Best Desserts Made Without Sugar

Discover some amazing desserts that are made without sugar

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 I have a sweet tooth and I like to indulge in desserts. While the occasional sweet is perfectly ok for those who do not have diabetes, too much sugar is not healthy for the body. Excessive sugar intake can affect your body in many ways. Chances are you already know that eating too much sugar isn’t good for you. Eating too much sugar can affect many parts of your body and health. So how does too much sugar affect your body?


How sugar can mess with your health

When most people think about consuming too much sugar, they think about cavities, weight gain, and hyperactivity in children but sugar can be harmful to other parts of the body like the brain and the heart. Without going into too many details about excessive sugar intake and the body, I will list some parts of the body that sugar can wreak havoc upon. The below sugar information I found at WebMD.

Brain ~ Sugar can be addicting and eating sugar gives your brain a feel-good chemical called dopamine. This can be the reason why you crave sweets.

Mood ~ While sugar can give you energy, it can also give you a crash. So that sugary treat too often can have an effect on your mood and studies have linked high sugar intake to a greater risk of depression in adults

Teeth ~ Sugar can damage your teeth as the bacteria that cause cavities love to eat sugar.

Joints ~ If you have joint pain, eating lots of sweets can cause inflammation which can worsen the pain.  Plus, studies show that sugar consumption can increase your risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Skin ~ The inflammation that sugar causes can make your skin age faster. As sugar can damage collagen and elastin which can result in wrinkles and saggy skin.

Liver ~ An abundance of fructose can damage the liver.

Heart ~ The extra insulin in your bloodstream can affect your arteries to get inflamed, grow thicker/stiffer which stresses your heart.


Pancreas ~ Sugar makes your pancreas pump out insulin. Too much sugar will overwork the pancreas, setting you up for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Kidneys ~ If you have diabetes, too much sugar can lead to kidney damage.

Body Weight ~ Excess amounts of sugar can inflame fat cells causing them to release chemicals that increase weight.

Immune System ~ Too much can sugar intake can suppress your immune system. When your immune system is compromised, you are more likely to get sick.

Check out this recipe for Healthy Homemade Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Granola 

Sugar has many names

 When I did research on eating too much sugar, I not only learned some new information on what sugar can do to the body but it also encouraged me to try to lower my sugar consumption. Sugar can be in so many foods like sweets, drinks, ice cream, and even foods like bread and tomato sauce. Sugar also has so many names like corn syrup, agave nectar, palm sugar, cane juice, or sucrose so it can be hard to know which foods contain sugar. Nutritional labels do make it easier to know how much sugar is in a food and whether it is natural sugar(from fruit) or added sugar. While one can totally eliminate sugar from their diet, it can be a difficult stressful thing to do. So I recommend lowering your sugar intake and swapping out sugar for natural sugar replacements. Some of the natural sugar replacements that I like to use are monk fruit, stevia, and Swerve. In foods that I would normally add sugar, I will replace the sugar with these natural sweeteners that have a similar taste to sugar.

Natural sweeteners help me lower my sugar intake

 Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Made With Swerve


Benefits of natural sugar replacements

 Using natural sugar replacements can be beneficial to your health and many natural sweeteners are zero-calorie, non-glycemic, and safe for those living with diabetes. A natural sugar replacement will also contain no artificial ingredients, preservatives, or flavors. Many of these sweeteners taste similar to sugar and can be used in your favorite baking recipes or your cup of coffee.

 Swerve is a delicious natural sweetener that measures cup-for-cup just like sugar! Swerve is made from ingredients found in select fruits and starchy root vegetables. Swerve can be used in your favorite recipes in place of regular sugar or other sweeteners. Swerve is keto-friendly, gluten-free, and plant-based.

Discover baking mixes that are gluten-free & sugar-free

 These Swerve Sweet baking mixes are wonderful and will help you on your journey to lower your sugar intake. If you have sensitivities to gluten or dairy, then you will love that these delicious baking mixes are plant-based and gluten-free. The mixes are also keto-friendly and perfect for diabetics. While I don't have to follow a gluten-free diet, I do have a dairy allergy so I get excited when I discover baking mixes for cakes, cookies, and sugar-free brownies that are plant-based.


 I made the Swerve vanilla cake mix and they were so easy to make. My family thought the cupcakes were so delicious. I also made a berry frosting using the Swerve Sweetener Confectioners. My frosting is naturally colored and flavored with an all-natural fruit/berry-flavored drink mix that I featured in my Better for You Beverages For Summer article.

 You can use my code MOMKNOWSBEST to get 35% off at https://macrolifenaturals.com on this wonderful berry-flavored drink mix that is a perfect way to add color to frosting without any artificial colors.

Other delicious recipes that can be made without sugar

 Once you discover how easy it is to bake without real sugar, you can make your favorite desserts sugar-free and lower your sugar intake. I use zero-calorie sweeteners in all my baking recipes in place of sugar and the cookies and cakes still have a delicious sweet taste. My family can't tell the difference and it makes me feel good that they are consuming less sugar. I like baking with natural sugar replacements that measure cup to cup so swapping out the sugar is simple. I also have recipes that use natural sweeteners like dates. So take a look at the below recipes and start consuming less sugar for a healthy body. While some of the below recipes may contain sugar, I have successfully used Swerve in place of the sugar for delicious results.

 Non-Dairy Date Salted Caramels
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2019/01/non-dairy-date-salted-caramels.html

Plant-Based Healthy No-Bake Salted Chocolate Brownies
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2020/02/plant-based-healthy-no-bake-salted.html

Simple Dairy Free Apple Pie Cookies 
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2019/11/simple-dairy-free-apple-pie-cookies.html

The Best Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2019/11/the-best-christmas-sugar-cookie-recipe.html

 Low Sugar Cranberry Sauce
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2020/06/best-low-sugar-cranberry-sauce-made-in.html

No Peel Summer Apple Crisp
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2020/06/no-peel-apple-crisp-recipe-with-knively.html

Keto Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies

 These chewy chocolate cookies are keto, dairy-free, grain-free, and delicious! They satisfy so many food plans so they are perfect to share with friends.

  So many people have diet restrictions these days so it is hard to satisfy everyone when you make cookies. Many of my friends are on the keto diet and they avoid those carbs like the plague. So finding a dessert that I can share with these friends can be tricky. I totally understand the avoidance of certain ingredients as I have many food allergies. My allergies to dairy, soy, and mushrooms can make it hard for me to eat out or enjoy the food at social functions. One bite of the food that I am allergic to can cause an asthma attack and or leave me sick to my stomach for hours. So I play it safe and always bring food that I can eat to social functions. I am that person who always has an allergy-friendly protein bar in my purse.

 So when I created these soft and chewy salted caramel chocolate cookies, I was thinking about making a sweet treat that was safe for me to eat but also on the healthy side. I do love cookies and I can eat way too many at one time. All that sugar that is in regular cookies is not something that I desire if I want to keep my body healthy. White flour also has way too many carbs and not much nutrition. So substituting almond flour gives my body some additional protein which is good for me as I am working on getting stronger muscles.

A cookie that tastes like a chocolate coconut brownie

 These keto cookies taste so good. They are chewy and full of flavor. When my family tasted them they had no clue that they were keto. My husband said they reminded him of a Mounds chocolate flavor. The boys said that they tasted like a chocolate coconut brownie. I loved how the sprinkling of salt brought out the chocolate caramel taste. These cookies did not last that long as my family enjoyed them. These are the perfect cookies to share with friends.

 These cookies are perfect for so many food plans beyond keto. So you can share these cookies with people who are diabetic, on a gluten-free diet or following the paleo diet. These delicious cookies are allergy-friendly for those who have dairy or soy allergies.

How To Make Cookies Low-Carb And Keto Friendly

 The white flour, sugar, and other high-carb ingredients in most cookies, as I am learning, will kick people out of their keto. So I have learned that a few ingredient substitutions will make a cookie recipe keto-friendly.



Four healthy ingredient swaps to bake a batch of keto cookies

#1: Replace Flour With Nut Or Coconut Flour

Those cups of wheat flour that most cookie recipes call for are loaded with carbs and lacks nourishing ingredients. I was amazed to learn that one cup of white flour has 95 grams of carbs. An ingredient that is high in carbs is not keto-friendly. Wheat flour is also high in gluten and I have many friends who are sensitive to wheat. Swapping out wheat flour for low-carb flours will add additional nutrition to your cookies like fiber.

Here are the best keto flours to use for baking cookies:

Almond flour (sometimes called almond meal)
Coconut flour
Hazelnut flour
Protein powder

#2: Swap out The Sugar For Keto-Safe Sugar Substitutes

 Most sugar that is in cookies will spike up your blood sugar and insulin levels and kick you out of ketosis. Sugar is also a bad thing for diabetics and can make some kids hyper. Some also say that sugar can be addicting and that sugar craving may make you get too many cookies. One cup of white sugar contains 200g of carbohydrates!

 I like to use natural low-carb sweeteners as artificial sweeteners not only are made with chemicals but can cause unwanted side effects like bloating, gas, and diarrhea. My favorite natural sweeteners to use in baking are stevia and monk fruit.

#3: Use a Healthy Fat

 Since you are on the keto diet to help your health, it is only wise to use a fat that is healthy. Healthy fats are good for a healthy heart diet. Fats like lard, shortening, and processed oils like vegetable oil are bad keto fats that are not good for your health. Bad fats are linked to higher rates of inflammation, weight gain, heart disease, and even poor mental health.



Choose healthy fats for your keto cookies like:

Grass-fed butter(not dairy-free)
Coconut oil
Avocados- check out some desserts that I used avocado in 

#4: Think before you add flavor additions

When you make keto desserts like keto cookies and keto treats, it is tempting to add additional ingredients for more flavor. Sure those nuts and sugar-free chocolate chips sound delightful but these can add additional carbs and mess with your daily macros. Check out this keto macro calculator.

The best keto cookie flavor additions include:

Nuts like macadamia, pecan, and hazelnut
Stevia-sweetened chocolate chips
Spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice
Cocoa powder
Coconut (raw or toasted)
Keto Collagen adds flavor and is great for your skin and nails


#5: Follow the recipe

 Baking any recipe can be tricky, as baking is a science and one ingredient change can mess up the recipe. Keto baking can be even more tricky. So read the whole recipe before mixing up the ingredients. It also helps to have all the ingredients and baking items like measuring spoons ready.

Here are some good baking tips for making cookies:

Preheat oven to your recipe’s temperature as it will help your cookies cook evenly and according to the time on the recipe.
Use parchment paper on the cookie sheet as this will prevent the cookies from burning and sticking.
Use a tablespoon or small ice cream scoop so your cookies are uniform in size.

Cookies with benefits and awesome taste

Get this amazing keto collagen HERE and use code momknowsbest for 15% off all Perfect Keto individual products!

 These delicious cookies are not only keto-friendly and dairy-free but have an ingredient in them that is great for your skin and joints. I used a delicious Keto product that has collagen in it so I could add a caramel taste to the cookies that are also dairy-free and low in carbs.

 A scoop of flavored Keto collagen adds amazing flavor to cookie recipes that are made for the keto plan. This delicious keto collagen comes in flavors like salted caramel, vanilla, and chocolate. Not only does this collagen add flavor to keto desserts but it also has amazing skin, nail, hair, and joint benefits.


Want strong nails, healthy hair and glowing skin? Just add collagen to your daily routine.

  Collagen protein is the main protein that makes up your tendons and ligaments. Daily supplementation helps support your body to keep your joints happy and healthy.

 I love using the salted caramel keto collagen in my morning smoothie or my daily cup of coffee. The collagen not only adds some delicious flavor but it gives me some healthy protein. When I add the keto collagen to my coffee, it acts as a coffee creamer so I have no need to add any plant-based milk.

Collagen helps my skin and joints

  I recently started using collagen on a daily basis, about a month ago. and I am loving what it does for my skin and joints. My skin seems firmer and those fine lines as less noticeable. My knee joints are loving the benefits of collagen too as they no longer hurt after I do way too many squats at the gym. I like that this keto collagen has MCT oil and stevia in it. Stevia is my preferred sweetener for my coffee and MCT oil gives my body some healthy fat that helps with my thinking. So this chocolate keto cookie is a sweet treat that has healthy benefits.



Make sure to Pin this recipe so you can make it later!

Keto Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies

Author: Mom Knows Best

These Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies are soft, chewy, and totally irresistible!

ingredients:

• 3/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup monk fruit sweetener 
• 2 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups almond flour
• 2 scoops Perfect Keto Collagen, salted caramel
• Flaky sea salt

instructions:

How to cook Keto Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until well-combined.
3. Then add monk fruit sweetener, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and cream of tartar. 
4. Mix well until fully incorporated.
5. Add almond flour and Perfect Keto Collagen and mix together until well combined.
6. Form the cookie dough into balls, it is ok to use your hands.  Then place the cookie dough balls on the cookie sheet, placing them 2-3 inches apart.
7.  Lightly press the cookie dough balls down and sprinkle them lightly with the coarse sea salt.
8. Bake cookies for about 15-18 minutes. To check if the cookies are done, poke a toothpick in the center of one cookie. If it comes out clean, it is done.
9. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet before removing from the parchment paper.

Created using The Recipes Generator

Homemade Vegan Sugar Free Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

 Disclosure- I received the mentioned product courtesy of the sponsor for the purpose of this review. All opinions are genuine, based on my experience with the product, and have not been influenced by promotional items.

The perfect holiday treat for someone who has dietary restrictions


 This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

     

 Valentine's Day used to be one of my favorite holidays. I fondly remember my husband buying me a big box of chocolates from my favorite candy store. He would then hide the pieces of chocolate all over the house and give me clues. The clues would send me on a fun scavenger hunt to find all the chocolate pieces. By the time I found all the chocolates, I had two pounds of delicious chocolate in a fancy Valentine's day box. This is love.

 Now Valentine's Day is a bit different for me since I discovered that a dairy allergy was the cause of my out of control asthma 18 months ago. All these years what I thought was a lactose issue was a dairy allergy. My asthmatic symptoms were being managed with allergy medicine for so long and I had no clue. My dairy allergy was discovered after I starting using a whey protein powder and my allergy medicine no longer worked. My asthma got so out of control that I almost ended up at the emergency room. So not wanting to go on harsh asthma medicines, I did some research and discovered that milk and dairy products may be the cause of my asthma symptoms. So I decided to eliminated dairy from my diet for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, my severe asthmatic cough went away and I no longer struggled with breathing. I was not happy when I had to eliminate all dairy sources from my diet as I loved cheese and chocolate. Now that dairy is out of my body, I am feeling so much better and avoid all dairy as a small amount can trigger an asthma attack.

 Since I like breathing, I have discovered that there are not many dairy-free chocolate candy products available at the store. When you have a dairy-allergy, you have to read labels as dairy can be hidden under names like whey and casein. Did you know that non-dairy coffee creamer has casein in it? The dairy-free or vegan chocolate bars that I have discovered at the store are also quite expensive, like my favorite dark chocolate peanut butter candy bar that is almost $2.00 for a small bar. So I have learned to make my own chocolate using safe allergy-friendly ingredients that have no dairy in them.

Using a natural Stevia Sweetener means fewer calories

 Since I was changing the way that I enjoyed my chocolate and other baked goods, I decided to decrease the amount of sugar that I was consuming. Sugar is one of those things that equals empty calories and large quantities of sugar are not good for your body. So I decided to switch out the sugar in my recipes for a natural 0 calorie sweetener. That way I can make my sweets a bit healthier and have guilt-free treats. I discovered a delicious natural 0 calorie sweetener a couple of months ago and it tastes so delicious in my daily coffee. Then I tried the organic sweetener in my Vegan Cinnamon Rolls and they were so delicious.

 This brand of stevia combines the Ulta sweet taste of stevia with erythritol. Stevita Organic stevia blend is a perfectly crafted blend of stevia and erythritol that changed my mind about baking with stevia as it has no bitter taste. This organic zero-calorie sweetener has no carbs and is also vegan. Stevita has an indulgent taste that is 4X as sweet as sugar so that means I don't need much to make my holiday treats taste delicious. I like that it has no artificial ingredients. The best part is it looks like sugar, dissolves like sugar, and tastes like sugar so my family does not notice the difference when I bake with Stevita. One cup of sugar has 773 calories so swapping out the sugar in a recipe for Stevita means your recipe has fewer calories. That is awesome for those on a diet or looking to cut out sugar from their diet. Natural Stevita has no calories so using this delicious sweetener in your daily coffee can save you 48 calories per tablespoon of regular sugar. I love that this delicious sweetener is made from certified organic, fair-trade Brazillian stevia extract. This sweetener is also keto-friendly!


Homemade Peanut Butter Cups that are vegan & sugar-free

  So I decided to make my own dark chocolate peanut butter cups so I could enjoy some chocolate on Valentines' Day. Since I was making homemade candy, I decided to eliminate the sugar so my treat would be a healthier option. When you eliminate the sugar, these chocolate peanut butter cups are perfect on a keto diet! My favorite expensive chocolate bar that I buy contains 17 grams of sugar so making my own sugar-free chocolate peanut butter cups would be better for me. That way I could indulge on Valentine's Day and not have a sugar crash.

Three ingredients are all you need for sugar-free chocolate

  My recipe for delicious Homemade Peanut Butter Cups only requires three ingredients and is so simple to make. You don't even need a candy thermometer. You can use reuseable silicone baking cups for muffins or you can spray the muffin tins with an oil spray. I prefer the silicone baking cups as they give the peanut butter cups a nice textured look. So gather up your candy supplies and make this vegan candy for an awesome treat. These plant-based chocolates are keto chocolates! The ingredients that you need are dark chocolate, peanut butter, and Stevita Liquid Drops. These organic liquid stevia drops are ultra-sweet so a small bottle lasts a long time. While you are buying your Stevita Liquid drops, you have to buy all four flavors as they are great to use in coffee and tea. I love using the Strawberry Fields liquid drops in my nightly cup of tea. The Natural Toffee and Vanilla Bliss taste awesome in my daily cup of coffee. These liquid stevia drops mix so well in recipes and leaves no grainy texture in the melted chocolate.

Are you a fan of dark chocolate?

  I am not that big of a fan when it comes to dark chocolate, I would rather have milk chocolate but since that has milk in it I eat dark chocolate. I do like the fact that dark chocolate is good for your heart. Check out some other things that are good for your heart. Since milk chocolate has dairy in it, I have learned to love dark chocolate. The only way that I will eat dark chocolate is when it is combined with peanut butter or when it covers pieces of fruit. Have you tried frozen bananas dipped in dark chocolate? They are amazing and the perfect treat for the keto meal plan! I also like a little sprinkling of salt on my dark chocolate. Salt brings out an amazing taste when sprinkled on chocolate. The salt from the peanut butter in this chocolate recipe gives the peanut butter cups an awesome taste but when you sprinkle some additional salt on the dark chocolate it is even better. If you are looking for other amazing chocolate-dipped recipes, you need to check out my recipe for Chocolate Dipped Salted Almond Butter Cookies That Are Dairy Free. I made these the other day with the Spoonable Stevita and they were so good!

Use the melted chocolate and Stevita to make chocolate chunks

   Buy extra bars of dark chocolate bakers bars so you can make homemade sugar free chocolate chunks or chips that are dairy-free. When you make these delicious vegan sugar free peanut butter cups, buy an extra bar of the bakers chocolate so you can melt extra chocolate. That way you can take the leftover melted chocolate that you add the Stevita Liquid Drops to and make some delicious chocolate pieces for other recipes like dairy-free soft pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. To make the chocolate chunks, just spread the extra melted chocolate on some wax paper and let it harden. When the melted chocolate is hard, just break it into pieces or cut up with a sharp knife. You can also use silicone muffin containers or buy a silicone chocolate chip mold to make the chocolate look like chocolate chips. This will save you money over buying chocolate chips at the store!

Homemade Vegan Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Yield: 6

Author: Mom Knows Best

These homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are vegan and sugar-free. They are perfect for a sugar-free, dairy-free or Keto diet. A sprinkling of salt makes these chocolates so delicious. This recipe can be easily doubled.

ingredients:

• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter, made without sugar
• 6 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Stevita Naturals Organic Stevia Liquid Drops
• coarse salt for sprinkling on the chocolate if desired

instructions:

How to cook Homemade Vegan Sugar Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1. Place the peanut butter into the fridge to chill and make it easier to work with. If you have natural peanut butter, make sure to mix in all the oil before measuring it into the measuring cup. 
2. Line a muffin tin with 6 silicone liners or spray lightly with oil.
3. Melt half of the chocolate using either a microwave or a double boiler. (see notes)
4. Pour 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate to the bottom of each liner.
5. Place the tin into the freezer for 10 minutes, to allow the chocolate to harden.
6. After 10 minutes have passed, remove the muffin tin from the freezer and the peanut butter from the fridge.
7. Place 2 teaspoons of peanut butter into the center of each mini muffin liner., avoiding the sides. Lightly press the peanut butter down.
8. Place the muffin tin back in the freezer while you melt the remaining chocolate.
9. Then remove the muffin tin from the freezer and add 1 tablespoon to 2 tablespoons of the melted chocolate to each liner – enough to cover the peanut butter and leave a smooth top. Gently tap the muffin tip to help the chocolate spread over the peanut butter.
10. Sprinkle coarse salt and place back in the freezer for another 10 minutes to harden.
11. Store in the fridge for up to 10 days, or the freezer for up to a month.

NOTES:

To melt chocolate in the microwave, simply cook at 30-second intervals, stirring the chocolate after each interval. Once the pieces are 75% melted, stop microwaving and stir until no more “chunks” remain and the chocolate is smooth and melted.

Created using The Recipes Generator