Yes, you heard that right. There are such things are sugarless treats and in case you too want to reconfirm, we have checked they are indeed called treats because they taste just as good as other sugary baked goods. Many of these recipes were experiments once, carried out by those who were on strict diets, insulin or some kind of drastic lifestyle change. Either way, they were able to procure great healthy, bakery options for quick breakfasts as well as tea time treats.A key factor contributing to their success is their discovery of sugar substitute. Most of us don’t even consider trying out these alternatives but, turns out, the likes of raw honey, dates, raisins, fruits, and even coconut sugar, all work just as well. But, of course, as is the case with all kitchen claims, there is only one way to find out the truth. The Week complies some of the more popular sugarless treat recipes for you to try out on your own. Bon Appétit!
Chocolate peanut butter muffins
Indeed, it’s the combo that never disappoints. If you are looking for a little leeway from your diet, in cases when you want to treat yourself but not necessarily throw a healthy lifestyle out of the window, this chocolate peanut butter very well may be what you are looking for.
Despite a little sprinkle of chocolates, this recipe doesn’t use any flour or refined sugar. And once again, fans of banana and oats may rejoice because they make an appearance here as well. This recipe will give you about 12 muffins.
Ingredients
1 cup mashed banana (2-3 large overripe bananas)
2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup milk
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (creamy)
2 tsp real vanilla
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
4 tbsp dark or Dutch process cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips
Sugarless treats
Instructions
First, you want to start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. While that is heating up, let’s make another puree. Place your bananas, eggs, honey, milk, peanut butter and vanilla in the blender and let it spin until it becomes smooth. Once you have achieved the desired texture, add oats, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the blender and, again, puree until smooth. Line your muffin tins and fill them with the batter you have just made. As a garnish, you can then sprinkle in some chocolate. Bake the muffins for 30-40 minutes.
Apple cinnamon muffins
No added sugar, artificial sweeteners, flour, butter or oil, this recipe ticks all the boxes if you are looking to enjoy some bakes whilst not cheating on your diet. In this recipe, the sweet quotient is provided by pureed dates. Indeed, the cousins of raisins, the taste of pureed dates have by some been compared to caramel which, we hope we don’t need to point out, goes perfectly with apples. But that’s not all, this recipe also has oats and banana flavors to it. For a taste test, here is a recipe to bake a couple of these apple cinnamon muffins.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried dates chopped
1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cup apple diced (about 1 large apple)
3/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp real vanilla
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Simply mash the dates into a blender and pour hot water over it. Allow it to sit for five minutes then blend again until it becomes smooth. Next, you want to put in your diced apples into the blender and then follow it with milk. Once again, puree until smooth. After these crucial first few steps, you can go ahead and add the remaining ingredients including the oats and grind them in the blender until they are well ground. Scrape your blender and readjust if necessary.
After you have done all this, you should line your muffin tin with muffin paper and fill 2/3 of it with the batter. If you want you can even sprinkle each muffin with little oats as garnish. Finally, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes.
Banana tart
Don’t like to eat ripe bananas? Well, why not make a tart out of them? Indeed, ripe bananas work best with this recipe and, once again, these tarts will not have raw sugar in it. Here, we will rely on sugar free apricot jam to provide the necessary sweetness. Again, the recipe is for a small amount of tester tarts.
Ingredients
For the pastry
400g (14oz) plain flour
200g (7oz) soft margarine
1 tbsp cold water
For the filling
Three large ripe bananas
1tbsp sugar free apricot jam
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 eggs
150ml double cream
2 tbsp chopped nuts
A few flaked almonds
Instructions
First, we start with the base that is the tart. Preheat the oven between 200 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. We would highly recommend you also use margarine i.e. a butter substitute made from vegetable oils or animal fats.
Place your soft margarine in a medium bowl and gently fork in one tablespoon of plain flour and one tablespoon cold water. We are doing this to build a paste before slowly adding rest of the flour and making a pastry-like dough. Once done, wrap the dough in cling film and place it in the fridge to chill for about an hour.
After the hour is up, you will notice that the pastry is firm. Now roll out that firm dough on a surface. Also lightly dust this surface with flour first. Once done, next you will want to pick your tart tin and grease it. This will make lining your pastry, the next step, much easier. Now put the lined tart tins in the oven. Only take them out when they are golden brown in color.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the cream and vanilla essence. Pour the liquid into the pastry case and then get started with the fruits. Peel and slice your bananas, and place them in the tart casings you have baked. Spread or place tiny dollops of sugar free jam on to the fruit. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes or until your tart filling is solid.
