Stevia Extract in the Raw: The New, All-natural, No-calorie Sweetener on the Block

by Susan Davis on 06/07/09 at 1:00 pm

For those on sugar or calorie-restricted diets, the introduction of a new sweetener comes with great anticipation.  So when the manufacturer of the natural cane turbinado sugar, Sugar in the Raw, introduced Stevia Extract in the Raw, there was the predicted amount of excitement.  Could this new sweetener compete with the other artificial and natural sugar substitutes on the market?

This newest product gets its natural sweetness from Rebiana, an extract from the stevia plant. This part of the plant provides the sweetening power, without the aftertaste that many previous stevia products exhibited.

I recently had the opportunity to test Stevia Extract in the Raw, which comes in a box with 50 individual packets.  I had to budget the packets carefully if I wanted to try the product as a sweetener in hot beverages such as coffee or tea, as well as in a baked product.  So the first thing I did was look for a conversion chart to see how many packets I would need for a typical recipe. Since this information was not contained on or in the box, I had to search for it on their Web site.

Unlike Splenda, where you substitute the same amount of product for the sugar in a recipe, Stevia Extract in the Raw has much more sweetening power in its packets.  If a recipe calls for one cup of sugar, you would need 24 packets of Stevia Extract in the Raw. Once you empty the individual packets into a bowl, they don’t even amount to ¼ cup of product.  This had me wondering about the texture of any baked goods in which you might be substituting Stevia Extract in the Raw, as well as how well it would combine with other ingredients.

Stevia Extract in the Raw in Beverages

But first things first.  I enticed three “volunteer” taste testers to participate in an informal sampling of Stevia Extract in the Raw against Splenda and Sweet and Low (which, interestingly, is manufactured by the same company as Stevia Extract in the Raw).  We tried these three no-calorie sweeteners with both iced tea and hot coffee.  (Tasters were allowed to put lemon in their tea or milk or cream their coffee.)

They evaluated the “sweetness” and “flavor factor” for Stevia Extract in the Raw against the other two products, with the following results:

Splenda came out as the number one sweetener with everyone agreeing it had the best sweetening power, the best flavor and dissolved the easiest.  It also did not have any aftertaste.

The beverages sweetened with Stevia Extract in the Raw came in a very close second, with good sweetness and good flavor.  Three out of four tasters were not aware of any aftertaste, but one felt that there was a lingering taste, that while not unpleasant, was still noticeable.

Sweet and Low came in last, with two out of four saying it had good sweetening ability, but there was an unnatural and almost metallic-like aftertaste.

Using Stevia Extract in the Raw for Baking

In trying to test the product for baking, I was torn between using one of the Stevia Extract in the Raw recipes and using one that I was already familiar with, substituting the required number of packets to equal the amount of sugar needed.  However, I decided to go with their “Naturally Sweet Peanut Butter Cookies,” which is part of their online recipe collection.

It should be noted that this recipe is not totally sugar-free.  It does call for ½ cup of Sugar in the Raw, plus 8 packets of Stevia Extract in the Raw (a little more than ¼ cup of sugar equivilent).  Individuals on a sugar-restricted diet would need to limit their intake of these cookies, which weigh in at 70 calories each and 6 grams of carbohydrates, a savings of 20 calories and 4 grams of carbs per cookie over a traditional recipe.  (Note: The nutritional ingredients claim there are 0 grams of fiber, but I wonder why there isn’t even a trace amount of fiber, given the whole wheat flour and the peanut butter.)

The cookies were easy to make and the ingredients were all in my cupboard.  The mixture looked, smelled and performed as well as traditional peanut butter cookie dough.  The cookies baked according to directions and tasted very good – crispy with a deep, peanut butter flavor.  They had the right balance of moisture, chewiness and flakiness that you come to expect in a good peanut butter cookie.

Conclusion:

Stevia Extract in the Raw is a promising, all-natural, no-calorie sweetener that could be a viable alternative to Splenda or one of the other sugar substitutes on the market.  It ran a very close “second” to Splenda during informal taste tests.  However, the company should consider making Stevia Extract in the Raw in bulk packages for those who would like to use it for baking purposes.  Tearing and emptying the little packets could be a bit time-consuming for recipes calling for a cup or more of sugar.

Another recommendation would be to expand its recipe offerings and develop more recipes where Stevia Extract in the Raw is the only sweetening agent.  I did not have enough Stevia Extract in the Raw to test it on one of my own recipes.  It would have been interesting to see how it performs on its own, instead of in a “supporting role” to sugar.

Naturally Sweet Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients:

• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon double acting baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ½ cup all-natural creamy or chunky peanut butter
• 8 packets Stevia Extract in the Raw
• ½ cup Sugar In The Raw
• 1 egg, beaten
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt in small bowl and set aside.

In large mixing bowl, beat together butter and peanut butter using electric mixer until smooth. Beat Stevia Extract in the Raw and Sugar in the Raw into the mixture until blended.  Add egg and vanilla and blend.  Beat flour mixture just until blended.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls, two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten each cookie pressing crisscross pattern with a fork.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Store in a tightly covered container.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.

Nutrition information (per cookie)

70 calories, 1g protein, 6g carbohydrates, 0g fiber, 4.5g fat, 15mg cholesterol, 45mg sodium