hello everyone! i am pretty new to this site and also a little technology challenged...I just found this calorie counting fourm today. I was wondering if it is ok to substitute all sugar in recipes for splenda without a difference in taste. I thought I heard that you can only go 50/50 with spelenda and sugar, but some sites I have found say you can totally substitute with splenda. I have a serious sweet tooth and need to come up with good, chocolaty ideas that low in calories. Know any special ones?

Well, this doesn't address the splenda thing, but a No Pudge brownie always gives me the chocolate fix I need. It's a mix you can find with the others in the grocery store. For a single serving, you just mix it with yogurt and pop it in the microwave - 110 cals!

Fudgsicles are only 60 calories - that's my go-to chocolate fix

It depends on the recipe. There are two kinds of Splenda and other artificial sweeteners-the regular kind, and then there is a special kind that usually says "for baking". Sometimes in baked goods, regular sugar helps with the texture and the browning of the dish. If in doubt for a baked recipe, use the kind for baking.

I have found that in things you want to caramelize splenda doesn't work well. Like if you were going to make creme' burlee (as all dieters should j/k) it wouldn't do that cool hardening thing on top. Or it wouldn't be good for caramel corn, which I love to make. I pretty much use it in all other sauces, cakes, and stuff and I've had no problems. I just use the regular kind.

I've also found that splenda is much sweeter than regular sugar. If you substitute splenda for sugar 1:1, your food tends to taste a bit sweet and a bit chemical-ly. I've stopped using splenda altogether, but you might want to experiment with different ratios to see what works for you taste-wise.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful ideas! I am going to try using splenda for my favorite p.b. cookies

When I use splenda for baking - it tends to make things like cookies more puffy and cakelike. 1/2 sugar and 1/2 splenda for baking works better in this case. Splenda does work really well for sweetening things like puddings and drinks.

It makes a really nice pumpkin pudding - I use the pie recipe on the pumpkin can but leave out the crust and substitute splenda for the sugar, fat free canned milk and egg beaters for the eggs.