BAKING FOR THE DIABETIC
by
Jennifer Turner
Most people know someone, or are themselves Diabetic. For the newly diagnosed, finding delicious sweets their body will tolerate can be at the very least, a challenge. When my father became Diabetic, I began to wrangle with recipes, using sugar substitutes in the place of regular sugar. Time and again, the only one that was able to eat what I baked was the kitchen wastebasket. Here are a few of the, sometimes painful, lessons I’ve learned.
SNEAKY SACCHARINE:
To my surprise, I found a whole list of foods one would normally think ‘safe’ for diabetics that were not! As I presented my concoctions to my father, beaming with pride over the ‘sugar-free’ mess I’d made, he patiently informed me that sugar was indeed lurking in my creation. Here are a few of the mistakes I made.
Canned Fruit- You’d be surprised how much sugar is added to that!
Peanut Butter- Not as bad as jam, but still high-content.
Graham Crackers- Yep, you cannot use graham crackers to make a crust.
Cool Whip- even the ‘Light’ topping is loaded with sugar.
Raisins- Read the package before purchasing, many brands have added sugar.
When shopping for ingredients, I find it best to head for the health food section. Most items purchased there are organic, and in their original state of sweetness. By this point, you are probably looking for a few tips on what you can buy to satisfy that sweet-tooth in your life. Here are few necessary items you might do well to stock up on:
Any sugar-free Jello product- especially chocolate pudding!
Sugar-free cookies can be found in most grocery stores now.
Dates are excellent for baking and help a variety of recipes.
Plain Yogurt, a must for making any sort of cream.
Apples are another mainstay, and healthy too
WHAT DOES SUGAR SUBSTITUTE MEAN?
Another common mistake made by novice creators, is the use of sugar-substitute. READ CAREFULLY! Most brands carry their equivalent usage on the package. One teaspoon of sugar-substitute, usually equals two-three teaspoons of the real stuff. Liquid sweetener can be tricky as well. Use sugar-substitute with a caution. Too much can actually make your creation bitter, as I found out when I tried to make sugar-free fudge. Not even the family dog would eat it! The best course to take, is using items that are pre-sweetened with sugar-substitutes. If you do find yourself glancing through a cook book for recipes, be extremely cautious when exchanging the sugar for a sugar substitute. Remember, less is more!
Now that we’ve covered the most important aspects of baking for the diabetic, here are few hints for making the most necessary components of most recipes:
FOR AN EXCELLENT PIE CRUST:
Use sugar-free cookies. Place ten to twelve cookies in a plastic bag and crumble with a rolling-pin. Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and add a melted stick of margarine, pat firmly into a pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes. (Omit last step if baking later)
Variations:
(all cookies mentioned are sugar-free)
Use chocolate sandwich cookies for an Oreo-type crust.
Use butter cookies for a great apple pie crust!
Use chocolate chip cookies for excellent cream pies.
Add chopped dates for a surprisingly tasty affect to either the butter or chocolate chip cookies.
FOR CREAM PIES:
Cream pies can be made in a variety of ways. The most simple is to use a Jello pudding mix and delete 1/4 of the milk. Pour this into one of the crust’s mentioned above and you have a tasty treat even the non-diabetics will devour.
Variations:
(all puddings mentioned are sugar-free)
Mix chocolate pudding mix, one cup of milk, and 8oz. container of plain yogurt for a tasty custard-like filling.
Mix banana pudding mix, 1 3/4 cup milk, pour over sliced bananas for a great banana cream pie.
Mix two complementing puddings (such as vanilla and chocolate) separately, using 1 3/4 milk in each, layer in pie crust for an added surprise.
FOR FRUIT PIES:
The best fruit for this is apples, although any number of fresh fruits can be used. Chop the apples into wedges. In a large bowl, add one teaspoon cinnamon and one teaspoon sugar-substitute. Toss to coat. Add to pie crust and dot with butter. For an open faced pie, use this mixture to coat top:
Six crushed butter cookies
One cup rolled oats
Four tablespoons margarine
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 chopped dates
Combine all until crumbly, sprinkle on top and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until golden.
For latices, or covered pie, use this recipe:
Six crushed butter cookies
One cup flour
½ cup chopped dates
4 tablespoons butter
Water
Mix well, sprinkling with water as needed. Roll out on a floured surface. Place on pie and tuck ends, either fluting the edges with your fingers, or pressing in place with the back of a fork. Cut slashes on top. Dab slashes and edge of crust with added butter or margarine. Dust lightly with one teaspoon each of cinnamon and sugar-substitute mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden.
Variations:
Use fresh strawberries instead of apples, omitting cinnamon.
Use fresh peaches, especially good open faced
EDIBLE EXPERIMENTS:
Part of the fun in creating special sweets for a near and dear one, is having them enjoy the result. By following a few of the hints given here, you’ll be able to deliver your concoction with pride, and not have the family dog run for cover. There are hundreds of possibilities achievable from the hints above. Be daring and try a few!
Happy Baking!
© 2001 Jennifer Turner
As featured in the Big Country Peacock Chronicle
January, 2001
Visit Granny's Pantry for more good recipes!
The Penny Candy Store
by
Marsha Elaine Grant
Necklaces made out of candy. That tasted just dandy.
Candy cigarettes that really looked lit.
No one minded a bit.
They cost a penny a pack.
And these didn't cause you to hack.
Candies all different colors. Pasted on paper,
were three for a penny.
A favorite was called the slow poke.
This sucker lasted all day. That ain't no joke!
If you had a dime, they filled a bag.
Sometime's this caused you to brag.
It took only a few pennies to make you feel rich.
If you're looking for a bargain. Don't look for this store.
You won't find it. It isn't there any more.
