caramelizationcookiessubstitutionssugarsugar-free
I'd like to try making some sugar-free cookies, which means no refined or "natural" sugar (honey, came syrup, etc.). I'll be trying to use stevia instead.
The obvious problem is that sugar is very important to cookies structurally, not to mention caramelization. Even if stevia were to caramelize, there won't be enough in the recipe to be sufficient for the taste.
So, are there any other agents I could use to counter these problems?
Related: Does Splenda caramelize? (No.)
I've done this before, and you won't get exactly the same cookie as you got before.
Confectioner's sugar is a total bomb. Don't bother.
Dark brown sugar makes darker cookies, with a chewier texture, which keeps longer.
This isn't always a bad thing. Several of my cookie recipes I thought were a bit dry were saved by DBS. It added a nice depth to the flavor, as well.
Sugar, as in common table sugar from sugar cane, is sucrose, which is a chemically weak linked combination of glucose and fructose. Your stomach acids will split sucrose very fast. So the difference in using natural cane sugar and factory split glucose may only be a matter of minutes once you eat the stuff
Same goes for almost all the sugars other than the "artificial sweeteners" which are generally not sugars at all, they just taste very sweet
Some artificial sweeteners are very natural in the general scheme of things when compared to processed sugar etc.
Nearly everything that comes in a packet with a barcode is not "natural". White table sugar is not natural. Buy some sugar cane stem, and crush and boil it, then you can see the difference
I would rather use the white table sugar though, as it is more likely to be clean and tested as being non-contaminated
Sugar Substitutes
There is a great list of sugar substitutes including artificial sweeteners on Wikipedia. Many of which would be better for you if sugar levels was of a concern in your diet (it is for some people). Many are useless in baking
The list of "artificial sweeteners" is thus:
And the sugar alcohol's, which are also a form of "artificial sweeteners"
Nice info-graphic from Washington Post
Best Answer
No, there are no other agents. Caramelization is literally sugar in a certain state. If you remove all the sugar, you cannot have a caramelization taste. You can make cookies which don't taste caramelized, of course.
As for the "important structurally" part, it depends what cookie you are trying to make. If you want to achieve the texture of a sugar-rich cookie, this is again impossible. Out of all edible substances, only sugars behave like sugars when baked.
You can however use other fillers to get a different type of cookie. A shortbread cookie (like pie crust, but in cookie form) with stevia shouldn't taste that much different than a shortbread cookie with sugar. Nut flours or nut butters will give you some very good fillers so you can make a cookie with some bulk without having to use too much flour.
The result will never look and taste like a standard American chocolate chip cookie, or its relatives but will certainly deserve the term "cookie".