Thursday, December 23, 2010

Xylitol Sweetened Frosting

The other day, I asked my 4 yr. old, Sofia, what she wanted to eat special for Christmas breakfast.  She thought about it, and said, "Um, maybe something that tastes really delicious, but that's a healthy choice too!"  Haha!  I guess I've driven the importance of making healthy choices home to her!  I proceeded to tell her that I was thinking about making cinnamon rolls for breakfast, but making them healthy, and with healthy frosting.  Boy did her big eyes just light up!  She asked if they would have sugar in them (knowing my extreme hatred for the stuff), and I said, "Well, honey, Mommy is going to try to come up with a recipe that has NO sugar in it, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to, so we'll see."  To which she replied, "Remember, Mom, (she's very mature and calls me mom), persevere...never give up!"  (Guess you could say we drove that principle home to her too!!)  So with all of that said, this recipe goes to my healthy choice-making, persevering 4 yr. old, who always keeps me on my toes!  Merry Christmas Sweetie!!

-Note:  this is not the type of frosting that you would want to use to frost sugar cookies or even a cake that wasn't in a 9x13...it's a softer frosting, that is perfect for glazing or filling or drizzling.  I bet if you added more of the "powdered sugar" it would be stiffer though...that's just not what I was looking for in this recipe!

-Let's talk about Xylitol for a second, because it's not a commonly known ingredient, but it's starting to get more publicity.  It's found naturally in some fruits, as well as tree barks (weird, I know).  It is a low calorie sweetener that is said to be safe for diabetics (now don't use my word on it, do some research if you're planning on using this for someone with diabetes!)  Some of the benefits include: no affect on weight gain, cavity prevention in teeth, naturally balances the body's ph, and aids in the absorption of calcium.  The one downside to it that has been documented is: until a tolerance is built up, bloating and gas can occur. (I personally have never experienced this with it, though.)  With all that said, I don't use the product a ton because I still don't feel like I've done enough research on it to use it all the time and feel good about it...HOWEVER, on paper, it looks almost too good to be true!!

1/4 c. + 2 T. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/4 c. + 2 T. Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese

-Cream these two together until smooth, or else your frosting will be lumpy!

-Add:

1 T. + 1 t. vanilla
2 T. unsweetened almond milk
1/4 t. sea salt

-Beat together until well incorporated.
-Add:

2 c. Ideal brand low calorie Confectionery (this is the "powdered sugar" made from Xylitol)  I actually found this in my grocery store in the baking aisle...I shop at Meijer, don't know if that helps anyone else...but I think it's relatively new.

-Blend until a nice, smooth frosting emerges!  I actually added 2 t. cinnamon to mine, since it will be used for cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning! 

-Enjoy...this frosting is amazing, and I'm SUPER excited to play around with this new product and see what else I can create!  Any feedback or alterations that made it better would be greatly appreciated!

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