Have any of you tried substituting DaVinci's Sugar-Free syrup for Splenda in a recipe? Anyone know the conversion? I love the Atkins cheesecake recipe but i'm thinking I could save some carbs and create a great new flavor by substituting syrup in place of some (if not all) of the Splenda. It's sweet enough that I think it would work. Does anyone know how the sweetness works out — 1 packet Splenda = how many tsp. syrup?

We need to convince DaVinci's to make an "unflavored" sugar-free syrup that you could use for this purpose. Of course, they'd probably get sued because I guess it would just be watered-down liquid Splenda.

I do this, however I am sorry to say I don't measure. I just kind of 'splash' it in. (can I be more vague?) I would guess that a teaspoon of one would equal a teaspoon of the other, roughly and that vanilla might be your best bet as far as the least amount of flavor.

I wouldn't substitute syrup for a large amount of splenda as this would obviously change the consistency of whatever you're cooking.

I use the Vanilla DaVinchi's to replace vanilla and splenda all in one and use one T. for one pkt of splenda. (That's not really true, I do the "dump" thing like Iowagirl).

Like Iowagirl says, it's not just a problem of sweetness, but of consistency, especially with baked goods -- adding an extra cup or so of liquid probably isn't the best idea! However, I've heard of people successfully reducing DaVinci by cooking on low-medium heat until it reaches the desired amount. If your recipe depends on sugar for bulking, you may want to experiment with reduced DaVinci plus a bulking agent like not/Sugar, or reduced DaVinci plus erythritol. You might also want to experiment with erythritol or maltitol (sold as DiabetiSweet), depending on how they agree with your digestive system. Erithrytol is supposed to be the gentlest of the sugar alcohols on your digestive system, but it's only 70% as sweet as sugar for the same volume, so it usually needs to be combined with something else.

Just to stick my opinion in here, though, I think it's not a bad thing that Splenda, and desserts made with it, have some carbs in them. Most of the cheesecake recipes I've seen have 5-8g/slice, which is low enough that we can all fit it in as an occasional treat. However, if we get the carb count down really low, it's easy to fool ourselves into thinking that it's a "free food", and it's OK to eat on a daily basis. I think it's best to have SF desserts no more than once or twice a week, as it's not just a question of carbs but also of habits (and perhaps calories). I struggle with this myself -- I'm on maintenance, so I could easily "afford" a piece of cheesecake every day, but I don't think that daily desserts are really what LCing is all about. I like making desserts, though, and with only two people to eat the results, we wind up eating cheesecake every day for a week. If the cheesecake had the same carb value as, say, a couple scrambled eggs, I know I would have been tempted to make and eat it more often, instead of trying to limit it to once a month or when company comes.

No need to worry. I use about 1/4 to 1/3 Cup DaVinci's plus a 1/8 Tsp of stevia extract to replace whatever sugar/replacement is in one full size cheesecake. It's just sweet enough. No problem with the liquid in this amount in a cheesecake, either.

I agree with Atlee on the number of desserts we could allow ourselves, maintenance or not, actually.

Desserts are what got many of us in the fixes we're in now, and encouraging them isn't going to do anyone any good. I LOVE desserts. Baking is a passion of mine, and I still do it (carb baking) for others. I would love a slice of cheesecake after dinner every night and pour in the DaVinci to vary the flavors.

Let me just say, it's a good thing cheesecake freezes, that way, I can make one and tuck away most of it for "treats", limit myself, and remove a slice every so often. I haven't had a slice in a month, though there are 6 slices left from the last one I made.

The trouble here is that Husband doesn't like cheesecake (I know -- and I married him anyway) so it's all on me ... or at least it used to be.


As far as the syrups go, the liquid will bake out, mostly. It may take a bit longer baking, but the results should be excellent.

When I make cheesecake I have been using a combination of splenda and powdered sugar alcohol along with the da vinci or atkins syrup. The sugar alcohol has no carbs so was able to reduce the carb level by 2. I am at 1/2 splenda and 1/2 sugar alcohol and will reduce the splenda again the next time I make it. I am doing the change a little at a time to see how the sugar alcohol affects our body. We have had no affects from using sugar alcohol. But with using sugar alcohol the cheese cake tastes alot better than just using splenda.
I tried using using larger amounts of syrup and had baking problems with it so I don't do that any more and that is how I got involved with using sugar alcohol. I now use sugar alcohol in all of my recipes.

Where do you purchase the sugar alcohol? Do you have a recipe to post for this? I'd love to check it out.

Thanks!

---Amy

Cheesecake Nibbles

Serving Size: 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories:

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
16 ounces cream cheese -- softened
3 eggs -- room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp Atkins flavored syrup
1 1/2 cups Splenda (or to taste) or 1 cup of splenda and 6 tablespoons sugar alcohol


Place all ingredients in your mixer bowl and mix until everything is smoothly creamed together.

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Generously spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray and fill with cheesecake mixture. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cheesecake will look puffy and lightly golden. For a moister cheesecake, bake a few minutes less. Let cool then place in freezer. Individual cheesecakes may need the edge of a paring knife to loosen them. Place them in a freezer bag and take one out about an hour before eating. Approximately 3 grams of carbohydrates and a 12 day supply of cheese cake. (these will fall when they come out of the oven to cool)


I buy my sugar alcohol from netrition.com it is called erythritol. It costs $8.95 for 16 ounces. I use it alot and buy several packages at a time.

Excellent! Thank you!

I would never have thought to check Netrition, and I'm planning an order from them, so I might as well swing some of the sugar alcohol with it.

About how many Tbsp. do you think are in that 16 oz? Is it liquid ounces? Sorry for my ignorance on this ... very new for me!

---Amy

One 8-oz package of cream cheese is 16 tbsp -- the measurements are the same as liquids. 2 tbsp = 1 oz = 1g carbs.

Sorry for my inaccurate question ... I was wondering about the measurement approximation for 16 oz. of erythratol? Wondering if it's liquid oz. or powder/granular and about how many Tbsp. would be in one pkg.

Thanks again!

---Amy

I just received my erythritol in todays mail. I measured the 1# package by volume and it comes to 2 cups or 32 tablespoons. It looks and measures like sugar only not quite as sweet. It seems to have a (not unpleasant) cooling effect on the tongue. I've been told and have read that this product does not have as severe an affect on the intestinal tract as other sugar alcohols. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have to be very careful with sugar alcohols because of the laxative effect. What I've read is that erythritol goes thru the system so much quicker than the others that it does not cause this after effect. Blessinge, Karen

Thanks so much for the information!

You really went the distance on this one -- I should share the info you offered with the makers of this product and have them send you a year's supply.

I'm getting my "shopping cart" loaded ...

---Amy

If you could swing that..... I would share! LOL Blessings, Karen