Orange, Ginger, Mango Sorbet — Made With Stevia.

There has long been a dream in our house: a dream of the perfect, chewy, chocolaty, brownie… that’s calorie-free. An impossible dream, perhaps, but it’s a lovely dream nonetheless.

Recently, this dream inspired us to purchase some stevia packets to try as a sugar substitute in various things, namely brownies, but also coffee, muffins and sorbet.

I don’t love stevia. I find that it has a distinct bitter aftertaste and in general seems to make things overly sweet – even when using the much smaller amount needed in comparison to sugar.

But like most ingredients in my kitchen, the more I use stevia – practice, take risks, try new things – the more I learn, and the better I get at creating deliciousness sans bitter aftertaste or crazy over-sweetness.

I haven’t mastered the brownie yet, but I nailed sorbet. Orange, Ginger, Mango Sorbet to be exact. It is bright and lively with a hint of gingery spice and absolutely no added sugar. This means I’m allowed to have two scoops, right? Twice a day?

I started with a recipe I found on Allrecipes and made some minor alterations. I calculated how many stevia packets would equal the amount of sugar called for – and then cut that amount in half. Stevia is powerful stuff; less can really be more and in this case it is. Now on to that perfect brownie recipe…

Orange, Ginger, Mango Sorbet, with Stevia

1 1/2 cups water
12 packets (about 1/8 cup) Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Stevia
1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pinch sea salt
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice (about 8 oranges)
1 cup mango purée
¼ cup lemon juice

In a saucepan, combine the water, stevia, ginger, salt and lime zest. Bring mixture to a boil, turn off the heat, cover and allow to steep for ½ hour. Strain to remove ginger and zest. Add the orange juice, mango purée and lemon juice. Chill for at least two hours. Pour mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.