Sharing a few sugar-free dessert recipes

smcclanahan

When I went to check what mail had come in last week, a strange thing happened. I opened the first envelope, and it was a request from Barbara Bower of Cape Girardeau wanting recipes for diabetics and sugar-free dessert recipes. I thought that was a great request and was excited about exploring new territory. Then I opened the second envelope and it was from Kathleen Peters of Marble Hill, Mo. She was sharing an envelope full of -- you guessed it -- sugar-free and diabetic recipes. It's great how things just happen to work out for you sometimes. So this week is easy -- all sugar-free and diabetic recipes. I hope you enjoy them.

Diabetic Pineapple Pie

1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple and the juice

4 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs

14 packets Equal, or equivalent of spoonable Equal

2 tablespoons margarine

Mix together all ingredients and pour into a well-buttered 9-inch pie pan. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees or until done. This pie makes its own crust as it bakes.

Diet Cheesecake

Crust:

12 graham crackers, rolled in a plastic bag to make fine crumbs

Add:

1/4 teaspoon melted margarine

1 packet Equal

Mix well and press into a rectangle baking pan and bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool.

For the filling:

7 packets Equal

8 ounces fat-free whipped topping

1 box sugar-free lemon gelatin

1/2 fresh lemon

1 large can fat-free evaporated skim milk, very cold

Combine the Equal packets and the whipped topping together and mix with the gelatin and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Whip the very cold evaporated milk until thick. Fold the two mixtures together. Pour into cooled crust.

Sugar-Free Chocolate Pie

4 ounces "lite" cream cheese

1 tablespoon skim milk

3 packets Equal

1 cup "lite" whipped topping

1 baked pie shell or graham cracker crust

Mix all ingredients together, except crust. Pour into pie shell.

For the second layer:

2 small packages sugar-free instant chocolate pudding mix

2 cups skim milk, very cold

Mix pudding and milk together according to package directions. Add 1 cup whipped topping. Mix all together and pour over the cheese layer in the pie shell. Top with additional whipped topping, if desired.

Diabetic Strawberry Pie

Bring to a boil:

1 (12-ounce) can diet 7-Up soda

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 small box sugar-free strawberry gelatin

Mix the cornstarch and the dry gelatin together well before adding to the 7-Up. Bring to a boil.

Add:

1 pint fresh or frozen sliced strawberries

3 packets Equal

Mix all together. Pour into a pie shell and refrigerate. Top with additional whipped topping, if desired.

Diabetic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

1/3 cup stick-type butter or margarine, softened

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/3 cup Equal Spoonful

1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Beat butter until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until blended. Mix in Equal and brown sugar until combined. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Mix into butter mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by teaspoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Diabetic Raisin Pie

1 cup raisins

2 1/2 cups water

Boil the water and raisins together 10 to 15 minutes.

Mix together the following ingredients:

3 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup water

Add this mixture to the raisins and water. Cook until thickened. Take from heat and cool 5 to 10 minutes, then add 14 packets Equal or 1/2 Spoonful Equal plus 2 packets and 2 tablespoon margarine. Pour into a 9-inch pie crust. When cool top with "lite" whipped topping.

For a pineapple pie using this recipe, just substitute 1 (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple for the raisins.

Sugar-Free Cheesecake

1 (10-ounce) fat-free cottage cheese

1 carton "lite" frozen whipped topping, thawed

2 cups NutraGrain cereal

2 bananas, sliced

1 (3-ounce) package sugar-free gelatin, strawberry or flavor of your choice

Crush cereal and spread in bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Blend whipped topping, cottage cheese, bananas and dry gelatin together. Fold all together until well combined. Spread over crumbs. You may garnish with strawberries or extra crumbs. You may also use an 8-by-8-inch pan and it works fine, too.

Sugar-Free Cherry Cream Pie

1 large box or 2 small boxes sugar-free instant vanilla pudding

1 large can sugar-free cherry pie filling

1 cup fat-free sour cream

1 cup "lite" frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 baked regular or a graham cracker crumb crust

Mix instant pudding and pie filling together. Add sour cream and mix well. Add whipped topping and mix well. Pour into crust. Top with whipped topping.

Kathleen added a note that when she uses whipped topping, she adds 1 tablespoon dry sugar-free vanilla pudding to the topping and stirs well to combine. It gives it a little better texture. About 1 1/2 cups whipped topping to 1 tablespoon dry pudding is the ratio she uses. That will adequately cover 1 pie.

You can use this same recipe using crushed pineapple instead of cherry pie filling.

If you have favorite sugar-free or diabetic recipes, please share them with us. As you can see, the sugar-free recipes of today are much different than they used to be. Commercial products have changed that in positive ways.

Next week we will return to some other recipe requests and some shared favorites from area readers.

Have a wonderful week, and as always, happy cooking!

Susan McClanahan is administrator at the Cape Girardeau Senior Center. Send recipes to her at smcclanahan@semissourian.com or by mail at P.O. Box 699. Cape Girardeau, Mo. 63701. Recipes published have not been kitchen-tested by the Southeast Missourian staff.