Pumpkin Chia Pudding Parfait with Gingersnaps


    Love all things pumpkin?  So do I!  Big fan of ginger and it's snappish-ness?  Me too!  I knew from the moment I saw this recipe, I just had to try it.  The idea of crumbled gingersnaps really stuck with me, so I went on a hunt for a low-carb recipe to pair with it that wasn't too high in carbs since I knew for sure I'd be polishing off quite a few of them.

    For the pudding, I stuck pretty close to the original recipe, with the following exceptions.  I used only 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk, since I like a thicker pudding.  I also used a french vanilla flavored whey protein isolate instead of regular vanilla protein powder (a lot less carbs), and 1/4 tsp of Watkins Maple Extract in place of the maple syrup.  Usually I substitute maple syrup with the sugar free imitation kind, but I've been finding it leaves me with a funky aftertaste that I really don't enjoy.  I think a touch of blackstrap molasses would be a nice alternative as well.  For the gingersnaps, the only thing I did different was use EZ-Sweetz instead of granular Splenda. 

    I've passed up a lot of recipes because of blackstrap molasses, but after really taking a look at the recipes I wanted to make, and the quantity of molasses needed, it really didn't add a significant amount of carbs.  The gingersnap recipe only has 1/4 teaspoon of molasses, so let's do a little math, shall we?  According to my handy dandy converter, 1 tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons.  At 11 carbs per tablespoon, 1/4 teaspoon would only equal 0.92 carbs.  Really?  That's it?  Yup!  11 divided by 3 equals 3.67 (rounded up of course), then divide that by 4 (1/4tsp) and you have 0.92.  Spreading that out over 24 tiny cookies and you can see it's really not going to make much of an impact.  Even if you ate the whole batch (I almost did) it's still not too bad.

    Okay, enough math, and onto the links for the recipes!  For the pumpkin chia pudding, you can find the recipe here: Oh She Glows - Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding Parfait.  For the gingersnaps, you can find the recipe here: Linda's Low Carb Menu's & Recipes - Gingersnaps.  For the blackstrap molasses I use: Tree of Life Blackstrap Molasses.

    To assemble, I put a few dollops of the pumpkin chia pudding into a glass, then a crushed gingersnap, another layer of pudding, another crushed gingersnap, a tiny bit more pumpkin pudding, then a dollop of fresh whipped cream, and another crushed gingersnap on top.  It was outstanding!



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