In fact, you can use fructose instead of sugar in all kinds of desserts and baked goods. But you should remember about certain nuances. Fructose is sweeter than sugar, so it should be added, given this fact, in a smaller amount.
If we are dealing with yeast, then the dough will rise with both fructose and sugar. There will be no difference in the appearance of the finished baked goods.
But in muffins and cookies, in the preparation of which yeast is not used, fructose behaves differently. The first difference is that if the muffins use fructose instead of sugar, they will be smaller.
The second thing to consider is that "fructose muffins" brown faster. Because of this, it can happen that they are not baked on the inside, but on the outside they will look like finished. But if you know about this characteristic feature of the dough with the addition of fructose, then you can make adjustments to the temperature regime of the oven. The temperature should be lowered ten to twenty degrees relative to the preparation of muffins made with sugar. Accordingly, the baking time will increase.
As for the fructose-based cookies, there are also differences. First, it won't be as sweet as one made with sugar. This is due to the fact that fructose is involved in the Maillard reaction. This is a process when, when a product is heated, a color, smell, and taste of the finished food appears.
Fructose cookies, like muffins, need to be baked at a lower temperature and longer cooking times.
If we use fructose in the dough, the cookies will be softer, and if we use sugar, then more crumbly. Fructose is highly hygroscopic, so cookies stay soft for longer.
