The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts

The first dessert cookbook from ADA— featuring 150 easy-to-use recipes

The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts, the first dessert cookbook ever published by the American Diabetes Association, features mouth-watering treats that will satisfy every sweet tooth—and without using substitutions or those odd ingredients that can make a dessert taste bitter.With over 150 recipes that cover everything from pies, tarts, cakes, and cookies to custards, mousses, cheesecakes, and frozen delights, this cookbook has every great dessert you will ever need.

The Big Book of Diabetic Desserts also shows you how to bake with artificial sweeteners and keep your recipes low-calorie and luscious. Every recipe includes a special tip to help make each dessert delectable—and easy to make.

Finally, a dessert cookbook for people with diabetes that actually has great-tasting recipes!

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Deliciously sweet
Author Jackie Mills, MS, RD, starts off with a number of tips regarding the baking and eating of diabetic desserts. These range from the effect that some substitutions will have on diabetic desserts (baked goods made with Splenda don’t retain moisture as well as those made with sugar, for example) to ways to cheat your taste buds (brushing a bit of a sweetener overtop of a muffin or similar dessert is a great way to make it taste sweeter while using less sugar than if you added it directly). Not all of these are obvious details or tricks, and they’re very handy ideas to have on hand.

Mills uses a handful of methods to make these desserts healthier than normal. Some recipes are just plain less sweet than their usual counterparts. Some recipes substitute Splenda (artificial sweetener) for part of the sugar content. Some recipes use fruit as a sweetener—sliced, pureed, or diced. Recipes also try to include whole grains instead of processed grains where appropriate. All of these methods decrease the rate at which your blood sugar rises (or how much sugar you take in).

These are delicious recipes. A recipe of berry-bran muffins turned out surprisingly well, and a rice pudding was quite delicious. Since we didn’t want to totally ignore the recipes made with Splenda yet I couldn’t actually bring myself to try something with the artificial sweetener in it, we made a coconut cream pie from the book, making it exactly as instructed but using only real sugar (thus allowing us to see how the author’s ideas for making a flavorful, low-fat cream pie would work out). Let me tell you, I was bowled over. Pie crusts can be a real sticking point in terms of fat and carb content, and Mills neatly sidestepped this by creating a stunning, quick, delicious crust out of phyllo dough and cooking spray. The coconut filling is ultra-smooth, creamy, flavorful, and delicious despite being low in fat. I have no doubt that if I didn’t dislike Splenda, the low-sugar version of this pie would have me dancing in the aisles at my good fortune.

The recipes are neatly laid out with reasonably large type and easy to read. Direction steps are neatly numbered and separated. Each recipe includes exchange counts as well as full nutrition information.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to anyone looking to make healthier desserts.

5 Stars Pleasantly Pleasing to the Palate and Pocketbook
What more could one ask than for an “easy to digest” compilation of cleverly created recipes? Ms. Mills’ book provides a new venue for those who are diabetic yet long for the sweet stuff. The book itself is a great value that enriches the palate with decadent desserts. The recipes are simple to follow, and the explanations from Ms. Mills make one feel as though she is guiding each step of the baking process. For value, ease of instruction, and variety of dessert choices, this book is a wonderful buy.

4 Stars Great Book
I have just been diagnosed with type II diabetes and this book gives me just what I need for those nights when I want something to nosh on.

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