For those trying to bake and cook without as much sugar, sugar-free sauces can be amazing! They don’t spike your blood sugar, they are wayyyy lower in carbs than their normal counterparts, and you won’t feel bloated or tired after eating them!
While I prefer my fruits fresh for the most part, I do love apple-anything desserts! (Okay, I also love this low carb/sugar-free cherry delight too!) Apples are a perfect snack (if you’re not keto). They are delicious, not messy, portable, and readily-available. But how I really love my apples is with a yummy, caramely apple dip. The one that I have made for thirty years is still a family favorite (1 package cream cheese, 1/2 cup (or more!) brown sugar, and 1 TBSP vanilla). However, for daily fare and for me and Hubby, I prefer to make a low carb/sugar-free one that is seriously just as tasty!
For years when my kids were at home, I kept peanut butter cookie dough (either homemade or logs of store bought) in my freezer, along with some candies, to make these bars in a matter of a few minutes. Everybody loved them. The sugar-free version can be just as popular with your crew!
It’s apple season in Indiana. Some apples need nothing. No caramel. No peanut butter. No chocolate. No apple dip (made out of my Cream Cheese Dessert Base). No popcorn and cheese. Those apples stand alone, and when you find your faves, you can’t imagine not having access to them. This happened to us last fall when we discovered Sweet Tango apples. You might remember that my husband and I are ballroom dancers. We have danced sixteen dances together for twelve years now. But our love for all things ballroom (including the Latin dance called Tango) has nothing to do with our love for these apples. They just happen to share the same name! ?
But some apples are better suited to some gooey, nutty, creamy, or crispy combination. When a person goes sugar-free, apple treats are often forgotten. Apple pie, apple dumplings, apple crisp—and especially caramel apples. Those dishes are extremely sugar-laden and can be hard to duplicate. However, caramel-chocolate apples CAN be made sugar free! Especially if you make my Caramel-Chocolate Apple Nachos!
One of the biggest problems with sugar-free baking and cooking is the extra time that it takes. Sure, you can just stick with recipes calling for granulated sugar—and sub in your favorite sugar-free one (See my Sugar-Free Substitutes post!) and be a happy sugar-free-family. However, after a while, you will likely find yourself wishing that you could make those bars with that “Eagle Brand” stuff drizzled all over them or those candies with caramel centers or those milk chocolate peanut butter cups.
