Derived from sap
One especially sweet product the tree gives us is coconut sugar. And although the name might lead you to believe it comes from the coconut itself, the sugar is actually derived from the sap of the coconut palm. First the sap is collected from cut flower blossom stems, then it’s boiled and dehydrated, resulting in caramel colored granules. The process is simple, natural, and chemical-free.
Coconut sugar doesn’t taste anything like coconut; it has a satisfying earthy sweetness similar to brown sugar. And good news: it’s super simple to substitute it in almost any recipe. For every one cup of white sugar, use one cup of coconut sugar. (Don’t you love a good 1:1 substitution? There’s already too much math in our lives.)
More nutrients than table sugar
So why would you want to give coconut sugar a go over plain old white sugar? Well, coconut sugar is a little more nutritious than empty-calorie table sugar. Because coconut sugar is minimally processed, it retains trace amounts of minerals and vitamins like vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and inulin, a prebiotic fiber.