Growing up with food allergies, I have a lot of sympathy for people who have food intolerances or have to give up or limit some of their favorite foods.
Luckily for me, none of my allergies are severe enough to force me to give up my favorite things altogether—just limit my intake—but I can tell you from experience that a lot of the “food allergy friendly” foods out there are just plain disgusting.
The same goes for some of the diabetic dishes I’ve tried over the years. It’s like companies think that as soon as someone has to give up sugar or gluten or whatever, they give up their tastebuds, too.
It does seem like more and more people are rejecting the notion that leaving out ingredients means leaving flavor out, too, though, and I’ve taken to bringing sugar free desserts to functions on a regular basis, and they still get enjoyed just as much.
One great sugar free recipe I discovered is very simple: sugar-free apple pie. It comes from the website “Genius Kitchen.” I will note that apples have natural sugar in them, so you’ll still need to keep that in mind, but with no added granulated sugar, this is still a great low-sugar option. You can find the original recipe at http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/sugar-free-apple-pie-77349. I added extra cinnamon in my version.
Sugar-free Apple Pie
Ingredients
2 prepared pie crusts
1 cup sugar substitute
1 tablespoon flour
1-1/2 rounded tablespoons cinnamon
5 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 golden delicious apple, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon butter, cubed
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Line a nine-inch pie pan with one crust, letting the extra hang over the sides.
In a bowl, combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon and then add the apple slices, stirring to coat them in the mixture.
Spread the apples evenly into the pie pan (they will be in a big mound but will cook down as the pie bakes). Dot the top of the apples with the butter cubes.
Top the pie with the other crust using either a lattice pattern or cutting several vent holes into the top of the crust. Crimp the edges to prevent any of the goodness from leaking out.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the top is a nice golden brown.
I’d recommend serving this with sugar-free whipped cream or ice cream, and if you can, enjoy it warm, but it’s great either way.
This is just a good, simple, classic apple pie recipe, and we didn’t miss the “real” sugar at all when enjoying it. It’s also an easy pie to try if you’re a bit intimidated by making them. You can be as fancy or as simple with your pie crust as you like and still have a wonderful dessert.
And it’s nice to present friends and family who have dietary restrictions with something they can enjoy, too. When it comes to dessert, no one should be left out.
Lindsey Young is the office manager for the Hillsboro Free Press.
