I found a book that has inspired me. It is titled "The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking: 80 Low-Carb Recipes that Offer Solutions for Celiac Disease, Diabetes and Weight Loss" by Peter Reinhart.
I had quit baking from scratch completely several years ago when several people in my family were diagnosed with diabetes. I started using only mixes when I occasionally baked for a special occasion. Now, my young niece has been diagnosed with celiac disease and is extremely sensitive to gluten. I have been trying to find recipes that still look like and taste like normal cookies and cupcakes.
But a lot of gluten-free products and flours are higher in carbohydrates than common flours, which makes gluten-free breads and baked goods less healthy for diabetics. Then I found this book that has recipes that all the members of my family can enjoy. (Luckily, none of us has a nut allergy.)
The recipes are from legendary bread maker and James Beard Award-winning author Peter Reinhart and Denene Wallace. Wallace is a baker who was diagnosed as gluten sensitive in 2003 and with Type 2 diabetes in 2006.
The main difference in this book and other gluten-free recipe books is the type of flour and type of sweeteners used. The recipes use primarily nut flours, which are high in protein and lower in carbs than other gluten-free flours. The recipes are designed to have essentially no glycemic load, making it possible for people with blood sugar and insulin concerns to enjoy them as well. Additionally, each recipe can easily be made vegan by following the dairy and egg substitution guidelines.
I was impressed by the time and effort the two authors put into these recipes. They experimented with multiple types of flours as well as sweeteners to find out what combinations would give the best results and still have fewer than 10 net carbs per serving. Some recipes call for a mixture such as Splenda and Stevia liquid, while others use only one type of sweetener. Most of the recipes have at least two types of flour. The authors give good step-by-step instructions, but you will need to read them carefully - maybe even more carefully if you have baked and cooked a lot before.
A down-side to these recipes is the cost of the flours. Unfortunately, this is true for gluten-free flours of any kind at this time, but almond flour costs even more. Still, to be able to serve the whole family a cake or other treat for a special occasion that is made from scratch, that's yummy and that no one needs to worry about their health after eating, is worth it.
Tammy Paris is circulation assistant at Missouri River Regional Library.