Friday, July 27, 2012

Low-Sugar "Sugar" Cookies

So simple, so delicious, but MURDEROUS in the amount of sugar within an individual cookie!!

Sugar cookies are common "canvas" cookies for holiday decorations. No matter which holiday, a good cookie cut shape and coloured frosting make a cheery and yummy treat!

How to make sugar-free??



Just before baking

Well, I am ashamed to say that I still haven't made a great sugar-free "sugar" cookie. It is hard because the single ingredient that makes this cookie famous is omitted.  So here is the best, yummiest, and closest low sugar alternative to the famous Sugar Cookie.

9 minutes later...cooling off!
I will post the recipe on my website as a "Low-Sugar" option, and I do stand by the fact that I believe it is a really good diabetic alternative to the common sugar cookie because it has 1/7 of the sugar in the original recipe. However watch how many you eat and adjust with insulin.

As always, because these are desserts I typically bake, these are NOT considered "Snacks" or daily enjoyments. These really are for special occasions like birthdays or a weekend treat.




Cooled and iced!


Take a look. I made this batch for a birthday party!

(Frosting unfortunately not 100% diabetic friendly.....but since this was for a non-diabetic crowd, I felt safe making it for them).


So as a comparison:





Thursday, July 26, 2012

Pineapple Cake

While on my trip to Colombia, I also bought a Diabetic Dessert book called: "Postres para Diabéticos" by Ana Pedraza. Unfortunately it was THE ONLY Diabetic cookbook I found at the bookstore.

One recipe that I simplified from this book is: "Pastel de Piña" or Pineapple Cake.  The original came with carrots and nuts. I will make it again with their recipe, but for now I wanted to make a delicious and tart Pineapple Cake.

Take a look and full recipe is (as always) found on my website.



Saturday, July 7, 2012

Filo vs Puff Pastry

JUST realized what my problem was with the mille feuille. I used filo dough instead of puff pastry!  That was why the layers were so flaky!

Will reattempt recipe soon!


Product Review: Sugar Free Oreos

Delicious! All that needs to be said about these sugar free oreos. As a non-diabetic, I have tried regular oreos and these sugar free version and they are identical! The cookies don't have any taste of sweetner and they have the exact same crunchy cookie and creamy center of the originals!

The only problem about these cookies.....they can only be bought in the USA. For some reason "Christies", the Canadian supplier for Oreo, doesn't sell the sugar free version that is sold in the US from Nabisco.  How unfair!  I think we should make a petition to Christies to start producing the sugar free version in Canada!

For now, we must resort to buying them across the border in bulk!


Product Review: Bocadillo Light (Guava Paste)




Unfortunately this product is probably only found in South America or in specialized South American stores but it is worth buying! If you like fruit sweets this is a great one to try.

It comes in blocks and can be sliced and prepared for a simple yet popular South American treat known as a "Romeo and Juliet". The perfect pairing of guava paste and soft white cheese.

Delicious!

I recently used it as a syrup for a mille feuille dessert.  To make the block into a syrup, you just need to add a bit of water (about 1/2 tsp per cube) and microwave it in 20 second intervals. I managed to dissolve the block in 40 seconds.

This can be added for crepes or on top of ice cream. Delicious!


Sugar Free Guava Mille Feuille

First attempt at a mille feuille and it wasn't terrible, but not the right consistency I wanted.

If you haven't had a millef euille before, it is a pasty composed of thin layers of filo dough, with sweet cream oozing between the layers. DELICIOUS!

On my recent trip to Colombia (yes south america!) I found sugar free guava paste.  Guava is a tropical rosy fruit that has this great salmon coloured flesh. It is often made into juices, but even more commonly made into a sweet candied paste, known as a "Bocadillo".

I was so happy to find a sugar free guava paste!  After buying almost half a kilo, I decided to use this to make a slightly different mille feuille.

In terms of flavour, it was DELICIOUS!! And best of all, didn't taste like Splenda. The only problem is that the filo dough remained too flaky and "airy". Usually in a mille feuille the dough is denser. Perhaps I need to add more fat?

Here is the first picture.....will keep on working on it.