Baking with agave nectar (instead of granulated sugar) is as easy as pie, if you adjust to a few simple facts.

• Agave is 1.4 times sweeter than sugar
• It adds additional liquid to the recipe
• It browns quicker than a recipe with sugar
• It also makes the batter a bit stickier

Let’s look at a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and see what we need to change if we want to bake it with our natural sweetener.

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

First, we want to replace the 1 1/2 cups of refined sugar, of course. I recommend using 1 cup (it’s sweeter than sugar, remember?) of amber agave to compensate a little for the loss of the brown sugar flavor.

Secondly, we need to re-thicken the batter because of the extra liquid from the agave syrup. So, let’s increase the flour to 2 1/2 cups.

Next, turn down the oven temperature by 25 degrees. Cookies are normally baked at 375 degrees F, but since agave sweetened baked goods brown faster, we want to bake them in a slightly “slower” oven.

And finally, make sure your cookie pans are lined with parchment paper and sprayed well.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe With Agave Nectar

1 cup amber agave nectar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

I’m sure you know the procedure for mixing a cookie dough, but just in case…

1. Beat the agave, butter, eggs and vanilla by hand or in an electric mixer until creamy and fluffy.

2. Sift together the flour, soda, and salt, and blend it thoroughly with the creamed mix.

3. Fold the chocolate chips and optional nuts into the batter.

4. Bake it off at whatever size you like. (I prefer 8-inch cookies. But, I’m a glutton!) Check your oven after 8 minutes or so. It shouldn’t take much longer than 8-10 minutes.

Photo Credit. Thanks!

Note: Baking cookies with agave nectar will result in a softer, moister end product.

One last tip: If you want to avoid all white sugar in your diet, use unsweetened or malt-sweetened chocolate chips!