Real Snacks (3 page)

Hopefully, with these recipes, I’m going to change everything you think about what sugar should look and taste like. Sure, there is a certain visual appeal to a dark chocolate doughnut dusted in bright white powder … but have you ever actually tasted powdered sugar straight from the bag? The flavor is almost toxic.

While the sugars and syrups I recommend in this book are still sugar, and therefore not low calorie or particularly good on the teeth, they are more flavorful, a little higher in nutrition, and easier for the body to process than the standard bleached, granulated, or powdered sugars.

There has been much debate in recent years as to the actual healthfulness of agave syrup. True, it’s just as processed as corn syrup, but I find its clean, bright flavor very pleasing. It does not, however, work as a good replacement for corn syrup in any recipes that require specific temperatures for the sugar.
I like agave best in recipes like ice pops. If using agave syrup in a recipe that calls for dry sugar, you’ll need to use two-thirds as much.

Brown rice syrup is made by fermenting rice with enzymes to break down the kernel. The syrup has an incredibly buttery sweetness, almost bordering on butterscotch. It works like corn syrup in most recipes (much better than honey or agave do), but has a lower glycemic index. But be aware that most of the sweetness in brown rice syrup comes from maltose, which is a simple sugar that is quickly absorbed into the blood stream, so brown rice syrup can be a problem for diabetics.

Also, because some brown rice syrup is made by using enzymes from barley, those with gluten sensitivities need to read labels carefully to find a syrup that is certified gluten-free.

Most granulated sugar is cane sugar, but some is more processed than others. Evaporated cane sugar still has some of the molasses from the original pressing, so it’s slightly tan in color rather than pure white. It’s easy to use one for one in recipes that call for granulated sugar and is a good choice when making your own Powdered Sugar (
this page
).

Coconut sugar and palm sugar are different, but the names are often used interchangeably. Coconut sugar is a darker, unrefined sugar sold in dry crystal form. Non-coconut palm sugar, also known as date palm sugar, is usually sold in small round blocks. Both sugars are low on the glycemic index and have similar flavor profiles.

I love using honey for baking, particularly trying different types of honey with flavors and colors that can vary wildly based on what the bees chose to feast on and the time of year the honey was produced. You can substitute honey for up to a third of the sugar called for in most recipes where you think it would improve the flavor, although you may need to cut back on some of the liquid, depending on the recipe.

Like granulated sugar, muscavado is made from sugarcane, but the molasses is not removed. The darker the muscavado, the higher the molasses content. The sugar is very moist and a bit sticky and can be used easily in place of conventional brown sugar, with much more richness of flavor.

Often sold simply as unrefined and unbleached whole cane sugar,
rapadura
is a whole sugar where the molasses has never been separated from the sugars. It has a powdery texture (unlike raw sugar, which has coarse crystals) and is light tan in color. The flavor is deep and complex, tasting of caramel and molasses. Sucanat (SUgar CAne NATural) is similar in flavor and processing.

Turbinado is a large-crystal raw sugar made from pressed sugar cane juice. Its light golden color comes from a bit of the sugar cane molasses remaining in the crystals. It’s best used in preparations that melt the sugar or where the coarse grain adds to the texture. The flavor of turbinado is mild, but slightly deeper than standard granulated sugar. Like brown sugar (which is typically refined cane sugar with a small amount of molasses added later for color and moisture), turbinado isn’t much higher in nutrients than refined sugar, but it is deeper in flavor. Demerara sugar is the same as turbinado but comes from a colony in Guyana of the same name.

Yacon syrup
is one of the healthier sweetener choices available, with a strong molasses flavor that works best paired with strong spice or chocolate flavors.
Sorghum syrup
is often used as a sweet topping for pancakes or biscuits, but can also be used in baking in place of molasses or honey. You won’t find
tapioca syrup
in your local grocery store, but with a bit of online searching you can find this inverted sugar that can work as a replacement for corn syrup and is great in ice cream.

Like most people who grew up in the seventies and eighties, I grew up in a margarine household, which was thought to be the healthier choice at the time. Maybe that’s why today I have such an appreciation for the flavor of real butter.

While coconut oil has had a bad reputation in the past for being high in saturated fats, newer studies have shown that it’s actually a very healthy fat. And baking with coconut oil or using it to pop your corn is a dream. The light oil gives a lovely rich crispness. Feel free to substitute coconut oil for the butter in almost any of the recipes in this book … except, perhaps, those with “butter” in their name, where the buttery flavor would be missed. Most coconut oils have a very mild flavor, but some (like the 365 Everyday Value brand unrefined coconut oil), have a stronger coconut taste, so you’ll want to take that into account when you are choosing your oil.

Flaxseed oil (also known as linseed oil) may not have the same fiber or antioxidant properties of the seeds themselves, but it’s still a great oil full of linolenic
acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) and it has a delicious flavor. Always keep flaxseed oil refrigerated, as it is particularly susceptible to spoiling.

I use olive oil quite liberally in my cooking and usually have two or three different bottles of varying fruitiness and spiciness around. I keep a mild olive oil in a spray can for a quick spritz to “butter” pans. When olive oil is heated, it will lose its more subtle flavors, so there’s no need to use your expensive oils in any cooked preparation.

Safflower oil is tolerant of high heats and very mild in flavor. It’s my preferred oil for frying, as it has a very high smoking point.

Many of the recipes
in this book rely on a few basic baking methods that are good to know well:

Blending the butter means working the butter (usually chilled) directly into the dry ingredients to create a coarse, crumbly mixture. This technique is used when you want flaky layers, as you do for some crackers or piecrusts. I typically do this with my fingers, but a food processor or mixer on low can do the work for you.

Creaming the butter means stirring the butter to soften it and, typically, blending it with sugar to create a light and fluffy base for a batter. As the butter creams, small air bubbles are incorporated; these later help the finished baked goods to be tender. The butter should be about room temperature (65°F to 75°F) to get the best result, and you should always start on a low speed, with either your mixer or food processor, until the butter and sugar are well blended, increasing to a medium speed to finish the fluffing. Creaming is typically used for cookies.

Beating eggs or cream should be done in a mixer or by hand with a whisk. A food processor can’t get as much air in as either of these methods.

Tempering chocolate achieves a beautiful, glossy chocolate coating that has a nice crispness to it. Tempering is a way to coax the different fats in the
chocolate—all of which have a different melting point—to work together as a cohesive unit. Tempered chocolate not only looks better, but it also sets more easily and doesn’t start to melt at room temperature. It is, however, a bit of a pain to do and doesn’t have all that much impact on the flavor of your confections. Honestly, unless I need a pretty picture, I tend to skip it altogether.

However, if you’d like to temper your chocolate and don’t want to shell out over three hundred dollars for a tempering machine, your microwave and a good thermometer make it pretty quick and easy. Start by chopping your chocolate into small, even chunks. Place 75 percent of them in a microwave-safe bowl. Reserve the remaining 25 percent, which will be added in later.

Heat the chocolate in the microwave at 50 percent power, stopping every 20 seconds to stir the chocolate to help it heat evenly and not scorch. There is nothing sadder than scorched chocolate. You are aiming for a temperature of about 115°F for dark chocolate, 109°F for milk chocolate, or 105°F for white chocolate. This may take from one to four minutes depending on your microwave.

When you’ve hit the temperature, regardless of whether there are still unmelted chunks of chocolate, stop heating and simply stir the chocolate to melt the remaining solids. Then add the remaining chocolate to the melted chocolate. Keep stirring until the chocolate melts and the temperature of the chocolate is 88°F for dark chocolate and 85°F for milk or white chocolate. Once you’ve hit this temperature, your chocolate should be tempered.

You can reheat the tempered chocolate if it sets and it should remain tempered as long as you keep the temperature below 90°F. However, if the chocolate gets warmer than that, you’ll need to repeat the process from the beginning.

Some people are afraid of deep-frying. I am afraid of sugar work. There’s a bit of magic that happens when sugar reaches different temperatures, and not only is it dangerously hot even when it looks perfectly lickable, but it also requires the strictest attention to prevent the most horrid of burning sugar smells from invading your kitchen. I am easily distracted.

That said, it is satisfying when you finally start to get the feel for all the different thread and ball stages and manage to avoid burning yourself to boot. Your best friend when working with sugar is an accurate candy thermometer. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on one, but you do need to trust its accuracy. This is particularly true when working with natural sugars that are more finicky and prone to burning than the highly refined stuff. When a recipe requires sugar to reach a particular temperature, it’s best to stick with the recommended sugar and avoid substitutions; alternative sugars may need slight adjustments to their temperature.

And when working with hot sugar, always remember: NEVER LICK THE SPOON!