Cooking with Chef Jo: Craving the Sweet But Not the Sugar

I spent a lot of years as a diabetic so sugar was a big FAT NO-NO. So were yummy things like bananas, pineapples, and apple products which are high on the glycemic table. Most items on the low or no added sugar shelves are loaded with fat to compensate. There was one dessert my father-in-law craved, banana pudding, but he had a heart condition which meant he was on a low salt and no fat diet.so I developed a tasty no added sugar (for me) and low fat and cholesterol version of his favorite dessert. With some forethought I came up with a low carb vanilla cookie recipe (below), a keto-friendly sweetened condensed milk recipe, and using a few store bought ingredients, I found a dessert substitute that satisfied his sweet tooth and still stayed true to our dietary restrictions.

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Makes 14 oz Can be made ahead and stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 1 week or frozen for 4 months.

What you'll need

1 pint Heavy fat free cream

3/4 c sugar substitute of your choice, I use Splenda

1/4 c butter, I use Country Crock vegan butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Putting it all together

• Place all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan or a double boiler.
• Stir constantly to prevent milk from scorching on the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Turn heat to low and continue cooking and stirring for 45 minutes or volume is reduced by half.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place in a jar with a lid and place into refrigerator to chill completely (about 4 hours). The mixture will be as thick as any store bought sweetened condensed milk at this point.

Sugar-Free Vanilla Wafers

What you'll need

1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (or carbalose)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 c Country Crock vegan butter, softened to room temperature.

1 cup sugar substitute

1 egg

1 TBS vanilla

Putting it all together

• Cream butter and sugar.
• Sift together flour and baking powder.
• Mix vanilla with the egg.
• Alternately add flour and egg mixtures until both are combined in the butter mixture.
• Using small scoop. scoop dough onto parchment lined baking sheet. 
• Bake 350℉ for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.

With cookies baked and condensed milk made, you are halfway there. Now let's go shopping for the final ingredients.

What we'll need is 

2 fully ripe bananas

1 box Jello instant sugar-free banana cream pudding mix (8 servings)

1 pint skim milk

1- 16 oz container of No Added Sugar Cool Whip

Now rush on home so we can finish this dessert. Your keys are back in your purse? Yes. No speeding ticket, right? Nope. Okay. Whew1 Wipes my forehead. I was worried about that one!

The pudding

Place the pudding mix in your mixing bowl.

Pour in the pint of skim milk

Mic until combined.

Add 2 cups of Cool Whip into the bowl and combined.

ASSEMBLY

Put a layer of cookies on the bottom and sides of a 8x13 baking dish. To help them stick to the sides a little dab of pudding will help.

Slice the bananas into 1/8" slices (remember they are high on the glycemic index-)

Add 1/3 of pudding mix.

Add a layer of banana slices.

Add another layer of cookies.

Add a layer of: pudding and bananas.

As a final touches crush 10 cookies into crumbs.

Putt remaining Cool Whip into a piping bag fitted with a star. Pipe around the border and sprinkle the crumbs on top. Refrigerate two hours before service.

My Pastry chef daughter borrowed this recipe from me because her husband's unit was approaching their yearly physical, but she needed a dessert for a cookout. All the guys groaned when they saw what she had brought thinking there would be no way they could eat it. When they found out they could eat a full cup and only had to give up only 1 beer, they cheered and lifted her up in the air. I do know Jenn has called me a few times to pick my brain over the years, but this recipe was the one most requested.

Y'all have a blessed day!

Chef Jo