'Sugar-free desserts' as the name suggests, are meant for people who have diabetes i.e. high blood sugar or those who want to lose weight because sugar is known to contribute to weight gain. Reducing the intake of sugar is also recommended for senior citizens or as well as for youngsters who have to battle obesity problems. Such people often find it difficult to eat desserts or sweets without experiencing any problem. Giving up desserts is definitely not an option when you have something called 'sugar-free desserts' at hand. These desserts use natural or artificial sugar substitutes.
Sugar substitutes or sugar-free products are of three types. The first one is a tablet made of fruit concentrates or purees which can be put in one's tea or coffee and stirred to get the sweet taste. It is not as harmful as table sugar since this is a form of natural sugar stored inside fruits rather than the raw form like the one found in table sugar. The second variety is made from aspartame, which is mostly in powdered form. It is made from a protein derivative and is 200 times sweeter than table sugar. The third variety is made from sucralose. 'Sucralose' or 'sucrose' is another name for table sugar but in this case it undergoes a multi high-tech process which definitely makes it 600 times sweeter than the table sugar but without the calories of the table sugar. It is the most popular sugar-free product.
Sugar-free dessert recipes are often easy to make and made like regular recipes only. The only difference you will notice is in ingredients, wherein we use some or other form of sugar substitute. Given below are some simple yet delicious such recipes.
Chocolate Fondue
Ingredients
- Cocoa, cup
- Cinnamon powder, tsp
- Milk, cup
- Vanilla essence, tsp
- Any variety of sugar-free, cup
Take cocoa in a bowl and add milk to it and mix slowly so that no lumps are formed. Then add the cinnamon powder and heat it on the gas over medium heat stirring continuously until it comes to a boil and then reduce the flame and let it simmer for another 5 minutes stirring continuously. Stirring continuously is a must for any fondue mixture. Once the mixture is done remove it from the flame and allow it to cool a little. Once cooled, add sugar-free and vanilla essence and then pour it into a fondue pot and serve.
Apple Carrot Cake
Ingredients
- Self-rising flour, 2 cups
- Butter, cup
- Cinnamon powder, 1 tsp
- Walnuts (silvered), 1 cup
- Raisins, cups
- Apples (peeled and grated), 2 cups
- Carrot (peeled and grated), 1 cup
- Orange peel (grated), 1 tsp
- Eggs, 2
- Orange juice, 4 tbsp
Cream the butter and then add cinnamon powder to it. Add self-rising flour slowly to the mixture. Then, add all the grated ingredients and egg slowly and one by one. Mix properly and finally add orange juice. Mix the mixture well so that all the ingredients are blended properly. Then, pour the mixture into a greased oven dish and bake it in a preheated oven for 1 hour 15 minutes depending on your oven heat at 350 degrees.
Pecan Fudge
Ingredients
- Softened cream cheese, 16 oz
- Non-sweet chocolate squares, 2
- Sugar substitute, cup
- Vanilla essence, tsp
- Pecans (silvered), cup
Cream the cream cheese which has been softened previously in a bowl, then add pecans, chocolate squares which have been melted and cooled sufficiently. Add vanilla essence and sugar substitute and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into an oven dish or any other flat dish lined with foil and refrigerate it. Cut it into 1-inch squares and serve chilled after 10 - 12 hours of refrigeration.
Cherry Bars
Ingredients
- Cherries (deseeded), 16 oz
- Non-sweet chocolate cake mix, 8 oz
- Sugar substitute of your choice, 2 tbsp
Drain all the water from the cherries and keep it aside. Whisk together the cake mix, cherries and sugar substitute in a bowl, so that the mixture gets thoroughly mixed. Pour the mixture into a well-greased oven-proof cake dish and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
Wheat Cookies
Ingredients
- Any cooking oil, cup
- Brown sugar substitute, 200 grams
- Egg, 1
- Wheat flake cereal, 1 cup
- All-purpose flour, cup
- Wheat flour, cup
- Baking powder, tsp
- Wheat germ, 2 tsp
- Raisins, cup
- Baking soda, tsp
Chop the raisins and keep aside. Then take a bowl and start adding the ingredients one after the other and mix thoroughly. Mix the baking soda in little water and add to the mixture in the end. As small bubbles start to form, stir the mixture well, to blend it properly. Pour it in small lumps on a greased cookie sheet and flatten them. Bake in an oven, which has been set at 350 degrees F for 8-12 minutes.
You can make any dessert of your choice by substituting table sugar for any of the sugar substitutes mentioned above. You might have to do a little trial and error to know which sugar-free product works best for which recipe.
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