The very kind folks over at Zulka Sugar asked me recently whether I would like a sample of their morena sugar to try out. Um, yes please! I was thrilled to say yes, especially after I read up on what exactly morena sugar is.
Morena is unrefined and made from freshly-harvested sugar cane, which makes it a less-processed replacement for refined white sugar. I bake so much (seriously, I’ve gone through 15 kilos of granulated sugar in the last six months) that I’m always looking for healthier sugar alternatives. You can see and taste the different with Zulka’s sugar. The crystals are fairly large and are light brown in colour since its made in a way that tries to preserve as much of the natural properties and flavour of the sugar cane plant as possible. I dipped a finger into the sugar to taste it straight up (for your benefit, dear reader) and it has a soft, slightly caramel flavour, with none of the harsh sweetness that you get from regular granulated sugar. You use morena sugar as a 1 for 1 replacement so there’s no need to do any calculations or substitutions.
Another bonus? Zulka is Non-GMO Project verified so it’s good for the environment.
The most important question though is how does it hold up in my baking? I’ve used Zulka in three recipes so far and it’s excellent. I’m featuring two recipes today so that I can tell you how the sugar worked in two very different products.
First up, a moist, dense, fabulous banana chocolate chip bread recipe that my dear friend, Mrs. Krabapple, gave me years ago. It’s a recipe from her mom and boy, does it ever deliver. I made a few adaptations to it.
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup sour cream (you can also use yogurt or greek yogurt)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a square baking pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas (I like to coarsely mash the bananas so that there are still chunks of the fruit in the finished product) and add the sour cream, egg, oil and vanilla. Add the dry to the wet ingredients; stir to combine. Add in the chocolate chips and stir until distributed evenly in the batter. Pour the batter into your greased pan and sprinkle more chips over top. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.
Adding the peanut butter chips was a stroke of genius, if I may say so myself. The slightly salty flavour of the peanut butter chips just gave the banana bread a certain je ne sais quoi.
This is one of my go-to banana bread recipes – it never lets me down. Plus, I always pack it full of chocolate so it’s kind of just a chocolate-bearing vehicle for me, which is always a good thing!
The second recipe I’m bringing you today is Sally’s Baking Addiction‘s soft and thick snickerdoodle cookies. I didn’t change a thing so click here to see the recipe. I chose this cookie for a number of reasons. First, about 5 bloggers have made them recently so seeing all of that snickerdoodly deliciousness online made me crave them something awful. Second, I wanted a recipe that didn’t drown out the flavours with flashy add-ons. A snickerdoodle really depends on the quality of the ingredients used and here, the shining stars are butter, sugar and cinnamon.
The first time I had a snickerdoodle was Christmas 2008. A coworker brought in a box of cookies made by her mom and there was a stack of snickerdoodles nestled in there, so unassuming and decidedly unglamorous compared to the cookies dipped in icing and filled with chocolate. One bite and I was in love.
The Zulka sugar tasted fantastic in these. The larger crystals gave the cookies even more of a crunch than regular sugar. The Husband was hooked on these, he ate them every day until they were all gone.
The best part of Sally’s recipe is that you don’t need to refrigerate the dough. Just whip it up, stick ’em into the oven and you’ve got thick, gorgeous snickerdoodles. Mine weren’t as puffy as hers but they tasted pretty damn good.
Unfortunately, you can’t buy Zulka Sugar in Canada right now (if I’m wrong, someone please correct me!) but it’s available in the US. The next time I cross the border, I’m stocking up!
Disclosure: I received a bag of Zulka Pure Cane Sugar to review. All opinions are my own.
Hmm–I’m super intrigued by the sound of this! I totally feel you on trying to find healthy sugar alternatives–I’m always on the hunt! I have to say–these two recipes look so luscious that I can’t imagine a little thing like sugar messing either of them up 🙂 That banana chocolate chip bread–I want!!! And Sally’s fabulous cookies! Let’s do this: come to the U.S. (Texas, specifically) and I’ll get you stocked up on Zulka and then we can bake bake bake and hang out!!
Zulka Morena sugar is awesome! I’m so glad I discovered it. Nice recipes to use it with too. And thanks for causing me to crave snickerdoodles. I’m off to the kitchen…
mmmm. . .I love snickerdoodles and I haven’t had them in forever. I’m going to make a batch with my leftover Zulka!
Well, now I am craving banana bread and snickerdoodles. Any chance you can poof some to me? 🙂 Pinning!
The banana chocolate chip bread looks yummy!
That banana chocolate chip bread looks amazing! I love chocolate and bananas together. And the snickerdoodle cookies. So glad you made them!
That banana bread is insane. In the best possible way. I must get to a store and buy some peanut butter chips, asap!
Mmm, these photos are mouthwatering 😀
This Zulka sugar looks lovely!
Cheers
CCU
Hey! Thanks for the tip on the sugar! will definitely look for this. . I just googled it and will definitely buy some online!
um, ok. . LOVE your photos of your snickerdoodles!!! OMG. Totally craving some now. . I seriously am making some this weekend. This and the banana bread looks fabulous! and YES! Adding the peanut butter chips . . brilliant!
Both look really good! Will have to try them!
That banana bread looks like the bomb.com! I’m good with any recipe that provides a vehicle to consume lots of chocolate!
I’m obsessed with my zulka and I love how you used it (esp. that banana choc chip bread, omg!)
Sooo happy to hear you support nonGMO products. Yay, Nancy!
And also very grateful for the scrumptious banana chocolate chip bread recipe. (Yes, you are brilliant to add peanut butter chips.) Thanks too for the lead on how-to replicate your heavenly snickerdoodles =)
Sally and I posted snickerdoodle recipes on the same day (randomly!) and hers look amazing and I want to try them and I should say yours look amazing and I want to try them even more now 🙂 And I have that sugar too…I just haven’t opened it yet. Whoops 🙂
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I tried their sugar a while back and really liked it! Only thing is none of our local stores carry it. Such a bummer!
Wow, that sugar sounds awesome! I’m going to see if I can find it now…maybe specialty grocery stores will have it if not the local ones. And that banana bread looks ahh-mazing!
I would love to eliminate refined sugar from my diet. Or at least minimize it. I am inspired by your post and will try to get my hands on some morena sugar!
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I am excited to try this. Your instructions don’t say when to add the sugar??
Hi Kim, good eye! Thanks for catching that. You can add the sugar to the dry ingredients. I’ll amend the instructions right now to reflect that. Let me know if you try the recipe!