Flourless Sugar-Free Chocolate Cupcakes

I have been using xylitol sugar substitute for DIY toothpaste and mouthwash but have never used it for cooking mainly because I don't want to ingest anything made in China and also I don't eat a lot of food with high sugar content.

I came across this sugar substitute when I test baked several years ago for Peter Reinhart's low carbs, gluten free, and sugar free book but never used it for cooking nor for my drinks.  I recently got a large bag USA-produced xylitol made from birch bark. The reviews are mixed, with a few users complaining of upset stomach. It's time to test for myself if it has an unpleasant flavor and if it will give me stomach cramps.

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Calamansi Preserve

My calamansi tree has been generous this year and to my delight yielded lots of fruits all throughout the winter season indoors. Just like any citrus fruits I use all parts of this tiny citrus fruit. I never throw out the rinds and seeds.

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Homemade White Chocolate Chips

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Most of the white chocolate available to buy are too cloying and taste unnatural, probably the vanilla flavor, I'm not sure. It doesn't really matter to me as I hardly eat white chocolate but sometimes a recipe I want to prepare has white chocolate among the ingredients. Cacao butter to the rescue! I already have a pound of  food grade raw cacao butter that I mostly use for cosmetics. I pre-shred and keep them in 2-ounce portions.

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Goldilocks™ Mamon

The other day I had a Goldilocks™ Mocha Mamon. I can't remember if I had this before and I was surprised that I loved it. I didn't care much for their other baked goods but their mamon is sure yummy, soft, fluffy, and most important, not cloyingly sweet.

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Sweet Potato Pancakes

I didn't know date syrup is now used as an alternate sweetener. One of the recipes on the cookbook, NOPI, by Yotam Ottolenghi is Sweet Potato Pancakes Topped With Yogurt and Date Syrup. Sounds really yummy.

The date syrup in the book's photo is smooth, dark, and thick. I didn't have date syrup so I made a little by cooking California dried dates with water until pulpy. I strained it but the syrup although thick is not smooth and not sweet enough. I also tried making raw syrup by chopping dates and soaking in water but the result also lacks adequate sweetness and even coarser than the cooked syrup. Maybe it's really not that sweet like sugarcane. I'll have to get the ones that come from Israel just to try.

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