5 easy sugar-free desserts for the health conscious

Stressed about desserts and what they do to your waist-line and glucose level? Here are five easy sugar-free desserts to die for.

1. Strawberry Cookies

What you need:

• 350g plain flour
• 100g cocoa
• 250g soft margarine
• One tsp baking soda
• a pinch of salt
• Three tbsps sugar-free strawberry jam
• Two eggs

What to do:

Mix sugar-free strawberry jam and cream with until the mixture looks light and fluffy. Beat eggs into the mix. Last to go in would be the flour and baking soda. Mix well.

On a plain surface, sprinkle a layer of flour and roll the dough out. Use a cookie cutter or any shape mould you may have at home. Place cookie cut-outs on a lightly greased platter, and place in a pre-heated oven (180 deg cel). Set the timer to 15 minutes.

Your sugar-free cookies are ready to eat.

credit: pixabay.com

2. Cheesecake

What you need for the base:

• 200g plain sugar-free biscuits
• Two tbsp honey
• 65g butter
• One tsp cinnamon powder

What you need for the filling:

• 100ml milk
• Two sheets of gelatin
• 150g cream cheese
• 150g creme fraiche
• Three egg whites
• Three tbsp sugar-free strawberry jam
• 200g strawberries

What to do:

Crush the biscuits, mix with cinnamon powder and keep aside. Heat butter and honey in a pan over low heat. Pour this mixture over the biscuit crumble.

Use a flat plate or tin and spread the base over a lightly greased surface. Use a spoon or a flat surface to even it out. Place the tin in the fridge to chill.

Next, take the gelatin sheets and put in a bowl of lukewarm water. In a separate pan, boil milk and pour the gelatin and sugar-free jam and stir well. Once the contents are well mixed, pour out into a bowl.

To make the filling you can pick whatever ingredients you like. We're going with cream cheese, creme fraiche (unpasteurized thick cream) and fresh strawberries. Blend the filling together. Beat your egg white until stiff then fold in gently into the mix.

Pour this on top of your now chilled base and place in the fridge to set. Your cheesecake is ready.

credit: pixabay.com

3. Bread Pudding

What you need:

• 30g butter
• Six to eight slices bread
• Two tbs granulated sweetener (try Splenda)
• 30g raisins
• Two tsp cinnamon
• Half a teaspoon nutmeg
• Two eggs
• One pint milk

What to do:

Cut the crusts off the bread and spread butter on every slice. Place bread slices butter-side up on a lightly greased tin. Sprinkle raisins and cinnamon generously over the bread.

Beat eggs in a bowl, put in the granulated sweetener, pour in the milk and mix everything together over low heat. Pour the pudding sauce over the bread and add nutmeg if you so like. Let the dish rest for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 180 deg cel and set the timer to 5 minutes.

Put your pudding in for 30 minutes, or till the top layers turns golden.

credit: pixabay.com

4. Carrot Cake

What you need:

• 200g carrots
• 300g plain flour
• 150g butter
• Two tsp baking powder
• Four tbsp honey
• Four large eggs
• 200g walnuts
• 250g cream cheese

What to do:

Melt butter in a pan, pour in honey. Beat eggs in a bowl and keep aside. Pour the butter-honey mixture over the flour and add in the beaten eggs. Add grated carrots and walnuts into the mix. Mix well. Pour the cake batter into a greased tin and bake in a preheated oven (150 deg cel).

Bake for an hour. Remove when cooked through and the top looks golden brown.

credit: Wiki Commons

5. Chocolate Mousse

What you need:

• 200g cocoa powder
• Two tbsp granulated sweetener
• 284ml pot double cream
• 250ml mascarpone cheese

What to do:

Mix a tablespoon of cream with cocoa and once the paste looks smooth, add in the cream. Heat the paste over a low flame till the cocoa granules melt completely.

Leave the mixture to rest till cool and fold in the mascarpone cheese. Divide the batter into mousse molds and let them chill in the fridge.

Your mousse is ready to tuck in.

credit: pixabay.com