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.
Ingredients
For the Crust:
1cupall-purpose flour
1/2teaspoonfine salt
1/4cupunsalted butter, chilled
3tablespoonswater, ice cold
Cooking spray
For the Filling:
2cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples
2cups peeled, cored, and sliced Gala apples
1tablespoonlemon juice
1/4cupbrown sugar, packed
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1 1/2tablespoonsall-purpose flour
2tablespoonsunsalted butter
Steps to Make It
Note: There are multiple steps to this recipe, which are broken down into workable categories to better plan for preparation and baking.
Make the Pie Crust
Gather the ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.
Cut in the chilled butter, using 2 knives or a pastry blender.
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.
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.
Variations
If you are following a gluten-free diet, feel free to use a gluten-free pie crust recipe with this recipe. It will work.
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.)
Recipe Tags:
apple
dessert
american
christmas
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Whether enjoyed as a simple homemade treat or a slice from a bakery, apple pie is a comforting and timeless dessert cherished by many. But the question arises- Can you enjoy an apple pie being a person with diabetes? The answer is, yes!
Apple pie contains 450 calories per 136 g serving. This serving contains 24 g of fat, 4 g of protein and 55 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 26 g sugar and 2 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Apple pie contains 10 g of saturated fat and 0 mg of cholesterol per serving.
"A slice of pumpkin pie is about 300 calories, which is 100-200 calories less than the alternatives," Gray says. In addition, she notes that pumpkin pie is full of Vitamin A, which helps support healthy skin and nails.
The pumpkin pie wins on calories, saturated fat, protein and calcium. But the apple pie takes the cake when it comes to fiber, sugar (both total and added) and sodium. So what's a pie aficionado to do? Well, if you're watching calories go for the pumpkin-it almost always has fewer because of the single crust.
"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.
Apples score relatively low on both the glycemic index (GI) and the glycemic load (GL) scales, meaning that they should cause a minimal rise in blood sugar levels (10). Apples have a minimal effect on blood sugar levels and are unlikely to cause rapid spikes in blood sugar, even in those with diabetes.
Sweet potatoes are known to be high in fiber and have a low glycemic index, which results in a less immediate impact on blood glucose levels. This can help people with diabetes keep their blood sugar levels in check.
This pie is the winner for the highest calorie, sugar, and fat content of all the pies we reviewed. While we are sure it's delicious, we're not so sure it's good for your health.
At around 300 calories per slice, pumpkin pie is a good bet for an indulgent dessert. It's a calorie bargain compared with other fall pies —apple pie weighs in at around 400 calories, and pecan pie at about 500 calories per slice. The type of crust used can make a big calorie difference.
"Pumpkin is rich in vitamins and minerals, particularly vitamin A, which is essential for eye health and immune function. It's also lower in calories and fat compared to apple pie.
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.
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. And if you do not want a sweet pie, then make a savory one, because there are many options for the kinds of pie you can make.
However, if you place the two in a side-by-side comparison, sweet potato generally outpaces pumpkin in its nutritional makeup from vitamin A to fiber to protein. While pumpkin is a light, low sugar option, sweet potatoes do more heavy lifting and will ultimately feed your body more essential nutrients.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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