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Diabetic Chocolate Snaps
Chocolate Snaps: A Quick Sugar-Free Snack
Here is a recipe you are really going to enjoy if you are diabetic and want a sweet treat without the sugar. It is mainly protein, low carb, gluten free and grain free.
Even people who are not diabetic or watching what they are eating will enjoy these, so you might have to hide them if you want them to last a little while.
Satisfies Craving Quickly Without Spiking Your Blood Sugar
These cookies are made with almond flour, a good, fatty protein and cheese that acts as the glue that holds them together and makes them crispy. The fat tends to slow down the uptake of sugar so they don't raise your blood sugar levels rapidly. The fiber in the almonds and the unsweetened cocoa also help.
Of course, I said these are for diabetics, so there is no added sugar. I use stevia which is a natural sweet herb and also xyliytol. This has been found to be an effective sweetener that does raise insulin levels and does not produce the gaseous bowel disruption that other sugar alcohols do.
If you are a follower of Dr. Davis and his wheat belly recommendations, these are both accepted sweeteners under his program.
Cook Time
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Chocolate Snaps Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Almond Flour or Meal
- 3/4 Cup Mild cheddar cheese, shredded
- 2 Tbs Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- 1/4 Cup Xylitol, or to your taste
- 3 servings Pure Stevia Extract Powder, or sweetener of your choice
- 1 to 2 Tbs Cold water, enough to form a ball that isn't too sticky
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1 square out of 30 | |
| Calories | 28 |
| Calories from Fat | 18 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 2 g | 3% |
| Saturated fat 1 g | 5% |
| Unsaturated fat 1 g | |
| Carbohydrates 1 g | |
| Sugar 0 g | |
| Fiber 0 g | |
| Protein 1 g | 2% |
| Cholesterol 3 mg | 1% |
| Sodium 18 mg | 1% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
- Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put all the dry ingredients in your Nutribullet or food processor and pulse until all the ingredients are blended evenly. Do not over process.
- Add 1 to 2 Tbs. of the cold water to the dry ingredients and mix. Add additional water as needed to form a ball with the dough. Add the extra water slowly so you don't end up making the ball too sticky. Water amount varies with hardness of cheese.
- Place the ball in the center of either parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. Cover with another piece of parchment paper and roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch or slightly thinner. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible.
- I usually use an 11 inch round pizza pan with a silicone round mat over it. I had cut a rectangular mat to fit the pizza pan previously and use it on a regular basis. The ball usually rolls out to about a 9 inch circle. If using a rectangular pan, it would probably be about 8 by 10 inches.
- Carefully remove the top layer of parchment paper and score the dough into about 30 squares. Use something like the side of a metal spatula or bent icing knife. You do not want to cut the parchment paper or ruin you silicone mat by using a knife.
- I sometimes forget to score it before I bake it so I do it afterwards as soon as I take it out of the oven. It is still soft enough to do it then. Once it cools, the cookies get harder and tend to break up when trying to score them.
- Place the pan in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes. The time will vary with the oven being used so keep a close watch on it so it doesn't burn.
Silicone Baking Sheets
I find it very convenient to use silicone baking sheets instead of parchment paper or greasing a cookie sheet. They withstand temperatures up to 400 degrees and clean up very easily. I have cut larger ones to fit an 11 inch pizza pan and also an 9 x 13 baking pan.
Two silicone sheet comes in very handy when rolling out dough. When you have the dough the thickness you want, you just peel the top layer off and place the bottom layer with the dough on a rigid backing sheet to put in the oven.
The one thing you want to avoid when using the silicone mats is to ner cut on them with anything sharp. It will damage the sheet.
What a Great Snack
Now the fun part begins. You want to let them cool a little before breaking them apart into tasty, chocolate treats.
Try one. I know you'll enjoy that chewing chocolate taste and the delicate sweetness. The calorie count is so low, you don't have to feel guilty if you want to try several more.
I enjoy them as is, or with a nice cold cup of almond milk that I have sweetened slightly with pure stevia powder. What can be better?
Now the trick is; hide them.
Otherwise you might be tempted to keep going back to them, or someone else scuffs up a bunch of them, and they disappear before you know it. I always find that "out of sight, out of mind" helps.
The good thing about these snaps, though, is that the craving that you feel when you eat sugary snacks, doesn't happen with these, and your craving quickly come under control because of the protein. It also helps, that you know you can go back for more later without feeling guilty or messing up your sugar levels.
Alternative Sweetener
I tried using Swerve, which is erythritol, instead of Xylitol for this last batch I made. It is one of the alternatives that is recommended by Dr. Davis.
I had problems with burning on the top surface and edges using this sweetener, even though I cooked them the same amount of time I had previously used. I cut down on the cooking time by about 5 minutes, and that helped.
I comes in a granular form and a powdered form similar to confectionery sugar. The powdered form might come in handy when dusting the outside of something you bake. Like Xylitol, it is digested differently than other sugar alcohols, so it doesn't cause the digestive problems.
Hope you enjoy these. I'm working on some other variations that I'm sure you will enjoy also. Check back to see what I've come up with.
To see more of my recipes, including cinnamon crisps and ginger snaps, go to my profile page which you can reach by clicking on my name next to my picture at the top right of this hub.
In the mean time, please leave a comment so I know how you enjoyed them. You can find the comment section at the end of the Hub.
