Caramel without cane sugar or dairy

[TeakettleSlim]

A little girl in our circle of friends is allergic to cane sugar and dairy (among other things). I was planning on bringing a caramel apple station to a potluck she'll be at and would love to be able to offer something she can partake in too since she feels pretty excluded this time of year. I found a recipe using all honey, and tahini, but don't know how she'd feel about the tahini. I am curious about whether I could use all maple? Or coconut oil and coconut cream for the fat? Corn syrup is also an option.

[KennethT]

What about palm sugar? I get it in both disc and paste form.... would be great with some coconut cream if she likes those types of flavors

[TeakettleSlim]

That might work! I don't recall having seen it around here, though. I will have to go on a search. Have you tried it in caramels? Does it otherwise behave like cane sugar?

Edited October 14, 2015 by TeakettleSlim (log)

[KennethT]

I haven't used it in anything other than it's typical uses in Thai food - curries, som tam, etc.... with that being said, my first experience with the paste type made me think of maple sugar candies right away. It's not as sweet as cane sugar, but I don't have nearly enough sugar knowledge to guess with it will behave like sugar...

[heidih]

Great palm sugar article here by Robin from Eating Asia  http://eatingasia.typepad.com/eatingasia/2015/08/on-pursuing-an-obsession-and-getting-nowhere-until-you-do-me-and-palm-sugar-.html

[KennethT]

Another idea (but a bit harder to source) is to make a caramel from isomalt. It doesn't melt as easily as sugar, but will definitely melt and form a nice caramel. Once melted and caramelized, it performs similarly to sugar, but is not as sweet.

[GlorifiedRice]

Palm Sugar and Goats Milk?

[ecclescake]

Would beet sugar be an option?

[Lisa Shock]

Another idea (but a bit harder to source) is to make a caramel from isomalt. It doesn't melt as easily as sugar, but will definitely melt and form a nice caramel. Once melted and caramelized, it performs similarly to sugar, but is not as sweet.

 

However, you need to make sure that not much of it gets eaten, as it is also a laxative and affects children more profoundly than adults. In clinical trials with children and adults, 25g (about 6 teaspoons) had a laxative affect on older children (age 6-9). I can't find data on younger children. The findings seem to show a correlation between the amount eaten and the severity of the gastrointestinal effects, and body size in relation to dosage.

[KennethT]

Interesting. I knew it had a slight laxative effect on sdults (of course dependent on quantity) but I didn't realize that if affected children more profoundly.

What I had read was that the body doesn't really break isomalt down, and instead, is treated like fiber and passes through. Also, like sugar, it is hygroscopic, so it tends to attract water into the colon, hence the laxative effect... That was my understanding of it, but could be completely wrong...

Edit sp

Edited October 16, 2015 by KennethT (log)

[Lisa Shock]

That's about right. You have to be careful about water balance in the body, people can die. I recall a question from the AP Biology exam (from many years ago) about some thirsty soldiers during WW1 (or was it WW2) finding beehives in the European countryside and consuming some of the honey and then dying from the hygroscopic effects. Anyway, in adults, it appears to take quite a bit of isomalt, 40+g, to cause a small response in adults. But, I'd be really careful about offering it to a little child.