Try These Corn Syrup Substitutes for Cookies, Pies, and All of Your Baked Goods (2024)

FAQs

Try These Corn Syrup Substitutes for Cookies, Pies, and All of Your Baked Goods? ›

The best corn syrup substitutes for baking are brown rice syrup, maple syrup, agave, tapioca syrup, honey, golden syrup, and black treacle. Whether you're avoiding using corn syrup, are allergic to corn, or don't have it on hand, there are a ton of substitutes for corn syrup to try instead.

Honey has a similar consistency as corn syrup, but it tends to be a bit sweeter. While it does make for a great swap in baked goods, it should not be used for candy making. Use a 1:1 swap for corn syrup, but do keep in mind that honey may impart a distinct flavor when using it as an alternative.

Sugar and Water

A modified simple syrup of four parts sugar to one-part warm water is an easy corn syrup swap in many recipes, including confections cooked to the soft-ball stage—think buttercreams, pralines and fudge. This neutral swap is similar in taste to corn syrup.

Corn syrup is often added to fudge recipes to keep them from getting grainy, again by inhibiting the formation of large sugar crystals. That's also the reason it's sometimes added to cookie glazes: smaller crystals mean the frosting is shinier when it dries.

Essentially, glucose and corn syrup are the same thing. All corn syrup is glucose syrup, but not all glucose syrup is corn syrup. This means they can be used interchangeably, but as mentioned above, they are different types of glucose syrups that can aid in certain recipes.

If you're looking for a simple syrup substitute, there are three favorites you probably have right in your home: honey, maple syrup and agave. For honey or agave, add warm water to them, to help turn the mix to syrup. You can also use a sweet, juicy fruit, like an orange.

Maple syrup is another corn syrup substitute you can try out and is most likely in your pantry right now. Keep in mind, maple syrup is not the best corn syrup substitute as it has a lower viscosity, different flavor, and a Brix level that trickles between 66 and 68 (not as sweet as corn syrup).

What happens if I use honey instead of sugar in cookies? ›

Honey is sweeter than sugar, so you need to use less. Decrease other liquids in the recipe by 1/4 cup, because there's water in the honey too. Lower the baking temperature by 25°F. Honey makes baked goods brown faster.

What Does Honey do in Baking? Honey is a 'humectant'. This means that it retains moisture- great news for baking as it helps keep biscuits and cake moist. Honey compared with traditional refined sugar, also means you gain a richer colour and fuller flavour.

Karo syrup is a popular brand of corn syrup, which is obtained from corn starch that is derived from maize. It is a concentrated solution of several sugars, such as glucose (dextrose), derived from corn starch. Because of various sugars, corn syrup has a naturally mild sweet taste.

Corn syrup consists mostly of glucose. To make it sweeter and more similar in taste to regular table sugar (sucrose), some of that glucose is converted to fructose using enzymes. Different types of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) provide varying proportions of fructose.

Corn syrup prevents sugar crystals from forming. If making a candy you can substitute a dash of lemon juice or cream of tartar, which performs nearly the same function.

Corn syrup is a food syrup which is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften texture, add volume, prevent crystallization of sugar, and enhance flavor.

High-fructose corn syrup, which comes from corn, is roughly 55 percent fructose and 40 percent glucose, plus other minor sugars and other ingredients. Table sugar, called sucrose, is made from sugar cane or beets and is 50 percent glucose and 50 percent fructose.