How to Make Holiday Cookies for a Diabetic

Cutting back the sugar and carbs of most holiday cookie recipes can be challenging, but there are a few tricks and strategies you can use to make a diabetic-friendly cookie tray this year. There's no need to skip dessert completely during the festivities; it's simple to make variations of your classic recipes that everyone can enjoy. From alternative sweeteners to using fresh fruit puree, here's how to make holiday cookies for a diabetic.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Favorite holiday cookie recipes
• Fruit puree
• Splenda
• Alternative sweeteners
• Sugar-free preserves
• Applesauce
• Dried fruit
• Fresh fruit juice

1. Choose 6 to 8 holiday cookie recipes you want to make.

2. Substitute applesauce for half of the oil. Applesauce provides the extra moisture and can help bind the batter when you reduce the oil in a recipe. This can help cut the fat and add natural sweetness to most cookie and brownie recipes.

3. Use Splenda instead of sugar. Splenda is a calorie-free sweetener that can be used to make your favorite baked goods. It is measured cup for cup for any white sugar in your recipe.

4. Add dried fruit. From cakes to cookie bars, dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries can add some natural sugars that are much more diabetic-friendly than pure sugar. Consider cutting out chocolate and candy from recipes and adding some dried fruit instead.

5. Use sugar-free preserves. Today's top brands of jams and jellies come in sugar-free versions that can easily be used in holiday cookie recipes. From jam-filled shortbread to blondies topped with strawberry preserves, add a spononful of sugar-free preserves for a tasty treat.

6. Use fruit puree instead of butter. Fruit puree adds texture and substance to holiday cookies, and can be substituted for butter or margarine. It's especially valuable for chocolate cookie recipes.

7. Consider other alternative sweeteners. Stevia and raw honey are other options for healthy, and diabetic-friendly substitutions. Each one offers a distinct flavor to any holiday recipe.

8. Use orange juice and other fruit juices as a natural sweetener. Non-chocolate based holiday cookie recipes can be easily sweetened with orange or apple juice for enhanced flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• Making sugar-free holiday cookies is easier with a few substitutions.
• It's simple to reduce the fat with applesauce and fruit puree.
• Sweet 'N Low and Equal have potentially dangerous side effects and should be used sparingly.

[MIHealthCoach]

on 1/24/2009 Splenda has the same potentially dangerous side effects as Sweet N Low and Equal. Raw honey is not a diabetic friendly ingredient, but agave nectar would be.