Unrefined Sugars

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You can find many of these sugars at your local shops and grocery stores. (See page 332 for a list of my favorite outlets for shopping for natural ingredients.) Liquid sweeteners are a nice replacement in icings but are tricky in baked goods because they alter the liquid level in a recipe. If you’re using cane sugar in its raw form (unprocessed, unbleached, and organic), look for a fine grind.

Dry Sugars

• Evaporated Cane Juice

  A form of sugar cane; it goes through less processing than regular sugar, which helps it retain important vitamins, amino acids, and fiber. Look for brands that are organic, unrefined, and unbleached. This is my go-to dry sugar, which you’ll find in most of my recipes.

• Coconut Palm Sugar

  This sugar is less sweet in taste and has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar. Coconut palm sugar can be used interchangeably in my recipes to replace evaporated cane juice if desired. Some brands will mix cane sugar in with coconut palm sugar, so read the labels.

Wet Sugars

• Agave Nectar

  This is my go-to liquid sweetener; you’ll find it in all my icing recipes. Agave nectar is a low-glycemic sugar made from the bulbous root of the agave plant. It has a natural flavor and light texture that I’ve found work perfectly in icings.

  Barley malt syrup or maple syrup are also less refined, low-glycemic-index wet sugar alternatives and are interchangeable with agave nectar in my recipes.