A Sweeter Alternative for Your Holiday Baking – Monk Fruit in the Raw {review}

Finding healthier alternatives for the foods you love is not easy.

I admit to having a sweet tooth and loving to bake. This can have a negative effect on my waistline.  And if I’m active enough I can keep my weight down but still too much sugar is not good for you.

In the past I’ve tried different sweeteners that turned out to be not so good for you in the chemical sense. Besides that I’ve have a very distinctive sugar palate. Meaning that when it comes to sugar alternatives I can turn my nose up in snotty rebellion.

I was recently sent a goodie package from Monk Fruit in the Raw by way of Green Moms Meet to try their Monk Fruit Sweetener. This is right on time too ’cause this is baking season!

In my package was a 4.8 oz. bag of bulk Monk Fruit in the Raw, a box of 40 sachets or packets of the sweetener, a nice shopping bag, and set of cool orange measuring spoons because WE CAN ALWAYS USE MORE! And that’s the truth. I’m forever losing, or melting my measuring spoons. I have the remnants from 3 sets in my cupboard.

About the Sweetener

The Monk Fruit is the Raw sweetener is a lot lighter physically than regular white sugar. The bag was so light!

Monk Fruit in the Raw Sweetener is a zero calorie sweetener made from Monk Fruit.

It’s native to Asia and is known as luo han guo.

It was first harvested in the 13th century by Arhats, or “Enlightened Ones,” which translates to Monks in English.

Monk Fruit In The Raw is naturally vegan, kosher, and gluten-free, and does not contain any added table sugar, sugar alcohols, or molasses.

It is blended with other maltodextrin to create the perfect balance of sweet. Maltodextrin, is made from corn. Many “cup-for-cup” and other sugar substitutes in powder form contain maltodextrin because it is an ingredient that does not change the flavor of the sweetener in the blend. In our Bakers Bag product, maltodextrin is used to dilute the intensely sweet monk fruit extract to make it measurable for consumers in “cup-for-cup” sweetening equivalency as a sugar replacement; it does not alter the sweet flavor of the monk fruit.

One pack of Monk Fruit In The Raw is about as sweet as two teaspoons of sugar.

How did I Use My Monk Fruit in The Raw Sweetener?

I immediately shared my Monk Fruit in the Raw sweetener with my mother who is really watching her white sugar. She does a lot of baking that is healthy because her diet is so limited.

For me I really wanted to find an alternative sweetener for my morning tea and maybe something to do some healthier baking, especially when it comes to breakfast.

For some reason I love my morning tea to be nice and sweet. Later in the day and I can drink my tea even without sugar but for that morning tea I like it nice and sweet!

So how did Monk Fruit in the Raw measure up?

I put two little sachets in my cup which is about 16 ounces. Yeah, yeah that’s about 4 teaspoons of sugar but it didn’t sweeten as much as 4 teaspoons, at least to me.

It did sweeten my tea, not quite like sugar but it was okay. It wasn’t as bitter an aftertaste as other sweeteners. I don’t drink coffee so I can’t speak as to how it would sweeten that.

To use Monk Fruit in the Raw start out replacing half of the sugar with the sweetener. It dissolves quickly.

There are plenty of recipes you can find on the IntheRaw website. There are smoothies and hot drinks, cookies, icing, cupcakes, pies, bars. Actually too many to name.

Initially I was going to make a pie with my bulk in the Raw but then all the other recipes came up and looked so good, and since I gave half my bag to my mom I have to be selective. So I’m still analyzing which recipe I want to try and I’ll be making it for our New Year’s celebration which is the next thing we’re hosting. Maybe I’ll have a bunch of people wanting not only the recipe but to know where to get Monk Fruit in the Raw!

How about you? You can get Monk Fruit in the Raw Sweetener in the Online Store at IntheRaw here.

You can also connect with In the Raw at these places…