If you have a major sweet tooth but feel guilty about consuming refined sugar, the new “Green Market Baking Book” by Laura C. Martin is for you.

This collection of 100 recipes from professionals such as Alice Waters and Dan Barber features both sweet and savory baked goods made with local, sustainably-produced ingredients and natural sweeteners. In place of white sugar, the recipes use sweeteners such as maple syrup, maple sugar, agave nectar, barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, honey and date sugar crystals.

Dairy- and gluten-free options are included, as are low-fat treats and vegan choices.

But a calorie is a calorie, no matter where it comes from, so don’t make the mistake of thinking these recipes will necessarily turn a chocolate chip cookie into health food. The New York-style cheesecake may be made with agave nectar, but it still has an entire stick of butter in the crust and 32 ounces of cream cheese in the filling.


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