I have a confession to make. When I find something I really love, I don’t just buy it. I apparently prepare for the possibility that it will never be manufactured again. 😂 And one of the best examples might be my favorite allulose sweetener, Whole Earth’s Allulose & Monk Fruit Blend. At last count, I probably have somewhere around 30 bags of it.
Yes.
Thirty.
Before you start thinking that’s completely ridiculous, I would just like to point out one very important detail.
Costco ran out.
So who’s laughing now?
Okay, it’s still probably you.
But at least I’m laughing too.
I Have a Little FOMO Problem
Anyone who truly knows me knows this isn’t exactly new behavior.
If I find a skirt that fits me just right, I don’t buy one skirt.
I might buy eight.
If I find a top I love, suddenly I’m standing there trying to decide which color I like best, and the answer somehow becomes, “Well…all of them.”
And food might be even worse.
If I discover something we really like and then Costco puts it on sale?
Oh boy.
That’s when cases start appearing in my pantry.
I know there’s probably some sensible voice that’s supposed to say, “Wendy, you can always buy more later.”
Unfortunately, another voice immediately answers, “BUT WHAT IF THEY STOP MAKING IT?”
That voice is very convincing.
I call it FOMO, fear of missing out. I’m not sure I’ve figured out how to fix it yet.
And to be fair, Costco isn’t exactly helping with my recovery.
Because every once in a while, I find something there that I absolutely love, stock up on it, and then…
they stop carrying it.
Which brings us to my current stash of allulose sweetener.
How I Found My Favorite Allulose Sweetener
I have a serious sweet tooth.
If you’ve spent any time around Wendy’s Cozy Home, this probably isn’t breaking news. I make cookies. I love cookies. I develop cookie recipes.
Sugar and I are well acquainted.
I’m not trying to pretend I’m suddenly going to live a life where nothing sweet ever passes my lips. That’s not happening.
But I do try to be mindful of how much sugar I’m eating. If I can find little ways to cut back without feeling like I’m giving up everything I enjoy, I’m interested.
The problem has always been finding a sugar substitute I actually like.
I’ve purchased quite a few different sweeteners over the years, and some of them just weren’t for me. Maybe I noticed an aftertaste. Maybe the texture wasn’t right. Maybe I simply didn’t enjoy them enough to keep using them.
Then I found Whole Earth’s Allulose & Monk Fruit Blend at Costco.
This one worked for me.
And apparently when something works for me, I buy 30 bags of it.
What’s Actually in This Allulose Sweetener?
One of the first things I liked when I looked at this allulose sweetener was the ingredient list.
There are two ingredients:
Allulose and monk fruit extract.
That’s it.
Whole Earth says its allulose is made from non-GMO corn using an enzymatic process, while the monk fruit extract comes from monk fruit, a small melon native to Southeast Asia.
Allulose itself is a type of sugar that occurs naturally in small amounts in foods such as figs and raisins. It’s metabolized differently by the body than traditional sugar, which is one of the reasons you’ll see it used as an alternative sweetener.
If you’re curious about the science behind allulose, the FDA has a helpful explanation of allulose and other sugars that are metabolized differently from traditional sugars.
Whole Earth also says this particular blend contains no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives, and it’s erythritol-free.
For me, that was a big part of its appeal.
I’m not looking for perfection in everything I eat. I’m simply trying to make choices that work for me while still enjoying my food.
And I definitely still want my food to taste good.
The Biggest Test for an Allulose Sweetener: Does It Taste Good?
This is really what it comes down to for me.
You can tell me a product has every wonderful quality in the world, but if I don’t like the way it tastes, I’m not going to use it.
I know myself well enough to admit that.
This allulose sweetener is one I’ve actually enjoyed using.
Whole Earth designed the blend to substitute 1-to-1 for sugar, so one cup of the blend has the sweetness of one cup of sugar. That makes it much easier to use in everyday things without doing sweetener mathematics every time I walk into the kitchen.
And for someone who really likes sweets, having an option I enjoy makes a difference.
It means I don’t feel like every decision has to be either regular sugar or something I don’t particularly like.
Sometimes I still choose sugar.
Sometimes I use this.
That’s a balance I can actually live with.
And Then Costco Put My Allulose Sweetener on Sale
You can probably already see where this is going.
I found something I liked.
Costco had it.
Then Costco put it on sale.
This is basically the perfect storm for someone with my particular shopping personality.
So I bought some.
And then I bought some more.
And perhaps some more after that.
At some point I accumulated what I would estimate is around 30 bags of allulose sweetener.
Was that necessary?
At the time, probably not.
Do I regret it?
Well…
Costco ran out.
😂
I’m not saying my methods are particularly sensible.
I’m just saying that every once in a while, my FOMO gets enough evidence to keep itself alive for another ten years.
I’m still hoping Costco brings it back because I would much rather buy it there. Thankfully, Whole Earth still makes it, and if you’ve been looking for it too, you can also buy Whole Earth Allulose & Monk Fruit Blend on Amazon.
So technically I don’t need my emergency 30-bag reserve.
But it’s comforting to know it’s there.
Why This Allulose Sweetener Became a Favorite Find
My Favorite Finds aren’t necessarily fancy things.
Most of the time they’re just products that solve some tiny problem in my everyday life.
That’s exactly what this allulose sweetener does for me.
I love sweets.
I’m trying not to eat quite so much sugar.
I’ve tried other alternatives that I didn’t enjoy.
And then I found one I actually liked.
That’s really all it takes for something to become a favorite around here.
If I reach for it regularly, miss it when it’s gone, recommend it to people I know, and apparently feel compelled to create a small warehouse supply of it in my house, I’d say it qualifies.
Now I Just Need to Make My Allulose Sweetener Work in Cookies
You knew I was eventually going to try it in cookies, right?
Of course I was.
Whole Earth says its allulose sweetener can be used as a 1-to-1 replacement for sugar and recommends it for baking.
Naturally, my brain heard that and thought:
Cookies.
I’ve been experimenting.
I haven’t perfected them yet.
In fairness to the sweetener, I may not exactly be giving it the easiest assignment.
Because apparently replacing the sugar wasn’t enough for me.
I’ve also been trying to take out the gluten.
At the same time.
Maybe someday I’ll learn that when you’re experimenting with a recipe, changing approximately half the recipe at once makes it slightly difficult to figure out which change caused the problem.
But where’s the fun in that?
LOL.
My regular cookies are something I’ve worked on for years, and sugar does more in a cookie than simply make it sweet. It affects things like texture, browning, moisture, and spread. Then when I start changing the flour at the same time, I’ve basically turned my kitchen into a science experiment.
So the lower-sugar, gluten-free Wendy’s cookie masterpiece is still a work in progress.
I’ll keep trying.
And if I ever figure it out, you can be sure I’ll share it.
I certainly have enough allulose sweetener to run a few experiments.
Or a few hundred.
Would I Buy This Allulose Sweetener Again?
Considering I already bought enough to last through a minor apocalypse, I think we know the answer.
Yes.
What I like most about Whole Earth’s Allulose & Monk Fruit Blend is actually pretty simple. I like the taste, I like that it’s designed to substitute 1-to-1 for sugar, and I like the short ingredient list.
It’s an easy little swap I can make when I want something sweet without reaching for regular sugar every single time.
Is it going to make me stop eating sugar altogether?
Absolutely not.
Have you met me?
There will still be cookies around here.
But I’ve learned that making little changes I can actually stick with works much better for me than deciding I’m never going to eat something I love again.
And this is one of those little changes.
Maybe My Allulose Sweetener FOMO Isn’t So Bad After All
I probably should work on the whole “buy eight skirts because I like the first one” situation.
And perhaps a person does not need a shirt in every available color.
I’m willing to admit these things.
But those 30 bags sitting safely in my house?
I’m having a harder time regretting those.
Especially now that I can’t find them at my Costco.
Maybe they’ll be back next week. Maybe they’ll be back next month. Maybe I’ll walk into Costco one day and find a giant pallet of my favorite allulose sweetener waiting for me.
If that happens, I’m going to be sensible.
I’m going to remind myself that I already have plenty at home.
I’m going to walk right past it.
I’m absolutely not going to put ten more bags in my cart.
Probably.
Maybe.
We’ll see. 😂
