5. Maple syrup
Maple syrup comes from boiling the sap of the maple tree, native to North America.
It is a great source of manganese and zinc and adds a caramel-like flavour to your recipes.
Maple syrup is heat stable, which means that you can use it in sauces, marinades, glazes, and, of course, in baking. It is also delicious in cookies and drizzled over pancakes.
Around 1/2–3/4 cup of maple syrup equals 1 cup of sugar.
6. Erythritol
Erythritol is calorie-free sweetener with a taste and appearance that is very similar to sugar.
It is naturally present in foods such as some fruits and fermented foods and doesn’t affect your blood sugar or cause tooth decay.
Erythritol is a great option for baked goods because it doesn’t dry them out (it is hygroscopic, meaning that it holds water). If you’re reducing sugar in your baked goods to decrease the calorie content, adding some erythritol can help to achieve the same sweetness.
You can caramelise it, but do not use it in recipes that call for yeast as your dough will not be able to rise. Erythritol cannot activate yeast like sugar does.
1–1 1/4 cups of Erythritol equal 1 cup of white sugar.