My husband tried Splenda and he liked it in his coffee, but he now he uses Stevia which is from a plant. No chemicals. I don't know if you can cook with it.
You CAN cook with stevia -- but if I get something sweet enough for me with it, it comes with a pretty stiff licorice/anise taste and I'm not a fan of licorice
Stevia has an aftertaste for me, too. I've tried drops and granular (that comes in packets). Plus, I have to be careful with Stevia or, for me, it causes lower digestive upset! (That's putting it politely.) ;)
I have baked with stevia. You have to get the very refined type it looks like really fine sugar. And *warning* a little bit goes a very long way. :) I made muffins and cakes with it...I think I still have my stevia cookbook, if you would like, I can see if I can find it online for you!
Oh... yeah - Also, I forgot to add that Splenda is made by treating the sugar with chlorine. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, so I decided to stay away from it until we know more. *gah* Maple sugar is also pretty good for you as a sweetener.