Reduced sugar baking

[jessiehannan]

WHen I bake cookies, I usually reduce the sugar by 1/2 a cup, because all of that sugar just isn't neccessary. I made a batch of Reese's chewy chocolate cookies, and reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 cups, from the original 2 cups, and they are still so sweet no one wants them.

What is the safest amount that you can reduce sugar by w/o having to use an artificial sweetner?
Why do you reduce by that amount?
Do you change the oven temp and baking time?
What differences do you notice in the finished cookie?
Do you use butter or a vegetable shortening?

I use a dark non stick cookie sheet so browning isn't a problem. I am thinking that the next time I want to bake these cookies, I am going to reduce the sugar to 1 cup.

.

[Babyhellfire]

Most the stuff I bake is vegan- mostly just cause I don't like to handle raw eggs- and I can taste my batter that way :) ) ..
anyway, A lot of the time fruit, bananas , applesauce, pumpkin, pineapples(an on and on)
. IS my egg replacer- AND my sweetener, so I use very little sugar- if any.

The safest amount for a given item though depends on what you are making. I guess all you CAN do is play with a recipe until you get it right

http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/low-sugar-baking-tips.htm

[jessiehannan]

I was really suprised at how sweet the cookies were even with reducing the sugar. It has the same amount of sugar as it does flour. Maybe it was a typo. Nope, I checked the website and it is the same. Yuck.
I like that link though. I think I will stick to oatmeal raisin and tuaca sugar cookies from now on.
Apple sauce never makes it to baking around here. My kids inhale it. (Really, they don't even bother with spoons, they just drink it)
One thing I do though is up the amount of spices and vanilla in all my recipes. I taste my batter eggs and all. :) Always have.

[Babyhellfire]

Yeah,thats just me cause I seem to have developed an intolerance to eggs... especially uncooked , or undercooked eggs(how I miss over easy eggs)....and I love cookie dough. LOL

[jessiehannan]

Me and eggs don't get along all that great either, but it is cooked egss that give me fits. I think mine has something to do with an allergy to albumen. I am allergic to feathers too.