DISCLOSURE: I was sent a free kit of Truvia products from Crowdtap to host a party and try Truvia.  My opinions are my own.

If you've been following this blog for awhile, then you know that I'm not really a fan of Truvia in my coffee.  There's just something about it that isn't very palatable for me.  BUT, I've never tried baking with Truvia (or any other sweetener, other than sugar).  So, when I was given the chance to host a brunch party and use Truvia to bake up some breakfast treats, I decided to give it a go.

My Dad's birthday was coming up and my sister recently got engaged.  So, there were two perfect reasons to get friends and family together.

The party kit was pretty nice.  The company was very generous! It included:

• 1 package of Truvía Baking Blend
• 2 40-count packages of Truvía packets
• 2 80- count packages of Truvía packets
• 2 packages of Truvía spoonable
• Folgers Gourmet Selections Vanilla Biscotti Ground Coffee
• Smucker’s Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves with Truvía®
• 1 Truvía Brand “I love you when you’re not cranky” mug
• Truvía brand apron
• Truvia brand wooden spoon
• 1 Brunch Party Insert 

Since, most of my guests weren't going to be free until the afternoon/evening, my brunch was held around dinner time.  But, that was cool.  Who doesn't like breakfast at dinner?

To make the party interesting, I decided to bake one thing with Truvia and another with sugar and have the guests try to figure out which was baked with Truvia.  A lot of the guests had never tried Truvia before and were curious about how it would taste.  Most of the guests were Splenda users.

I had recently tried a scone for the first time at Panera a few weeks before the party and decided I would try to make scones for the brunch.  I found a recipe for Blueberry Scones that didn't look too hard to make.  I used sugar to make it.  You can find the recipe on my baking blog.  They were delicious!  You can easily substitute Truvia Baking Blend for the sugar, by using just 1/4 cup Truvia, instead of 1/2 cup of sugar.


For the Truvia, I searched Pinterest for a recipe that specifically used Truvia.  I could've substituted the Truvia in any recipe that called for sugar (you use half the amount of sugar specified), but I wanted to make something that someone had already tried and liked.  I ended up making Raspberry Lemon Cornmeal Muffins, using a recipe from My Baking Addiction.  They turned out pretty good!


Raspberry Lemon Cornmeal Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk plus about 2 tbsps for tops
2 large eggs, separated
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups raspberries, rinsed, drained and patted dry

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly coat a standard muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper muffin liners. 
2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, Truvia Baking Blend, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest.
3.  In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg yolks, and butter. Slowly stir buttermilk mixture into flour mixture until just blended.  
4.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until just stiff. Gently fold the stiff egg whites and raspberries into the batter until just combined.
5.  Spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup three-quarters full. Bake muffins for 12 minutes, remove from oven and gently brush the tops with remaining buttermilk. Continue baking until the muffin tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean; about 6 to 8 minutes more. 
6.  Let muffins cool slightly, about 10 minutes, before removing from muffin tin.   

Most of the guests guessed correctly that the muffins contained the Truvia.  I had a few people guess the scones because the scones weren't as sweet as the muffins.  For those who guessed the muffins, I think it was more of a texture thing.  The muffins were more dense.  And, I think it had more to do with the cornmeal in them, rather than the Truvia.  Here's a little collage of everyone trying the muffins and scones.


No one had anything bad to say about the taste of the Truvia Baking Blend.  There was no mention of an after taste or anything "artificial" about the flavor.  My husband, who hates Truvia in his coffee, loved the muffins! 

Most everyone took home a package (or two) of Truvia to use at home.  I kept the package of Truvia Baking Blend.  I think I'll continue to use it in my baking, especially when I'm baking for someone who I know is on a reduced sugar diet.

Thanks to Crowdtap and Truvia for giving us the chance to try it!