DIABETIC PUDDINGS, PIES, AND COOKIES

1. Diabetic Christmas Pudding

•  A no-sugar Chtistmas pudding with carrots and apples to keep it moist and cinnamon and mixed spice to warm it up nicely

Diabetic Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:

  • 125g plain flour
  • 125g fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 25g shredded vegetable suet
  • 125g currants
  • 150g raisins
  • 1 tbsp low-calorie sweetener
  • 2 tsp each ground cinnamon and mixed spice
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
  • Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
  • 2 carrots, trimmed and finely grated
  • 2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and cut into small chunks
  • 150ml milk
  • Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1.  Lightly butter a 1.4-litre pudding basin and line the base with a circle of baking paper.

2. Mix together the dry ingredients, then stir in the other ingredients until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the basin and cover with a circle of buttered baking paper. Fold a pleat into a piece of foil and arrange over the pudding. Secure with string.

3. Carefully place the pudding in a pan of boiling water, making sure the water comes a third of the way up the side of the basin. Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer and steam gently for 5 hours.

4. Turn out the pudding and serve dusted with icing sugar. (Delicious Magazine)

2. Diabetic Gingerbread Cookies

Just 2 gms of fat per serving, with a delicious blend of molasses, cinnamon, ginger and cloves

Diabetic Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup softened butter
  • 1/4 cup 50% to 70% vegetable oil spread
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar (It is recommended not to use brown sugar substitutes for this recipe)
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 cup full-flavor molasses
  • 1/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 1 egg
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour

Method:

1. In a large bowl, combine butter and vegetable oil spread

2. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-to-high speed for 30 seconds.

3. Add brown sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cloves.

4. Beat until well mixed, scraping side of bowl occasionally.

5. Beat in molasses and egg. (Mixture will look curdled.)

6. Add all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour, beating just until combined.

7. Divide dough in half. Cover and chill the dough for 2 to 3 hours or until easy to handle.

8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

9. Lightly grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper and set aside.

10. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough, half at a time, to 1/8-inch thickness.

11. Using a 2 to 3 inch gingerbread person cookie cutter, cut out shapes. Reroll scraps as necessary.

12. Place cutouts 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets.

13. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until edges are firm and centers are set.

14 Cool on cookie sheets on wire racks for 1 minute.

15 Transfer to wire racks; cool.

16 Makes 36 (3-inch) cookies. ( Diabetic Living Online)

3. Diabetic Pumpkin Maple Pie

• Special lower-fat pastry filled with a maple-flavored pumpkin mixture that’s lower in calories and fat than old-fashioned recipes

Diabetic Pumpkin Maple Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 recipe Lower-Fat Oil Pastry
  • 1 15-oz can pumpkin
  • 1/3 cup maple-flavored syrup
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 2 packets heat-stable sugar substitute
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
  • 1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed (optional)
  • Ground cinnamon (optional)

Method:

1. Prepare Low-Fat Oil Pastry.

2. On a lightly floured surface flatten pastry. Roll into a 12-inch circle.

3. Wrap pastry circle around the rolling pin

4. Unroll into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pan, being careful not to stretch pastry. Trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp the edge as desired. Do not prick pastry.

5. For the filling, in a medium bowl combine the pumpkin, maple-flavored syrup, flour, sugar substitute and pumpkin pie spice

6. Add egg product. Beat lightly with a rotary beater or fork until just combined.

7. Gradually stir in evaporated milk and vanilla and mix well.

8. Place pastry-lined pie plate on oven rack. Carefully pour filling into pastry shell.

9. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil.

10. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.

11. Remove the foil. Bake 20 to 25 minutes more or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

12. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours.

13. If desired, top with dessert topping and sprinkle with ground cinnamon.

14. Makes 8 servings. (Diabetic Living Online)

4. Diabetic No-Bake Lime Pie

• Before you begin squeezing limes for this easy, no-bake pie, shred a little lime peel for garnish. For any pie with an acidic filling (such as citrus), use a glass pie dish. The acid in fruit can react with metal pans and discolor the pie

Diabetic No-Bake Lime Pie

Ingredients:

  • 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
  • 1 3/4 cups fat-free milk
  • 1 8 – ounce package reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel), softened
  • 1/2 cup lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute (equivalent to 2 tablespoons sugar)
  • 2 3 – drops green food coloring
  • 1 recipe Graham Cracker Piecrust (see recipe below)
  • Frozen fat-free whipped dessert topping (optional)
  • Finely shredded lime peel (optional)

Method:

1. To soften gelatin, in a small saucepan, stir together gelatin and 1/2 cup of the milk. Let stand about 5 minutes or until gelatin is softened (the mixture will be thick).

2. Cook and stir over low heat until the gelatin is dissolved.

3. For the filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth.

4. Beat in lime juice, sugar and food coloring. (The mixture will thicken slightly when lime juice is added.)

5. Gradually beat in the remaining 1-1/4 cups milk and the gelatin mixture.

6. Cover and chill about 30 minutes or until mixture mounds when lifted with a spoon, stirring occasionally.

7. Pour the chilled filling into Graham Cracker Piecrust.

8. Cover pie loosely. Chill for 4 to 24 hours.

9. Before serving, if desired, top with dessert topping and lime peel. Makes 8 servings. (Diabetic Living Online)

5. Diabetic Sweet Potato Pie (Crustless)

• Eating sweet potatoes in moderate amounts help keep blood sugar levels in the healthy range even if you are diabetic

Diabetic Sweet Potato Pie (Crustless)

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes*
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar or brown sugar substitute (equivalent to 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
  • 1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed, or 3 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup buttermilk or fat-free sour milk
  • 1 recipe Crunchy Pistachio Topper
  • 1 cup frozen light whipped dessert topping, thawed (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, combine sweet potatoes, honey, brown sugar, orange peel, allspice, and mace.

3. Add egg. Beat lightly with a fork just until combined.

4. Gradually stir in buttermilk.

5. Pour into a 9-inch pie plate.

6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.

7. Cool completely on a wire rack.

8. Cover with foil and refrigerate within 2 hours.

9.  Sprinkle with Crunchy Pistachio Topper just before serving. If desired, top individual servings with whipped topping.