[Advertisement]

Christmas baking with Coca-Cola – Christmas is approaching, and with it comes the season for sweet pastries and winter drinks, which unfortunately usually contain a lot of sugar. But it doesn't have to be that way. What too few people with a sweet tooth know is that there's another way! Christmas cookies can be sugar-free. How? Nutritionists Mariella Lahodny and Anja Krumbe showed me and some other colleagues how during a baking workshop hosted by Coca-Cola: "Christmas Baking with Coca-Cola" was on the agenda. We baked sugar-free and with sweeteners. After I had already Coca-Cola cooked and about the History of Coca-Cola As reported, it was an exciting topic. The program also included creative winter drinks and interesting facts about "sweetening without sugar".

Happy baking – sugar-free.

Christmas baking with Coca-Cola – sugar-free

Before getting to the cookies and muffins, a Christmas chutney Prepared. More precisely, a delicious baked apple chutney, for which oil is heated in a large pan and onions are sautéed until translucent. You will need 2 red onions, 450 grams of tart cooking apples, 100 grams of dried figs, 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil, 2 tablespoons of mixed spice (su), 1 bay leaf, 150 ml of apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of orange juice, and 1.5–2 teaspoons of liquid sweetener (as a sugar substitute). For the chutney, simply peel the onions, halve them, and slice them into thin rings; wash the apples, halve them, remove the cores, and cut them into approximately 1 cm cubes; cut the figs into small pieces; heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the onions until translucent; stir in the apples and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then stir in the spice mix (su) and the bay leaf, add the apple cider vinegar, and simmer for 10 minutes. Orange juice, zest and sweetener (e.g. liquid sweetener from natreenStir in the remaining ingredients and immediately fill into sterilized canning jars. Screw on the lids and store in the refrigerator. The chutney was delicious. We ate it with brie and bread – a great starter before the Christmas meal, or even just if you want a little (Christmas) snack.

Matcha Kisses

Then it was time for the actual baking. Interspersed with presentations about sugar, sweeteners, substitutes, and the like, we prepared three recipes. Each of the three groups focused on a different sugar-free Christmas recipe. I was in the ginger-lemon-poppy seed muffin group. For the Muffins (12 muffins) You will need 200 grams of all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, 100 grams of whole poppy seeds, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 2 teaspoons of ground dried ginger, 125 grams of neutral vegetable oil, 150 ml of buttermilk, 3 separated eggs, a pinch of salt, and 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of liquid sweetener. To prepare, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) using the convection setting. Grease and flour a muffin tin or prepare paper baking cups. Mix together the vegetable oil, buttermilk, lemon zest, sweetener, and egg yolks. Combine the baking mix with the wet ingredients. Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Fill each muffin tin 3/4 full with batter and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). The muffins have a pleasant sweetness at the end and only a slight taste of ginger and lemon.

Flatten the apple cinnamon cookies

The Apple cinnamon cookies They were just as quick to make. For this, you'll need 250 grams of cake flour, 40 grams of rolled oats, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 2 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 170 grams of cold butter, 1 egg, 100 grams of unsweetened applesauce, 2 1/2 teaspoons of liquid sweetener, and 1 tablespoon of rolled oats. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit). Then mix the flour with the rolled oats, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub/crumble it into the flour mixture. Separate the egg, whisk the yolk with the applesauce and sweetener, and quickly knead it into the flour-butter mixture to form a soft dough. Divide the dough into 24 pieces and, with floured hands, shape them into balls about the size of ping-pong balls, then flatten them slightly. Place the flattened balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush with egg white. Mix rolled oats with 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle over the cookies. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 12-14 minutes. They're quick to make and taste delicious.

Number 3 were the Matcha Kisses For this recipe, you'll need 220 grams of butter, a pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of liquid sweetener, 1 medium egg, 300 grams of cake flour, 2 1/2 teaspoons of matcha powder, 5 tablespoons of milk, and 1 tablespoon of granulated sweetener. For the most unusual cookies, cream the butter with the salt until fluffy, then stir in the sweetener and egg. Mix the flour with 2 teaspoons of matcha powder and sift it into the remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Thin the batter with milk (optional) and then transfer it to a small piping bag fitted with a 1.5 cm round nozzle. Pipe small mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for 10 to 12 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter and sprinkle the cookies with a mixture of granulated sweetener and 1/2 teaspoon of matcha powder. Serve with milk and enjoy pure Christmas cheer. You have to like the unique flavor, but it's worth trying something new.

The baked apple chutney is being made.

A mixed spice blend for Christmas was also used – partly for the chutney. Give it a try! For this, you'll need... 4 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp allspice berries, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp dried ginger (all ground) and 1 tsp grated nutmeg and mixes them all together. You will also find Here are two more recipes For wintery-Christmas drinks with Coca-Cola products – both naturally sugar-free, tasted by me and found to be good – color play included.

My conclusion: All the recipes tasted great. The matcha kisses weren't quite to my personal taste, but they would certainly look fantastic on any (perhaps somewhat colorless) cookie plate. Add to that the truly crisp and delicate cookies, a few moist muffins, and you've got everything you need for a perfect Advent or Christmas weekend. Don't be surprised if the muffins don't get quite as much color as those made with sugar – that's normal and due to the "sugar substitute." I'm curious to hear what you think. To help you understand the liquid sweetener used in the recipes, here are some facts and interesting information about sweeteners.

Merry Christmas!

Interesting facts about sweeteners

Sweeteners, unlike other sweeteners, are calorie-free or extremely low in calories, have a higher sweetening power, and do not affect blood sugar or insulin levels. Furthermore, contrary to many rumors, sweeteners are suitable for diabetics and are non-cariogenic, meaning they do not cause tooth decay or cavities.

Sweeteners are harmless to health. Before being approved for use in food products and on the open market, they undergo extensive testing, and additional maximum limits for their use in food are established. Sweeteners can also be helpful for weight management or make sweet Christmas treats healthier. Contrary to a widespread myth, sweeteners do not cause cravings or affect appetite.

The list of sweeteners approved in the EU includes 11 different sweeteners: Acesulfame K, Advantame, Aspartame, Acesulfame-Aspartame Salt, Cyclamate, Neohesperidin DC, Neotame, Saccharin, Steviol glycosides, Sucralose and Thaumantin – discovered between 1855 (!) and 1995, approved between 1900 and 2011.

Christmas giveaway with Coca-Cola (ENDED, terms and conditions deactivated!)

So…since you've surely resolved to bake sugar-free this year, I want to reward you. This time it's not with anything edible, but with something that should make every Coca-Cola fan's heart beat faster. Simply click through to my Coca-Cola Christmas giveaway on my Facebook fan page and enter. With that in mind: Happy baking, have a wonderful Advent season, treat yourselves to good things and sweets, and ho ho ho!

+++ This article was created in cooperation with Coca-Cola Germany. Thank you! +++

Contact for inquiries

Coca Cola | Stralauer Allee 4, 10245 Berlin
Website
Become a Facebook fan and don't miss a thing!

Pictures: