Dessert

Who doesn't love dessert?

Okay, that's almost a trick question. I'm sure that there are people out there who don't love dessert, just not anyone I know.

But when facing a diabetes diagnosis, it's entirely possible to think that desserts are now out of the question. Fortunately, these six desserts prove otherwise. The key is how they're made, and, as always, eaten in moderation. Check out the Crumb Topped Cherry Pie Dessert, the Chocolate-Cherry Parfait, as well as the rest of today's desserts. Enjoy!

SOUTHERN PECAN PIE

Recipe Yield: Servings: 10

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/southern-pecan-pie.

Ingredients

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

1 cup fruit sweetener

1 tablespoon cornmeal

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoon cornstarch

3 eggs

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoon very strong coffee or espresso, prepared

24 pecan halves

Directions

Prepare pastry and place in 9" pie pan.

In large bowl, combine fruit sweetener, cornmeal and applesauce.

Beat with an electric mixer.

In a small bowl, blend water and cornstarch until smooth.

Add to fruit sweetener mixture and blend

.Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Stir in the vanilla and coffee.

Pour mixture into pie shell.

Decorate top with pecan halves.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until custard is set, at 375F.

Cool slightly before cutting.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 211; Fat: 9 g; Sodium: 69 mg; Cholesterol: 82 mg; Protein: 3 g; Carbohydrates: 28 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread, 1 Fruit, 2 Fat

CHOCOLATE-CHERRY PARFAIT

Recipe Yield: Servings: 6

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/chocolate-cherry-parfait.

Ingredients

3 oz Neufchatel cream cheese

2 cup cold skim milk

3 oz package Jell-o sugar-free instant chocolate pudding

1 pound fresh bing cherries, pitted, cut in half

Directions

Blend cream cheese with 1/4 cup skim milk, on low speed of electric mixer, until smooth. Add remaining milk and pudding mix. Mix 1 or 2 minutes until smooth and well blended.

Add to 75% of the fresh cherries to 1/2 cup water, and cook until it boils for 1 minute. Remove from heat, drain well.

Alternately spoon pudding and cherries into parfait dishes, ending with pudding.

Garnish the top of each parfait with the remaining cherries.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 116; Fat: 3.5 g; Sodium: 305 mg; Cholesterol: 14.5 mg; Carbohydrates: 16 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Bread; 1/2 Fruit; 1 Fat

HAZELNUT MACAROONS

Recipe Yield: Servings: 30 Cookies (1 per serving)

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/hazelnut-macaroons

Source: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Book Title: 1,001 Recipes For People with Diabetes

Ingredients

4 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup canned sweetened coconut

1/4 cup hazelnuts or pecans, finely chopped

Directions

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt to soft peaks in medium bowl. Beat in sugar gradually, beating to stiff, shiny peaks. Fold in coconut; fold in hazelnuts.

Drop mixture by tablespoons onto parchment-or aluminum foil-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 300 degrees until cookies begin to brown and feel crisp when touched, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pans on wire racks.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 44; Fat: 1.4 g; Sodium: 25.6 mg; Protein: 0.7 g; Carbohydrates: 8 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 Bread/Starch, 1/2 Fat

PINEAPPLE LIME SORBET

To view this online, click here. Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups pineapple puree

2 teaspoons grated lime or lemon zest

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice

1/4 cup water

Thin slices lime or lemon

Directions

In a bowl, stir together pineapple puree, lime zest and juice, water and, if desired, sugar. In an ice cream maker, freeze according to manufacturer's directions. Divide among 4 individual dessert dishes.

Serve garnished with thin slices of lime.

Nutritional Information Per Serving : Calories: 38; Protein: 1 g; Sodium: 1 mg; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Dietary Fiber: 1 g; Carbohydrates: 11 g; Exchanges: 2/3 Fruit

STRAWBERRY PANNA COTTAS

This recipe begins, “Reduced-carb panna cotta that everyone will love!”

Recipe Yield: Servings Per Recipe: 4Serving Size: 1 (6-ounce) panna cotta

Source: Splenda

Recipe and image appear courtesy of Splenda.

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/strawberry-panna-cottas

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups whole milk

1-1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1-1/2 pints strawberries, halved

2 tablespoons Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 pint strawberries, sliced

Directions

Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small saucepan; let stand 1 minute. Cook over low heat, stirring until gelatin dissolves (do not boil). Set aside to cool.

Process 1-1/2 pints strawberries in a food processor, or until pureed, stopping to scrape down sides. Press strawberries through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a bowl, discarding solids. Stir cooled milk mixture into strawberry puree. Add Splenda Granulated Sweetener and vanilla, stirring until Splenda Granulated Sweetener dissolves.

Coat 4 (6-ounce) ramekins with cooking spray. Divide strawberry mixture evenly among ramekins. Cover each ramekin with plastic wrap; refrigerate 4 hours or overnight until panna cottas are set.

Run a knife around the edge of each panna cotta and unmold onto serving plates. Serve with sliced strawberries.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 130; Fat: 4 g; Saturated Fat: 2 g; Fiber: 5 g; Sodium: 50 mg; Cholesterol: 15 mg; Protein: 5 g; Carbohydrates: 21 g; Sugars: 5 g

CRUMB TOPPED CHERRY PIE DESSERT

Recipe Yield: Servings: 12

Source: Sweet Inspirations

Book Title: Sweet Inspirations

View this online at https://diabeticgourmet.com/diabetic-recipes/crumb-topped-cherry-pie-dessert.

Ingredients

Pastry for a one-crust pie

2 (1lb) cans red tart cherries (packed in water)

1/2 cup fruit sweetener** (1/4 cup frozen apple juice concentrate plus 1/4 cup granulated fructose)

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp. grated lemon peel

2 tbsp lemon juice

A few drops of red food coloring (optional)

2 tbsp almond flavoring

Topping:

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup instant mashed potato or buds

1/4 cup fruit sweetener** (1/8 cup frozen apple juice concentrate plus 1/8 cup granulated fructose)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup margarine

**You can find commercial fruit sweeteners, ordinarily a combination of concentrated peach & pear juices and unsweetened pineapple syrup, in health food stores, gourmet food stores and large grocery outlets. It tastes 1-1/2 to 2 times sweeter than refined sugar. You can also make your own fruit sweetener. For example, if a recipe calls for 1/2 cup fruit sweetener, you can substitute 1/4 cup concentrated apple juice + 1/4 cup granulated fructose.

Directions

Line 9-inch pie pan with prepared pastry. Set aside.

Drain cherries, reserving one cup of the liquid. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water, stirring until smooth. Add cherry liquid, fruit sweetener and salt. Simmer mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat and add cherries, peel, lemon juice, food coloring and almond flavoring. Pour into prepared pie shell.

Combine last six ingredients and blend to crumbly consistency. Sprinkle over pie filling. Bake 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Cut into 12 pieces.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 178; Fat: 8 g; Sodium: 128 mg; Protein: 2 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g

Diabetic Exchanges: 1 Bread/Starch, 2/3 Fruit, 1-1/2 Fat