peanut butter honey cookies
- cranberry-cornmeal-maple bread
- sticky toffee pudding with maple sauce
- coconut tapioca with pineapple, mango, and lime

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book piqued my interest because it was written by Joanne Chang (of Flour Bakery fame) and also because some of my family members have recently embarked on the no/low-sugar diet. Since I felt it would be a shame to deprive them of baked goods during this time, I wanted to see what I could whip up that they'd still be able to eat.

As the book's subtitle states, this isn't exactly a "no sugar at all" cookbook. Most of the recipes omit white sugar as an explicit ingredient, instead using the sweetness of chocolate, honey, maple syrup, molasses, or fruit to make up for it. Some of the recipes simply call for less white sugar than a normal version of the recipe. Since I'm already in the habit of cutting the sugar when I bake, that particular section wasn't of much use.

The best part of the book is the chapter where Chang explains the different functions of sugar in baked goods, which helps you understand why making substitutions isn't always so straightforward. She also writes in a very engaging style when introducing each recipe, though I wish there were pictures for every single recipe. (I'm reading on Kindle, so maybe it's an oversight on the ebook edition?) I'm definitely interested in trying a lot of these recipes. With that said, a *lot* of the recipes call for heavy cream and extra egg yolks, so if you don't normally keep those around, you may have to stock your fridge.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This chef's books were suggested to me by one of the Cookbook Book Club members. I may have heard of Joanne Chang and Flour, her restaurant in Boston, but I had not taken a close look. I chose this title as a change of pace from other books we've looked at which included a variety of foods.

What I especially love about this book is her introductory information about herself, her bakery and her personal life. She shares that her husband loves sweets but is very sensitive to them, causing him to 'crash' after eating. (I know that feeling!)

She gives her readers a detailed description of various sugar substitutes and an excellent overview into the process of baking. If you like to bake and want to cut back on refined sugar, you have to look at this book!

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

My expectations were SO LOW picking up this book (I can't actually remember why I requested it, honestly), and I was so pleasantly surprised by everything about the book.
Great recipes with low white sugar (probably about where I modify most recipes to, tbh) or other sweeteners, that actually work with the flavors of honey, maple, etc, without just 1:1 subing for table sugar.
I'm really exited for peach-ricotta tarts next summer.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a worthy cookbook. I particularly liked the focus of using many different ways to sweeten your baked products and desserts (ice cream included!). While sugar has its place it is good to be knowledgeable of alternatives and access the subtle taste differences. I would urge the author to go even further (next book?) by exploring agave, demarra, jackfruit and other natural sugar alternatives.

[Sharon Shoemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have health conditions that indicate that I must eat sugar-free. I enjoy eating products that are sweetened with fruit. This is a fairly good book with recipes that I can use. Some can be adapted for those who prefer not to eat white sugar, and for those who do not enjoy artificial sweeteners I wish there had been more totally sugar-free, recipes. Those kinds of recipes are few and far between at this time. I’m always happy when I can find a few recipes in a book that can be used

[BookBec · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a good option for anyone who's dairy-free: so many recipes here include heavy cream or other rich dairy ingredients. You can make the granola or granita, and some cookies if you sub another fat for the butter, but mostly this is a cookbook of stuff you won't be able to eat. Even the coconut milk tapioca pudding starts with two cups of whole milk! Disappointing.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m very intrigued about her view on using less sugar in her recipes. She gives some very insightful information about how sugar influences the bake for recipes and really seems to understand how the chemistry works. I would like to eventually try some of these, but I have thousands of bakes to try first. I will eventually get to this though…I hope.

[Deborah R Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Healthy and delicious

The recipes are wonderful and mouth watering. Can't wait to try come for Christmas! Love to try new recipes! Thank you for less sugar as my son has trouble with it. I can't wait to pass on lots of your ideas and hints. Thank you for a really great book!!

[Erin Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Joann Chang. I love her story and I love how she uses her Chemistry degree to bake. Her recipes are delicious! I couldn't eat enough of the Piefecta at Thanksgiving and neither could anyone else and now I am excited to try these recipes in this book!

[Eileen Zhou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny thing

I didn't know that bitter chocolate had much less sugar. I am allergic to sugar and can eat in small amounts. This book really is a treasure for dessert lovers who like sweets but can't take sugar for reason or another.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The library wants their book back, but I read lots of recipes in the book that I want to try. I know Ms. Chang writes recipes that work and bring all the flavor, so I’ll have to borrow this book again and try some.

[Keri Murcray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great cookbook with delicious sounding recipes using less sugar! Beautiful photos!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some intriguing recipes.

The name-dropping kind of threw me off.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes healthier baking seem actually do-able and delicious!

[Reden L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Add it

[Ryan Juno · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my cup of tea

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the recipes look interesting to me. Some are not my style. But I am glad I have this on my digital shelf!

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read an entire cookbook in a sitting, but I did read this one and I'm excited to try baking with more sugar alternatives besides artificial sweeteners.

[Dania · Rating 2 out of 5]

How to bake with less sugar? Replace it with even more butter!
…sorry but I found more decadent recipes on small blogs that were much more creative ingredient wise.

[Paulina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally finished my Joanne Chang Infinity Gauntlet of cookbooks. Excited to try these recipes featuring little to no sugar—especially the ones featuring maple syrup!

[Marianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many recipes use crème fraiche, a fussy, difficult to find, expensive ingredient.

[Sharon Dube · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've revisited this book and have changed my rating from 3 to 4 stars. I have tried several recipes out of this book. Now that I've become more comfortable with gluten free and dairy free baking, I was able to make a few easy swaps that worked for us. We both really enjoyed the gingerbread, ginger snaps, carrot cake (minus the frosting), and have book marked several other recipes to try.

[Denise · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Ms. Chang's cookbook called Flour, but didn't like this one as much. It still has all the benefits of the other - beautiful photos, wonderful explanations of how baking works, and her enthusiastic descriptions of each recipe. But I was disappointed that it only reduces the amount of white sugar used, or substitutes other sweeteners in recipes. As someone who can't have sugar in any form without reactions, I wanted true sugar substitutions. I can't just change white sugar for honey, agave or syrup. I react to those ingredients as well. I thought maybe there would be recipes without sugar or using coconut sugar or something else instead of glucose, fructose, dextrose or sucrose. Beautiful book. I'm sure it'll help someone, but not me.