Sugar-Free Thanksgiving or Christmas Dessert

Taking only half an hour total prep and cooking time, this dessert is an indulgent treat with all of the sweetness but none of the pricetags that sugar would make you pay. 

What You Need To Make This

Serves 2 -3

Heatproof dish (mine was 20cm x 20cm)

1 x 250g tub of mascarpone cheese

NB if you have never had mascarpone, it does not taste like cheese. It is more like double cream that decided one day that double just was not thick enough!

A selection of your favourite fruit. Here I gathered:

1 banana

2 handfuls of grapes

1 pear

A handful of frozen mango, left for an hour to defrost

2 satsumas

Topping of your choice. UPDATE You can replace the sugar free cookies in the ingredients with sugar free granola. If you are in the UK, I have found 2 which I like:

A) Bio and Me granola. I like this one

B) I have found a sugar free granola in Lidl, which features in the five-minute ice cream video - to be added soon!

Step #1

Put the grill on full power.

Chop all the fruit and place in the heatproof dish.

Step #2

This is where you learn that mascarpone will not spread!

You have to do your best to spoon it over the fruit, but be aware it will not want to. You will end up with clumps of the stuff over the fruit, but that is it's hidden benefit. I'll explain why in a minute.

Step #3

Crumble the granola over the dish...

...and grill on second to top shelf for 15-20 minutes.

Serve straight away.

Step #4: Enjoy!

I think this dessert tastes like custard. It is really filling and there is a limit to just how much a person is capable of overeating!

I find that the clumping of the mascarpone ends up really adding to the experience, because some mouthfuls will be creamier than others. Likewise, the fruit and the crunch of the topping gets distributed in a somewhat random way. I personally really love that kind of 'taste unevenness'.