Let me start by saying, I love lemonade. I love it so very much, but you might never know that. See, I have issues with drinking my calories. I can eat my weight in cookies and cakes, but hand me a glass of classic lemonade and I have a hard time being okay with 200+ calories in that form. I am not a calorie counter these days, but so many years of being aware of it all has pretty much turned me off of anything that has an equally sugary counterpart in dessert form. I’m almost always going to choose frosting over a beverage.
Without naming names, I will tell you that over the past ten years I have tried a lot of alternative sweeteners and none of them thrilled me. When In The Raw asked me to try their Stevia In The Raw, to be honest, I was a little leery of it. However, I am simply thrilled to tell you that this sweetener rocks. I made this Sugar Free Lemonade and took it out on the porch to share with the kids. We all loved it and I can promise that it will be made frequently throughout the summer months.
Sugar Free Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice or the juice of 4 large lemons
- 3/4 cup Stevia In The Raw Bakers Bag
- 3 1/2 cups cold water
- Ice
- Optional: additional lemon slices
Instructions
- Stir together the lemon juice and stevia. Add the water and fill the rest of the pitcher with ice and additional lemon slices. Pour into glasses. Enjoy!
Stevia In The Raw measures just like sugar, making it really easy to swap out a portion of the sugar in your favorite recipes. I played with some lightened up cooking baking, diving into 100% sugar free treats, simply because the idea is so intriguing. Listen to me here, follow the brand’s advice (i.e. read the side of the package) and use half regular sugar. It makes a huge difference.
I found that a ratio of ½ brown sugar to ½ Stevia In The Raw resulted in the best texture and flavor. Yes, you “can” bake 100% sugar free cookies treats, but they won’t brown the same way and the texture was too different for my tastes. To make the Breakfast Cookies that we’ve been snacking on all week, use this Oatmeal Cookie Recipe and swap the sugars listed for 2/3 cup Stevia In The Raw and 2/3 cup dark brown sugar. (I’m calling them breakfast cookies, because with half the original sugar, shouldn’t they be eaten for breakfast??)
Disclosure: I’ve partnered with In The Raw and Burst Media to share their latest products with you this year. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Barefeet In The Kitchen possible. As always, all thoughts are my own.
Joshua Hampton says
I love the idea of sugar-free lemonade. I'm not comfortable with drinking my calories either.
Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness says
This look so fresh and yummy! And I love that it's sugar free – nothing beats a cold drink on a hot summer day – except maybe a SUGAR FREE drink!! 🙂