Christmas Recipes for the Diabetic or Gluten-Free Person

The Christmas holiday season must be difficult for the person suffering from diabetes or from an intolerance of gluten in their diet. All the good food and smells that tempt them to eat the foods they should not eat. Here are five recipes, two for diabetics and three for gluten-free people, for you to try this Christmas season.

Diabetic recipes

SUGAR FREE CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3 tablespoons Equal ® sugar substitute
• 1 egg
• Several drops of food coloring (optional)
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Cream shortening. Add sweetener, egg, and food coloring (if desired); beat well.
2. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, add the milk, vanilla, and water. Put in flour mixture and stir well.
3. Chill dough 2 to 4 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
5. Roll out 1/8 inch thick and cut the cookies into desired shapes. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Cool. Store in air tight container.

Recipe Yield: Yield: 24 servings
diabeticgourmet.com

Ginger & Spice Crackles

These soft and moist cookies are spiked with ginger, cinnamon and a hint of clove and they crackle on top when they bake. Rolling them in powdered sugar gives them a lightly sweet coating on the outside that looks like a dusting of fresh fallen snow.

By Hilary Meyer 

 Tested by EatingWell Test Kitchen

Active Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs
Servings: 36

Nutrition Profile: Low-Carb Diabetes-Appropriate Low-Sodium Low-Fat

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup white whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar

Directions

1. Whisk all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Beat brown sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until well combined. Beat in egg and molasses. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Form the dough into a disk, about 1 inch thick, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 large rimmed baking sheets with cooking spray.
4. Place confectioners’ sugar in a shallow dish. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (a generous 1 Tbsp. each), then roll in the confectioners’ sugar to coat liberally. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies crackle on top, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Tips

To make ahead: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, December 2020

Gluten-Free recipes

Festive Meringue Christmas Trees

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 3 hours + standingYIELD: about 26 meringues

These meringues are eye-catching on the dessert table at a holiday party, and they taste heavenly! Look no further for the perfect treat to get you into the Christmas spirit. —Jenni Sharp, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Ingredients

• 3 large egg whites
• 1-1/2 teaspoons clear or regular vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Dash salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• Green food coloring
• Assorted sprinkles
• Star nonpareils
• Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Directions

• 1. Place egg whites in a large bowl; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
• 2. Preheat oven to 200°. Add vanilla, cream of tartar and salt to egg whites; beat on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff glossy peaks form, about 7 minutes. Tint with green food coloring and mix thoroughly.
• 3. Cut a small hole in the tip of a pastry bag; insert a large #828 open star tip. Transfer meringue to bag. Pipe 2-in.-diameter tree shapes 2 in. apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets; top with sprinkles and a star nonpareil.
• 4. Bake until firm to the touch, about 3 hours. Turn off oven and open door all the way; leave meringues in oven until cool. Remove meringues from parchment. If desired, sprinkle lightly with confectioners’ sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

© 2024 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC

Gluten-Free Spritz Delights

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. Bake: 10 min./batch + coolingYIELD: 8-1/2 dozen.

My daughter has Down syndrome and loves hosting parties, especially on holidays. Cookies always took center stage until she was diagnosed with celiac disease. I decided then to take on gluten-free baking, and these are the best yet—a cross between a shortbread and a sugar cookie. —Cheryl Costilow, Amherst, Ohio

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2-1/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour (without xanthan gum)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup gluten-free vanilla frosting
• Food coloring, optional
• Gluten-free sprinkles

Directions

• 1. Preheat oven to 400°. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and extract. In another bowl, whisk flour, xanthan gum and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture.
• 2. Using a cookie press fitted with a disk of your choice, press dough 1 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 6-8 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
• 3. In a microwave, warm frosting to reach a drizzling consistency. If desired, tint with food coloring. Drizzle over cookies; decorate with sprinkles. Let stand until set.

© 2024 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC

Creamy Orange Caramels

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 10 min. Cook: 30 min.+ standingYIELD: about 2-1/2 pounds (80 pieces).

Each Christmas I teach myself a new candy recipe. Last year I started with my caramel recipe and added a splash of orange extract for fun. This year I just might try buttered rum extract. —Shelly Bevington-Fisher, Hermiston, Oregon

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon plus 1 cup butter, divided
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

• 1. Line an 11×7-in. dish with foil, letting ends extend over sides by 1 in.; grease foil with 1 teaspoon butter.
• 2. In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, corn syrup and remaining butter. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; boil gently, without stirring, for 4 minutes.
• 3. Remove from the heat; gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 244° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in extracts. Immediately pour into prepared dish (do not scrape saucepan). Let stand until firm.
• 4. Using foil, lift out candy; remove foil. Using a buttered knife, cut caramel into scant 1-1/2×1-in. pieces. Wrap individually in waxed paper; twist ends.

© 2024 RDA Enthusiast Brands, LLC

Merry Christmas to all, and to all some good eating!

Speculoos – a traditional Belgian Christmas cookie

Coming soon – the Christmas customs of Belgium. Until then, here’s a recipe for Belgium’s traditional Christmas cookie courtesy of the Daring Gourmet, Traditional Speculoos Cookies – The Daring Gourmet.

Traditional Speculoos Cookies

Kimberly Killebrew

Whether you know them as speculoos, speculaas, spekulatius or Biscoff, few things are as irresistible as these positively delicious, buttery gingerbread shortcrust cookies!  Wonderfully crispy, crunchy, and deeply caramelized, they’re sure to become part of your annual holiday baking regimen!

INGREDIENTS 

•             2 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

•             1 cup unsalted butter , softened at room temperature

•             2 large egg yolks (if the dough is too dry add some extra egg yolk)

•             3 tablespoon heavy whipping cream

•             1 teaspoon quality pure vanilla extract

•             1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

•             1 cup almond or hazelnut flour

•             3 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

•             1/2 teaspoon baker’s ammonia (see blog post for explanation)

•             1/2 teaspoon salt

•             2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

•             1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

•             1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

•             1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

•             1/4 teaspoon ground anise seed

•             1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

INSTRUCTIONS

1.            Beat the brown sugar, butter, egg yolks, cream, vanilla, and lemon zest in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or use an electric mixer) until it’s pale and fluffy, 5-6 minutes. Add the almond/hazelnut flour and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, baker’s ammonia, salt, and spices. While beating, gradually add this flour mixture to the wet mixture. (If not using a stand mixer use a wooden spoon while you can and then knead with your hands.) If the dough is too dry/crumbly add a little extra egg yolk as needed.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in a cool place (NOT the fridge or it will become brittle) for at least 5 hours or overnight.

2.            Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 4mm or just under 1/4 inch. You can simply cut them into small rectangles (like Biscoff cookies) or you can use molds, cookie stamps, a molded rolling pin or any cookie cutters of your choice to shape the speculoos (see blog post pictures for instructions on how to use molds and molded rolling pins). If using molds be sure to lightly flour them first to prevent sticking. Cut out the cookies and place them on a non-stick baking sheet. Chill the cookies for at least one hour before baking.

3.            Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake the speculoos on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned and caramelized. Let the speculoos cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store them in an airtight container. It is best to wait at least a week before eating them to allow the flavors to develop. Will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for several weeks.

Enjoy by the speculoos by themselves or dipped in your favorite hot beverage.

Christmas For My Family

Last month I shared what Christmas was like for me as a child. Now I’ll tell you about how I celebrate Christmas with my wife and children.

Christmas music may be heard anytime during the month of November, but it usually isn’t played exclusively until the day after Thanksgiving. At 12 noon Thanksgiving day our favorite internet Christmas station, https://www.stfrancis.edu/spirit/, begins their all-Christmas programming. They continue playing Christmas music 24/7 until noon on January 2. We also fill our 5-disc CD player with CDs from our Christmas CD collection of well over 50 CDs. I sometimes think we have a larger selection of Christmas music than some radio stations.

We used to put up our outdoor decorations including the lights on our house Thanksgiving weekend. But, because it is frequently unbearably cold that weekend where we are, we started putting the lights on the roofline of our house earlier in the month. We just don’t plug them in until after Thanksgiving.

The Christmas tree is decorated the day after Thanksgiving. Our main tree is a 6-foot slim tree. My son likes to put up our 4-foot tree in the basement. We call it the kids tree. We decide on one of the four color schemes we have, red and silver, blue and silver, purple and silver, and anything goes. I think this year is an anything goes year. We put a lot of lights on the tree including a string of bubble lights.

We have 5 different ways, 4 books and 1 set of ornaments, we rotate through each year for advent. 3 of the books tell a story that is inter-related with the other 2 books to give 3 different perspectives of the days leading up to the birth of Jesus. The main characters go on their own journey while intersecting and interacting with the characters of the other 2 books.

Our church has a Christmas program put on by kids in the church. The program is put on the first weekend of December. Through the years several of my children have taken part in the Christmas program. This year my youngest daughter is in the program, my middle daughter is helping out with it, and one of my sons is handling one of the spotlights.

Our church’s adult choir also puts on a Christmas program a week or two after the kids program.

During the month of December the family makes several kinds of cookies and several batches of fudge. Everyone gets to help make cookies. At one time we made all the cookies on one Saturday in December. That quickly became a chore that I dreaded as the number of kinds of cookies grew with the number of children in the family (we have 7 children). Now some of the older children are given the opportunity to make their favorite cookies anytime during December while I make 1 or 2 different kinds of cookies on “Cookie Saturday.”

Christmas morning the children are not allowed out of their rooms except to use the bathroom. They are not to go into the living room with the tree or into the kitchen before Mom or I call them. We fix breakfast of egg casserole and put their stockings out so they can have them during breakfast. Before the gifts are passed around we read the Christmas story out of the Bible or the last chapter of the Advent story book. We always have Christmas music playing while we open gifts usually with a fireplace video playing in our DVD player.

By the time we finish with the gifts it’s almost lunch time. We don’t have the traditional turkey or ham for Christmas. Instead we make an extra cheesy and meaty lasagna. We like doing this because there’s less clean up afterward. This year we’re going to have a couple cheesecakes for dessert instead of pies.

After lunch we play games and enjoy our gifts and each other.

That is our Christmas celebration. How do you celebrate Christmas?

Stressful, Expensive Christmas Traditions

Are some of your Christmas traditions are causing you more stress or are costing you more than you wish to spend?  Early on those traditions were very enjoyable.  You looked forward to doing them.  But now you may be dreading the tradition that you once enjoyed.

If that is the case with you consider modifying the tradition so it will become enjoyable once again, come up with a less expensive version of the tradition, or drop the tradition all together.

Case in point, when my children were younger (and there were fewer of them) I dedicated one Saturday in December to making cookies for Christmas.  Each child would choose a kind of cookies to make, and we would make it together.  I really enjoyed making cookies with my children. But, as our family grew and three kinds of cookies became five or six kinds of cookies, the tradition became a chore; and I dreaded doing it.  So I decided some changes should be made.  My oldest daughter loved Chocolate Mint Snow-tops so I told her if she wanted them she could make them anytime before Christmas.  Also, instead of every child choosing a kind of cookie, we chose as a group what kinds of cookies we would make.

This year I’m planning to make just two kinds of Christmas cookie, frosted sugar cookies and spritz cookies.  I no longer dread Christmas cookie day.

 

Chocolate Mint Snow-top Cookies

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 10-ounce package mint-flavored, semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2/3 cup powdered sugar

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  In small saucepan over low heat, melt one cup morsels. In large bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar.  Beat in melted morsels and vanilla; beat in eggs.  Gradually beat in dry ingredients.  Stir in remaining morsels.  Wrap in plastic wrap; freeze for 20 minutes or until firm.  Shape dough into 1inch balls; roll in powdered sugar.  Place on ungreased baking sheets.

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until sides are set but centers are still slightly soft.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Cool on wire racks.  Makes 3 dozen cookies.