Annapurna: Coconut Cookies Using Sviten- Natural Sweetener / Product Review

I am back from a well deserved break and a rejuvenating vacation. No no i did not visit any exotic holiday destination but still i feel so fresh and relaxed. Reason is that this time i decided to spent quality time with my in -laws and parents by keeping myself away from gadgets ( cell phones / laptops ) as far as possible. Believe me it is not that difficult and worth the happiness you see on faces of your family when you are completely with them. And then you have so much quality time to do what ever you wished to do. In my wish list was to visit my extended family and enjoy family gatherings and get together , enjoy nature walks , witness the beautiful Sunrise and Sunset almost daily and i am so glad i could do all of this. Kids were happy with the family picnics and outings. All and all a perfect break from daily routine.

Now that i am back , it is time for some serious work. To begin with are these guilt free coconut cookies which i have made using Sviten - a natural sweetener. Just before i moved for my vacations, i received a pack of Sviten from Food Bloggers Council Of India (FBCI) to use the product and review it. I used the product for about 3 weeks as tabletop sweetener in my juices, smoothies, lemonades , tea , coffee and dips. Apart from this i used it to sweeten Indian desserts like payasam and kheer and also in baked goodies.

Sviten is a brand name for a natural sweetener which is made from Stevia leaf extracts. The pack states that Stevia is a plant ( member of the chrysanthemum family) whose leaves are steeped, processed (extracted) to get Steviol Glycoside which gives sweetness which is 300 times more than sugar with no added calories. Sviten has no side effects as against artificial sweeteners and can be used by sports person and calorie conscious people of all age groups. Sviten is diabetic friendly as it does not raise blood sugar levels.

Pack Details : The pack comes with 50 handy sachets of Sviten sweetener . The sachets are easy to carry and each 1 gram sachet equals to 1 teaspoon of sugar.

Where can Sviten be used: Sviten natural sweetener can be used to sweeten food , beverages and desserts.

You can use 1 or 2 sachets of Sviten to your favorite beverage , be it green tea , coffee ,lemonade or smoothie.
For baked desserts like cakes and cookies , i replaced 1/2 cup sugar with 12 sachets of Sviten sweetener.
Sviten can be used as a tabletop sweetener in payasam , kheer and dips as per the desired sweetness.

Benefit for weight watchers and calorie conscious people: Stevia leaf extract is a highly- potent sweetener that has sweetness of about 300 times more than sugar so you need only very small amounts to achieve the level of sweetness you expect with sugar. Stevia leaf extract also has no calories because of the way our body metabolises the sweetener. Unlike sugar stevia leaf extract quickly passes through our digestive tract and is eliminated without being broken down for calories.

Diabetic Friendly : Sviten does not raise the blood sugar levels and has no side effects as against artificial sweeteners so is diabetic friendly.

Drawbacks: Sviten imparts a characteristic after taste to the food or beverage it is been added to which should not be a concern when you are used to the product. Also anything in excess is of no use and it hold same with this sweetener. Sviten is a natural sugar substitute and should be used in moderation.

Where can we find Sviten sweetener : Sviten can be ordered on line from Amazon.com. You can click Here for the link to the site.

Recommendation: I would recommend Sviten natural sweetener to my viewers and readers , if you are looking for a sugar substitute which is natural, is diabetic friendly ,gluten free , safe for all age groups and is benefit for weight watchers and calorie conscious people.

Now coming to our recipe , i made these melt in mouth coconut cookies using Sviten natural sweetener. My papa is diabetic and i made these beauties on father's day so he could enjoy a guilt free sweet treat . The cookies turned out to be delicious, sweet and crunchy on outside and soft from within and we could hardly make out any difference in the taste.

The cookies are egg-less and made using whole wheat flour. I replaced 1/2 cup sugar with 12 sachets of Sviten in this recipe. These cookies can be easily made under 30 minutes with the ingredients that are easily available in our kitchen pantries. Serve them with tea or coffee or enjoy them as snacks or just to satisfy the sweet cravings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 12 minutes

Serves: 9 cookies

Ingredients: Measurement 1 cup = 200 ml

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut + 2 tablespoon
12 sachets of Sviten natural sweetener ( 1 gram each)
3-4 tablespoon of clarified butter / ghee
1 teaspoon Vanilla essence
4-5 tablespoon milk or as required
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180 degree Celsius for 15 minutes. Line the baking tray with a parchment paper. In a bowl take whole wheat flour , desiccated coconut, baking soda and salt.

2. To this empty 12 Sviten sachets and mix well.

3. Add vanilla essence and clarified butter. Mix well to get a bread crumb like consistency.

4. Now add milk little by little to get a semi soft dough.

5. Make 9 equal balls of the dough and flatten slightly with your palms. Tap them over the desiccated coconut to coat them lightly. Arrange them on a lined baking tray keeping distance between each cookie.

6. Bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 180 degree Celsius for about 12 minutes. To check for doneness just press the top of the cookies with a spoon . If impression is formed , the cookies are under done. Bake the cookies for 1-2 minutes more. Over baking may make the cookies hard .