Truvia, Splenda, monk fruit — we know these noncaloric sweeteners. Recipes call for them all the time, ways to boost sweetness without using white sugar. They are excellent, while sometimes pricey, replacements while cutting carbs. But when it comes to brown sugar, it can be harder to find an analogous sweetener to fit the bill — or your wallet. Low-carb and carb-free brown sugar alternatives are frequently more expensive than white sugar swaps.

Many great recipes call for brown sugar. Lots of them could easily be modified to suit someone with blood sugar concerns were it not for brown sugar. Mondays are the day we give you tips that we like to help you with the rest of your week. Therefore, we wanted to share the two best brown “sugar” recipes we have seen! Try them yourself: make a pie or marinade you usually avoid for the sake of your blood sugar.

The first uses blackstrap molasses. Molasses does have some calories, on average it’s 60 calories and 13 grams of carbs per tablespoon. However, this recipe, by Gwen’s Nest, yields a cup of sugar substitute using only ¾ of a teaspoon — translating to roughly 15 calories and less than four carbs in the whole cup. Get the recipe here.

For some people, molasses’ smoky scent is simply too much. They describe the flavor as burnt and, even in the small amount needed for the recipe above, they cannot stand the taste or smell. Kim of Low Carb Maven is one of those folks. She has found a way around that using maple extract in the place of molasses. That makes it essentially carb and calorie free! Get the recipe here.

Armed with these recipes, we hope you bring the flavor of brown sugar back into your kitchen without bringing the carbs. As always send any recipes or tips you would like to share to socialmedia@neulivenhealth.com.