attention bakers : sugarfree desserts? pretty please

[miss djax]

ok,now that i am diabetic i had to kiss dessert goodbye, at least in the short term while i figure shit out. until then i NEED some help in the dessert department.

anyone have tips or tricks?


hows cooking with splenda? any sugar free recipes? and could i make a sugarfree pavlova?

and am i delusional to think of making chocolate cake with black beans?

http://healthyindulgences.blogspot.com/2009/05/healthy-chocolate-cake-with-secret.html

i'd LOVE the advice

[Anne]

You can replace sugar wiht fruit in a bunch of things, but I think it's more total carbs you need to worry about.

I adore this magazine---http://www.diabeticcooking.com/

They always have desserts in it and good ones. And a lot of their total meals are great as well.

and yeah, if you click on recipes and then on desserts (or cookies or cheesecakes, whatever strikes your fancy) you can get some ideas.

So sorry! I'm expecting it myself, which is why I get DC already... ;)

[Celsus]

You can use fructose (powder) as a total sugar substitute... I don't know how all diabetics react to it, but apparently it's something my mother uses often, who's diabetic (inasmuch as there's other health risks related to high sugar diets).

[miss djax]

you can use fructose? hrm.......i'll have to check in to that. have you ever cooked with splenda?

thanks for the link, anne. i didn't see many desserts i liked but some other stuff looked good :)

[Celsus]

I've not, no. But my mom has and apparently she didn't like anything she cooked with sweeteners - she'd rather pass (or have a tiny weeny bitty sweet with real sugar). She does make some nice stuff with fructose (i've only ever tried muffins and some chilli sauces she did with them), which I'd say is indistinguishable from sugar. I believe high fructose corn syrup (the stuff in Coke) doesn't count though - it has both sugar and fructose.

That said, since I started drinking Coke Zero, my tolerance for sweeteners has gone up quite a bit and I might not mind something cooked with it these days. I dunno till I try though. I don't eat much sweet stuff, mostly out of habit, partially because almost everyone on my mother's side has diabetes.

[Rilx]

Fructose is as much sugar as glucose. Only amounts are significant. Fructose will be absorbed to the blood circulation slightly slower than glucose; that's the source of the belief that fructose was better. They have no practical difference, though.

If sugar is necessary for cooking process, it hardly can be avoided. If it's only for taste, sweeteners are a good alternative. In all cases, it's not what you eat but how much you eat.

[Anne]

what's many? They have 85 desserts, 4 brownies, 11 cakes, 7 cheesecakes, 1 coffeecake, 1 candy, 24 cookies and 8 bar cookies--- it's organized so nothing in one group overlaps another, so there are no cheesecakes in desserts... :(

[muidiri]

I'll try to find the details, but I've got a recipe for a sugar free rainbow pie that's very tasty. I can give you the gist here, but I don't recall the exact measures for the crust.

Crust:
Grind up fiber one cereal to fairly fine crumbs. Mix with cinnamon and splenda, then add a small amount of melted butter to moisten. Press the mixture into the bottom of a springform pan, and bake briefly to crisp.

Filling:
4 packages of sugar free jello, in varying colors (I do cherry, orange, lemon, and lime)
4 cups of boiling water
4 cups of Cool Whip Free

Mix the cherry jello with 1 cup of boiling water until well blended. Set in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes, so it is thick but not set. Mix 1 cup of Cool Whip Free into it, so that it's light and fluffy. Pour the mixture into the springform on top of the crust. Allow to set for another 45 minutes to an hour - it should be firm and not very sticky before you add the next layer.

Repeat the process with the orange, lemon, and lime jello, to get a rainbow layered effect.

I top it with blueberries when they're in season, to complete the rainbow, but they're optional. You could try thin slices of a citrus fruit, sprigs of mint, strawberries, or anything else you think might make a good garnish.

When it's completely cooled, remove it from the springform pan. It makes a very pretty desert, and it has a nice light flavor. I don't make it often, since it takes several hours to complete... but it's always a hit when I make it.

For those interested, I believe that it works out to about 2 WW points for 1/8 of the pie - which is a pretty substantial piece.

[muidiri]

Also... Here's a website devoted to diabetic-friendly recipes :D
http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/Desserts/

[miss djax]

what's many? They have 85 desserts, 4 brownies, 11 cakes, 7 cheesecakes, 1 coffeecake, 1 candy, 24 cookies and 8 bar cookies--- it's organized so nothing in one group overlaps another, so there are no cheesecakes in desserts... :(

sorry, i didn't see many that made me say 'must have now' :( the other recipes looked great tho!! :)

[miss djax]

Also... Here's a website devoted to diabetic-friendly recipes :D
http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/Desserts/

cool :) thanks for the link and the rainbow pie recipe!!