Monday, November 24, 2014

Monk Fruit in the Raw Review

** I received a sample of this product from Monk Fruit in the Raw through the Moms Meet Blogger program, in return for my honest review. **

I am always on the lookout for healthier products to replace things that aren't so healthy. I think we're doing pretty good here, we still need about 20% replaced. (even if only some of the time!)
Of course I was very eager to try, Monk Fruit in the Raw. Moms Meet hosted a webinar and we were able to learn all about this brand and what benefits our families would get from this. Naturally, I was enthusiastic when our package came, after hearing and reading all about this zero calorie sweetener, I already had a few recipes I wanted to replace half of the sugar in.
(Monk Fruit in the Raw is great as a sugar substitute! Again, it is no calorie and all natural!) You can use it in your coffee, tea, even cocktails! Speaking of that, I have been a bartender for 20 years and love using, Sugar in the Raw to rim glasses with! Guess what? Same company!
If you would like to use Monk Fruit in the Raw for baking, they do suggest you only replace half of the amount of sugar! Regular sugar is very crucial to baked goods browning, moisture and rising.
Monk Fruit in the Raw is naturally sweeter than sugar. It is blended with maltodextrin, a natural ingredient. This blend helps create the perfect balance of sweetness, making it easier to pour and measure.




Of course, the possibilities are endless with, Monk Fruit in the Raw for recipes.



You can find lots and lots of recipes on their website. Recipes ranging from, pumpkin pie frappe to cranberry pear relish to peppermint brownies! I am on a mission to try all of the beverage recipes they have on their website ;)
You can also find out where to buy their products and find some coupons! (That's always helpful, especially when trying new products!)
I did replace regular sugar in my morning coffee with, Monk Fruit in the Raw packets and thought it tasted plenty sweet and although I love sugar, I continue to replace sugar at least every other day, sometimes, every other cup of coffee. (It's better than nothing, right?)
Oh, one packet also goes a long, long way when you use it on cereal, oatmeal or even berries for breakfast!
We decided we would try the Monk Fruit in the Raw Bakers Bag out for our special, soft, sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles.
I was a bit worried about how these would turn out. I figured they would be fine but I wasn't sure if my husband and the kids would be able to tell a difference. I replaced exactly half of the sugar with, Monk Fruit in the Raw and kept it a secret. (I don't know why, but sometimes if I tell them that I am trying something new or adding something, the assume it will be different and make decisions before actually trying it.)










Here is our soft sugar cookie recipe:

1 cup of butter (softened)
3/4 cup sugar (do half sugar and half Monk Fruit in the Raw! I promise you won't be able to tell!)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt


In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.
Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until light, golden brown.
Remove to wire racks and cool.












I use a few different icing recipes, sometimes, it just depends on the ingredients we have available at the time/ Other times, we just choose whichever we're in te mood for.
The icing recipe we used for our, Monk Fruit in the Raw cookies:

2 egg whites
1/4 ts[ salt
1/4 cup sugar (I also switched a couple teaspoonfuls of sugar for Monk Fruit in the Raw.)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Beat eggs and salt until foamy.
Add sugar, beat until still peaks form.
Bring corn syrup to boil over medium to medium high heat and pour into mixture.
Add vanilla and continue to beat until you have stiff peaks.

We use all kinds of colored sprinkles, non perils. red hots, whatever we feel like decorating our cookies with. The little ones usually take care of the sprinkle part, which is nice because I do love extra sprinkles!








These tasted just as deliciously sweet as they do with sugar.
Nobody was able to tell the difference, so, I will be replacing   half of the sugar in all of our baking recipes!!

Have you ever tried to make a switch to a zero calorie sweetener? How did it turn out?

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