lower carb christmas pud (for mum)

everyone at the table deserves pudding

some people in my life don’t love and live for carbs like i do, and these little puddings are for them — so they aren’t left out at christmas

they’re lower-carb, not low-carb, and i’ve made a compromise: to get the 50% fruit content and sticky, dark texture that makes a christmas pudding feel like christmas pudding, we’re using a mix of low-sugar cranberries, and apricots

my friend always says, “the only thing anyone should be counting at christmas is the advent,” and i think that’s exactly right — these mini puddings give you the festive indulgence without the sugar overload, but still with all the flavour, spice, and stickiness of the real thing

serve them warm, add a splash of cream (or brandy butter if you’re feeling indulgent), and you get all the christmas pudding vibes without the sugar crash

it’s the kind of puddings that lets everyone at the table feel included, and yes, it still smells like christmas the moment it comes out of the oven

yields half a dozen mini puds

ingredients

60g butter, melted

2 eggs

1/2 tsp almond extract

50g brown sugar substitute

zest and juice of 1/2 orange (or sub the orange juice for rum)

150g almond meal

30g self-raising flour

3 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp ground ginger

1/2 nutmeg, grated

195g dried cranberries (low sugar, soaked in hot black tea or rum for 10-15 minutes)

195g dried apricots, chopped finely (soak with cranberries)

optional: 15g finely chopped glace ginger

method

preheat the oven to 170°C

lightly grease 6 small pudding cups, ramekins or other molds

in a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter (60g), eggs (2), and almond extract (½ tsp) until smooth

stir in the brown sugar substitute (50g), orange zest and juice (from ½ an orange, or swap the juice for rum if you like), and mix until combined

fold in the almond meal (150g), self-raising flour (30g), cinnamon (3 tsp), ginger (3 tsp) and grated nutmeg (1/2), stirring gently so the batter stays light

add the soaked low-sugar dried cranberries (195g), finely chopped dried apricots (195g), and glace ginger (15g, if using) and fold through until evenly distributed

divide the pudding mixture between the prepared pudding cups

set the pudding cups in a deep casserole dish, then fill the dish with freshly-boiled water to halfway up the sides of the cups

cover tightly with a lid or tinfoil and transfer to the oven to steam for 25 minutes, or until a knife poked in the middle comes out cleanly

allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely

serve warm with a splash of cream, or store in an airtight container and gently reheat before serving

(note: net carbs 27g per pudding, about half the carbs of your typical christmas pudding. it’s lower-carb, not necessarily low carb!)