"I’ve mentioned before that I am not much of a sweet tooth, but when it comes to raw desserts, there seems to be a little confusion as to what’s best to use for sweetening your cakes, cookies, puddings etc.
Agave has gotten a bit of a bad wrap over the last couple of years, after initially being touted as a ‘healthy’ product, then when Mercola came out with this article in 2010, plenty of people were up in arms about the sweetener. I wrote a bit about it here, but I still use a raw version myself now and then if I cannot find an an an alternative, however I’m usually veering towards maple syrup (not raw) if a recipe requires the same smooth texture (think cashew based cheesecakes) or one of the alternatives I’ve listed below, keeping in with the flavour and texture of the dessert or dish I am creating...."
Agave Nectar
Barley Malt Syrup
Coconut Nectar
Coconut Sugar
Dates
Erythritol
Lucuma
Maca Powder
Maple Syrup
Mesquite Powder
Molasses
Raisins/Sultanas
Rapadura
Stevia
Yacon Syrup
See explanations @ robyn j law's blog