If you look on my side bar, you will see I have a category for sugar-free desserts. And in that category, there are only two recipes. Considering I have posted over 100 dessert recipes, the sugar-free ones make up a very small percentage. There is a reason for this.
Sugar-free desserts suck.
I may not be a brilliant chef, but I do pride myself on my desserts and I simply refuse to let any sweets come out of my kitchen that taste like a chemical explosion. Which means I usually refuse to make anything sugar-free, but there are certain occasions when I have no choice but to give in and find something that is sugar-free and also tastes delicious.
Such an occasion has arisen, with the birthday of a brother in Christ who is a type 2 diabetic. Since I am a member of a small Church, I am able to give food gifts to everyone for their birthday, but I always flounder when it comes to the birthdays of those with diabetes. I am a diabetic myself, but I’m insulin-dependent so I can eat dessert if I choose to since I can give myself the insulin required for my body to process it. Bob doesn’t have this luxury and controls his diabetes through food and exercise. Which means no (or very little) sugar!! My worst nightmare. But what sort of Dessert Queen would I be if I couldn’t rise to this challenge and come out victorious?
I prefer to use fruit to naturally sweeten sugar-free desserts, such as in this rugelach, but since that still has a lot of carbohydrates that would send Bob’s blood sugar soaring, I knew I had to do the unthinkable and reach for the Splenda. I decided to go for a very low-carb treat that would have minimal impact on his blood sugar and created a candied nut that is surprisingly delicious! Granted, you can tell the difference between these and the real thing, but even my husband, who can’t take a sip of my Diet Dr. Pepper (one of the few sugar-free things I love) without shuddering, thought these nuts were superb.
If you are making these for a person accustomed to sugar-free sweets, it will likely be a welcome reprieve from all the awful chemical explosions that have been happening in their mouths over the years. They are crispy and cinnamon-sweet on the outside and toasty and crunchy on the inside. They truly are addictive!
Sugar-Free Candied Nuts
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
2 ½ cups nuts of choice
1 egg white
½ cup Splenda granular
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a 15x10x1 inch pan with foil and spray with cooking oil. Place nuts in a bowl and stir if not already mixed. Beat egg white in a separate bowl until foamy and stir into the nuts until evenly coated. In another bowl, mix the Splenda, cinnamon, and salt and pour over the nuts. Stir until evenly coated, then scoop onto the baking sheet, using a spoon or fingers to get the nuts in a single layer. Bake for thirty minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until toasted. Allow to cool on wax paper and store in an airtight container.
WWWAAAIIIITTTTTT!!!!!!! I have a solution for you, Truvia. It tastes like vanilla-sugar and its made from stevia, not chlorinated sucrose. When I am not using stevia from my plant, it is all I use now and I love, Love, LOVE it! They might even have samples still on their website so you can try before you buy.
I love it too, which is why I didn’t have any on hand for this–I used it all! All I had was the abandoned Splenda. Good idea–I will use it next time. It doesn’t have the chemical aftertaste like Splenda, or doesn’t seem to.
sorry for the delay in response….
It tastes good b/c stevia is an actual plant (currently growing in my kitchen window). Splenda is a sugar molecule treated with chlorine. No wonder it tastes like garbage
yeah. But isn’t Truvia treated somehow? I mean the real stevia is like….gross. At least the kind I had. It had a flavor to it I couldn’t abide. Anyway, after you gave me the idea of using it in cooking/baking, I made some pumpkin cornbread muffins with it. They were good! The picture and recipe is in my “diet food rox” f/b album.
Wow, you’re a candied nut genius. I’m sure your friend is sooooo greatful for that treat (I know I would be).
Have a beautiful celebration of the birth of Christ, sister! )
Mmmm! I love candied nuts in any capacity…I supose sugar-free is just a bonus ;) They sound awesome! Happy Holidays to you and yours!
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Those look so yummy! Thanks for the low-carb recipe!
Sorry you feel that sugar free desserts suck. I was a type 2 dibetic for six years and learned to use sugar free recipes for all my treats. The thing I found was that if you use the amount of sugar substitute that the recipe calls for it is too much. I generally cut the amount in half. That makes the dessert more palatable and doesn’t leave the taste of chemicals in your mouth. Sugar free was right for me. My diabetes is gone now but I will still use a sugar substitute in my recipes.
I have now found two substitutes that are WONDERFUL and I highly recommend them: Somersweet (measures like sugar) and NuNaturals MoreFiber Stevia Baking Blend (sweeter than sugar). These make “non sucky” sugar free desserts-lol. :)
Just got these out of the oven! These are so good to be so easy to make. I recommend this as a gift to ANYONE not just diabetics. I had gastric bypass and sugar is not my friend. These are perfect…protein, fiber, good fats and cures the sweet tooth that creeps up every no and then. Thanks for the post.
So glad to hear it Teresa! Thanks for the feedback.
Veronica,
I recently “discovered” your blog and am enjoying it very much. I already have a couple of recipes to try real soon. I watch my carbs and at the same time am horribly alergic to sugar sustitutes (besides I hate them), but my world changed when I discovered WheyLow. Go to their site, they make the best tasting (just like sugar), good for everything product, and no matter where you live, they deliver. If you have a problem with your order online, just call them and they will call you back and help you in no time. I hope this help. It has worked for me like a charm; no more horrible tasting, migraine producing, stomach cramps causing sugar sustitute, Whey Low rocks!!!
Best regards,
Norma
I’ve heard good things about Whey Low but haven’t tried it. I’ve had some success with NuNaturals brand stevia products but it doesn’t behave like sugar so I can see the advantage of Whey Low. I will ave to try it!
Try Stevia in the Raw, we really like it!