Tag Archives: sugar-free

Jiffy Cookies

Growing up, one of the most often made cookies in our household was the Jiffy Cookie.  I have no idea where the recipe came from, I just know that it was easy enough that my brothers could make it.  

1 /2 Sugar

1/2 cup Corn Syrup

1 cup Peanut Butter

3 cups rice krispies

You boil the sugar and corn syrup together, mix in the peanut butter, and then the rise krispies.  Easy, and quick (hence the “jiffy”) but definitely not healthy.

I tried swapping out maple syrup for the corn syrup, but the mixture seized up (the variety of sugar molecules in the corn syrup prevents this seizing, which I had forgotten, obviously).  I decided to try it without the sugar or corn syrup, and just use honey.  

Surprisingly, it worked perfectly.

Jiffy Cookies (Sugar-free)
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Ingredients
  1. 1/2 cup honey
  2. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
  3. pinch salt
  4. 1/2 cup peanut butter (or sunflower butter)
  5. 2 cups crispy brown rice cereal (I use Nature's Path brand)
Instructions
  1. Place crispy brown rice in medium bowl; set aside. Put honey in small saucepan and heat over medium heat. Boil until bubbles are large, and go an inch high up the pan (technical, I know, but that's the easiest way to tell it's ready). Whisk in cinnamon and salt. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until smooth. Pour over crispy brown rice and stir until combined. Use a cookie scoop to scoop onto parchment or wax paper. Let cool completely.
Notes
  1. Depending on the type of crispy rice you use, you may need to use more or less cereal.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
 The only remotely tricky part is boiling the honey, but here are some pictures to assist.

IMG_3608
No, not ready yet
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Okay, now we’re ready to stir in the peanut butter

 

Pumpkin Blondies, GF/DF/EF

Since the beginning of the year, my mom has been off of sugar.  She has much more self control than I do.  Maybe if I didn’t have to be off of gluten, eggs, and dairy I could do it, but 3 major food avoidances is all I can handle.

The only treats she has had are clementines, a piece of toast with jam, or some date balls I had made.  I wanted to see about making her a real treat.  I had seen a plethora of posts about brownies or blondes made with beans, so thought I would give it a go.

I tried a garbanzo bean blondie recipe once before, and I don’t know if it was all in my head, but all that I could taste were the beans.  Consequently, I was hesitant to have another go at it, but  I decided to try it again, this time using more spices to conceal the pungency of the garbanzos.  

So I knew I was going to use spices, and what better ingredient to go with spices than pumpkin?   I looked at a half-dozen recipes for bean blondies.  Many called for sugar, which I had to avoid for my mom’s sake.  Many also called for oil and/or peanut butter, which I also wanted to see if I could avoid.  To solve those problems, I substituted maple syrup for the sugar, and a little extra pumpkin for the fat. 

Like what I do with my pumpkin cupcakes, I cook the canned pumpkin and spices for a few minutes so they don’t taste like a can or jar.  I also used currants instead of the typical raisins because they can be more evenly distributed in the batter.  If sugar isn’t a concern then using Enjoy Life Mini Chocolate Chips would be a delicious choice.

This recipe doubles well (as long as your food processor has the capacity, of course).  I just use a full can of pumpkin when I double it. The blondies also freeze well.  I cut them into square and put each square in a little snack bag.  Great for a little guilt-free treat.

Pumpkin Blondies
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Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
30 min
Prep Time
7 min
Cook Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
  2. 1/2 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  3. 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  4. 1 cup gluten-free oats
  5. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  6. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  7. 1/2 cup maple syrup
  8. scant 1/2 teaspoon salt
  9. 2 teaspoon vanilla
  10. 1/2 cup currants
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a small pot over medium heat, place canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Cook for 5-7 minutes until very fragrant, stirring occasionally.
  3. Place pumpkin mixture, and remaining ingredients (except currants) in a food processor and blend for about a minute. Stir in currants. Place in a greased 8x8 baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. They should pull away from the sides of the pan. Place pan on cooling rack to cool.
One Fine Tomato http://onefinetomato.com/
These were a hit not only with my mom, but also with my dad.  I didn’t tell either of them at first that there were beans in it, and when I revealed the ingredients, they were shocked, but they still went in for seconds (and in my dad’s case, thirds and fourths).