Xylitol isn't without some cautions for users, including diarrhea, and is one sweetener I tend to avoid because of that. Splenda makes me horribly sick, so I avoid it, too.

Have you tried Erythritol? I occasionally use Swerve (a name brand for an Erythritol product) and it comes in granulated and powdered versions, which is nice. It is a zero-calorie product. I especially like to use it in recipes I make for diabetic friends. It's very sweet, but doesn't have an aftertaste like stevia does, but the sweetness gives a different mouth-feel than sugar. I've made a recipe for Gingerbread Bundt Cake with Lemon Glaze (Low Carb and Gluten Free) many times using Swerve (erythritol) - http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2011/10/gingerbread-bundt-cake-with-lemon-glaze-low-carb-and-gluten-free.html. I've also made a half-recipe and baked the batter in a mini-bundt cake pan (12 muffin-size cakes) for individual servings.

Although I've used agave nectar for a couple decades, I've switched to low-glycemic Palm Sugar (aka coconut palm sugar) as my primary "sugar" product the last few years. It has a rich caramel flavor, looks like and works like brown sugar, and has a good nutrition profile for a sugar. It reacts like regular sugar in most recipes as far as sweetness and the ability to brown, and it will feed yeast like sugar, and your baked goods will stay moist - which alcohol sweeteners like Xylitol, and chemical sweeteners won't. If a recipe requires white sugar and brown sugar, I'll use Swerve for the white sugar and Palm Sugar for the brown.

You can buy a liquid version - Coconut Nectar - but I just make my own, to save money, and use the liquid version when a liquid sweetener (honey, syrup, etc.) is called for in a recipe, generally with the same results.

Homemade Coconut Nectar
1-1/2 c. palm sugar
1/2 c. water
Heat in a pan over a warm burner until dissolved - stir occasionally. Place in an air-tight glass container and store in the refrigerator.

Yes, I read that Xylitol can sometimes cause diarrhea. I'm not planning on using much of it at a time and I'm not planning on baking with it (I read that it does not allow baked goods to rise as they should).

Thank you for the information about Erythritol. I will definitely check that out.

In the meantime, I would really like to learn how to keep Xylitol as a liquid. Otherwise, I will continually kick myself for spending eight dollars for the bag.

And what about the Palm sugar. You mentioned how it looks and behaves, but I'm wondering about the flavor. I don't want to add another flavor to the things I'm planning on using it in. Does it have a pronounced flavor, other than sweetening, or is it pretty neutral?

I got the light agave, which doesn't really add a flavor. I know that the darker agave does.

Thanks again.

I have a bag of it. I can't use it. A friend of ours uses it all the time, and I have eaten pies she used it in with no problem. But when I used it in something, can't remember what it was now, it made me sick. DD and I can't use artificial sweeteners. Makes our hearts race. So, I just limit my carbs. If I want something made with regular sugar, I do. I just try not to eat too much of it.

Tami

Palm sugar has a bold caramel flavor. Much more pronounced than brown sugar, but not as much as molasses. It also doesn't dissolve as well as white/brown sugar if you were to use it in a hot beverage. It will cream with fat, but it takes a lot of beating to get the job done.

Since my last post, I took a packet of Monk Fruit Sweetener and tasted it on the tip of my finger. It tasted like sweet vodka to me (I don't imbibe, so I didn't care for the flavor). No aftertaste, however, like stevia. I'll have to give it a test in food.

-Grainlady

Do be aware that xylitol is extremely poisonous to dogs.