Baking with Agave Nectar
Hi, guys! My name is Tina, and I blog over at Carrots ‘N’ Cake. Kath’s blog actually inspired me to start my own, so it is a real pleasure for me to share a post on KERF today!
I am a huge fan of agave nectar– mostly because I have a major sweet tooth, but I don’t want to go overboard with sugar or artificial sweeteners in my diet. Finding out about agave nectar was sort of a life-changing experience for me, and now I’d like to share my love for it with you!
Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that comes from the Mexican agave plant. (It’s actually the same plant from which tequila is made!) Agave is comparable to honey or maple syrup, but less sticky, pours easily, and dissolves quickly in both hot and cold foods and drinks. It’s delicious mixed into your morning bowl of oatmeal, coffee or tea, drizzled on pancakes or waffles, and especially wonderful in baked goods. Agave nectar contains close to the same amount of calories as sugar, but because it is so much sweeter, you can use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of agave for every cup of sugar, which naturally reduces the calories in your recipes. (Agave nectar burns more easily than sugar, so be sure to decrease your oven temperature by about 25 degrees.)
One of my favorite agave nectar recipes is for Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Agave contains small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium, so when combined with an All-Star cast of ingredients, these cookies end up being equally nutritious as they are delicious!
Feel free to experiment with agave nectar in your existing recipes. You’ll find that it doesn’t take long to figure out the right amount of agave to add to produce a delicious end result!
Baking with Agave Nectar
Hi, guys! My name is Tina, and I blog over at Carrots ‘N’ Cake. Kath’s blog actually inspired me to start my own, so it is a real pleasure for me to share a post on KERF today!
I am a huge fan of agave nectar– mostly because I have a major sweet tooth, but I don’t want to go overboard with sugar or artificial sweeteners in my diet. Finding out about agave nectar was sort of a life-changing experience for me, and now I’d like to share my love for it with you!
Agave nectar is a natural sweetener that comes from the Mexican agave plant. (It’s actually the same plant from which tequila is made!) Agave is comparable to honey or maple syrup, but less sticky, pours easily, and dissolves quickly in both hot and cold foods and drinks. It’s delicious mixed into your morning bowl of oatmeal, coffee or tea, drizzled on pancakes or waffles, and especially wonderful in baked goods. Agave nectar contains close to the same amount of calories as sugar, but because it is so much sweeter, you can use 1/4 to 1/3 cup of agave for every cup of sugar, which naturally reduces the calories in your recipes. (Agave nectar burns more easily than sugar, so be sure to decrease your oven temperature by about 25 degrees.)
One of my favorite agave nectar recipes is for Banana Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Agave contains small amounts of calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium, so when combined with an All-Star cast of ingredients, these cookies end up being equally nutritious as they are delicious!
Feel free to experiment with agave nectar in your existing recipes. You’ll find that it doesn’t take long to figure out the right amount of agave to add to produce a delicious end result!