In the Kitchen with Agave Sweetener

November is flying by and in my pre-Thanksgiving panic I haven’t yet shared any recipes. That will change right here, right now. I’ve been experimenting with Agave Sweetner as a sugar sub and I have 2 recipes I think you’ll like: Agave nectar has a lower glycemic load, meaning it doesn’t give your body as much of an insulin spike as sugar would. And it’s sweeter, so you use about 25% less than you would use of table sugar.

When substituting this sweetener in recipes, reduce your liquid slightly, sometimes as much as 1/3 less.
Also reduce your oven temperature by 25 degrees.

This has been this season’s go-to cookie for me. I’ve sent them to school, brought them to parties and they’ll be among my Thanksgiving sweets as well. I left in the brown sugar because I didn’t want to compromise the cookies’ texture. Nobody was able to detect a difference with the Agave Sweetener.
1C White Whole Wheat Flour
1/2t Baking Soda
1/2t Cinnamon
1/8t Salt
10T Softened Butter
1/3C Agave Sweetener
1/3C Packed Brown sugar
1 Large Egg
1t Vanilla Extract
1C Old-Fashioned Oats
1C Semisweet Chocolate Chips
1/2C Dried Cranberries

Preheat oven to 325F.
Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl. Beat butter, agave sweetener and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats; stir until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and cranberries.
Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls 2″ apart onto cookie sheets lined with parchment or Silpat. Bake until edges are light brown, about 15 minutes. Cool completely and enjoy. Makes about 30 cookies.

2 Acorn Squash, halved
Butter
2T Agave Sweetener
2 Slices Bacon, cut in half (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 F.
This recipe could not be easier. Simply dot squash with butter, cover with foil and roast them approx. 40 minutes in a pan with  1/4C water in the bottom. Drizzle approx. 1/2T agave sweetener in each one along with a 1/2 slice of bacon. Return to the oven and roast until golden and bacon is cooked, about 20 minutes longer. Serves 4.

This would be a great addition to the Thanksgiving table, although in my case with the guest list at 26 and counting the last thing I need are 20+ 1/2 squashes rolling around the cuisine KWIM?