Sweets Without Sugar

Dear Eating Right: I wrote to a major cereal manufacturer for an oatmeal cookie recipe without sugar or honey for my husband who is hypoglycemic. But the company didn’t have one. I would appreciate any recipes.

--Agnes Nelson,

Los Angeles

Dear Agnes: If your husband suffers from spontaneous or fasting hypoglycemia, a special diet and medical treatment may be necessary. Otherwise, nutrition experts say that anyone can experience the symptoms of low blood sugar--including anxiety, hunger and dizziness--by simply eating large doses of sugar. This is known as reactive hypoglycemia.

Many recipes without added sugar call for fruit and fruit juice as a sweetening agent. Orange and apple juice and raisins are the most popular. There are several non-nutritive sweeteners available to help curtail sugar intake too.

Aspartame (commercially available as Nutrasweet) isn’t an option for cooking and baking, though. Aspartame is made of two protein components, aspartic acid and phenylalanine (and a small amount of methanol), which separate when heated over time and lose their sweetness.

But acesulfame-K (or Sweet-One) is heat-stable and can be used in cooking and baking. It contains Sunette (a man-made sweetener), dextrose, cream of tartar, calcium silicate (to retard caking) and natural fruit flavors.

The recipe for Orange Oatmeal Cookies is from “The Natural Sugarless Dessert Cookbook” by Carole Collier (Walker & Co.: 1980). Walnut Macaroons are from “Diabetic Candy, Cookie and Dessert Cookbook” by Mary Jane Finsand (Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.: 1982). You should consult diabetic cookbooks for others.

ORANGE OATMEAL

COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 egg

6 ounces frozen unsweetened orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup oats

1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup golden raisins

Cream together butter and egg until well mixed. Gradually beat in juice concentrate.

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, oats, walnuts and raisins in large bowl. Stir well. Mix dry ingredients and creamed mixture together.

Drop by large teaspoons 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees 15 to 17 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen.

WALNUT MACAROONS

2 cups quick-cooking oats

2 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup oil

1 egg, beaten

1/2 cup walnuts

Combine oats, sugar substitute, salt, vanilla and oil in medium mixing bowl. Stir to mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Add egg and nuts and stir to blend thoroughly. Pack small amount mixture into teaspoon. Level off. Pat out onto ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees 15 minutes. Makes 42 cookies.