Most recipes call for the bulked up Splenda in the box, it has a filler in it to make it the equivalent of sugar, the packets are more concentrated. Somewhere I've seen posted how to sub the packets for the boxed stuff, but can't remember where. The boxed splenda has I believe 24 carbs per cup and when spread over a complete recipe, is divided by the number of servings. Hope this explains it for you. And yes, sometimes I find the recommended amount too sweet, but I try the recipe once and then cut back a bit if I find it too sweet, the same as I used to when I used sugar.