Apple pies are wonderful, but they can have a few too many calories for some diets. If you still want to enjoy this classic dessert, you can make it a little healthier by cutting out some of the sugar. It's not hard to do because after all, apples add a fair amount of sweetness themselves, so the pie really doesn't need a lot of sugar to make it delicious.
This apple pie recipe uses a combination of easily found apples at the grocery store: Gala and Granny Smith. The pie is on the tart side because of the Granny Smith apples, but there are many apple varieties you can choose from. You may notice this pie is missing a top crust; leaving it off is another way to cut back on both sugar and fat that you might otherwise get with a traditional pie crust or a crumb topped pie.
To add a healthy dose of sweetness, try serving this pie warm with a scoop of low-fat, low-sugar frozen yogurt or low-fat, low-sugar ice cream. If you are just getting used to enjoying your desserts with less sugar, you might find the transition a little challenging at first. But soon you will savor the natural flavors of the apples and find it quite satisfying; you probably won't miss the sugar at all.
Sprinkle in the ice water into the mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork after each addition.
Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.
Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle between 2 sheets of plastic wrap coated with cooking sprayto reduce sticking.
Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so it becomes slightly firm and uniform.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap from the pie dough. Turn the dough over into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, and remove the remaining layer of plastic wrap.
Using your fingers, press the dough into the pie plate and flute the edges.
Make the Apple Filling
Gather the ingredients.
In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sugars and flour.
Combine the sugar mixture with the apples and toss the mixture lightly with a fork.
Pour the apples into the pie crust.
Use a knife to cut the remaining butter into small pieces, and distribute the butter pieces over the top of the pie.
Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 F and bake an additional 30 minutes.
Tip
If the crust starts to become too brown while baking, gently create a foil ring around the edges of the pie and put it back into the oven.
Consider adding other spices to the mixture, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom. Or apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
Feel free to use other apples in this pie, but keep in mind you want ones that are firm and that will hold their shape when baked, and not fall apart. Consider Pink Lady, Fuji, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp.
How to Store Low Sugar Apple Pie
This pie is best kept in the refrigerator, covered, for up to four days.
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
A total of 68 percent of the calories come from carbohydrates, 27 percent from fat and 5 percent from protein. You'll also get nearly 30 grams of sugar in a single piece.
Diabetics can enjoy pies, including apple and cherry, by making mindful choices. Balancing their intake within a healthy diet is crucial. Opt for homemade or healthier versions with controlled portions. This may help manage blood sugar levels more effectively.
Pumpkin Pie: This one is our winner! When in doubt, choose pumpkin pie. In competition with those mentioned above, it offers the fewest calories, and least fat and added sugar. It's also loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, phosphorous, calcium, and iron.
Sweet treats -- like candies, pies, cakes -- were once off-limits for people with diabetes. Not anymore. In fact, research has shown that starches like potatoes and white bread affect blood glucose levels much like sugar -- causing sometimes dangerous spikes in blood sugar.
"Dark chocolate covered berries and nuts [are a great choice] for both [types of diabetes] because the nuts have omega-3s. The dark chocolate has antioxidants and the berries are lower glycemic types of foods. They have more fiber, so they're friendly for both [types of diabetes]," she says.
Any fruit you eat will cause your blood sugar to rise, but some only produce a small increase. Some fruits that do not cause a spike in blood sugar include apples, cherries, oranges, pears, and strawberries.
In fact, a review of articles published in the last 10 years studying fruit intake and diabetes actually found that the consumption of 200 g of fresh fruit (equivalent to about 1 ¼ cups of berries, an apple, or a banana) per day appears to prevent Type 2 diabetes and weight gain.
Lemon juice is a staple ingredient in apple pie recipes — and for good reason. The primary reason why you should mix lemon juice, or orange juice, with your apples is to slow down the browning process.
There is no need to add lemon juice to prevent discoloration when baking with apples. It won't hurt the filling to have the lemon juice in there, but tossing the apples in juice isn't necessarily benefiting the dessert, either.
If it's just an allergy to lemons, try another citrus, especially a sour one. Whether less sweet orange varieties, grapefruits, maybe calamansi or something else that's less common in Western grocery stores (idk where OP is at). Calamansi has a pretty intensely tart flavor that makes a wonderful lemonade substitute!
An apple does not cause a significant spike in blood glucose levels as it has a low glycemic index. However, an apple pie has simple sugar from the apple, added sugar in the filling and a wheat crust. Eating this high amount of carbohydrates and sugar may result in a rapid increase in blood glucose levels.
Pumpkin, unlike pecan, only has 15 grams of added sugar, only half of pecan's added 30! The pie with the next least amount of sugar is apple pie. The fruit that keeps the doctor away may just be the pie that requires a trip to the dentist, with its 23 total grams.
A modest slice of apple pie has more than 400 calories and about 20 grams of fat (five of those come from the less-healthy saturated fats). Add some ice cream or whipped cream, and you're looking at well over 500 calories, which knocks out 25% of the average 2,000-calorie diet.
However, if you store a pie in the fridge, it becomes all gooey and nasty. You have to finish it all. Matt: Pie has an average of 3.4 grams of sugar where as cake has an average of 15 grams of sugar according to USDA.
The worst offenders for the highest sugar content are the classics: pecan and pumpkin. These two share 29 total grams. Pumpkin, unlike pecan, only has 15 grams of added sugar, only half of pecan's added 30! The pie with the next least amount of sugar is apple pie.
Introduction: My name is Twana Towne Ret, I am a famous, talented, joyous, perfect, powerful, inquisitive, lovely person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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