Small Sugar Sweet! How to Make a Family-Sized Dessert with Only 3 Tablespoons of Sugar

JUMP TO RECIPE

When times are rough, many of us turn to comfort foods. They feed not only our stomachs but our frayed nerves. Healthy or not, they somehow make us feel better. During World War 2 it must have been a real hardship to crave a comforting sweet while sugar was so heavily rationed.

Here is a small blog post in honor of a sweet that uses only a small amount of sugar. How sweet is that?

Sugar Rationing

1940s homemakers often faced the dilemma of how to make enough from next to nothing. If the lack of meat, eggs, milk and cooking fats weren’t enough to contend with, just think of the tiny amount of sugar available! Eight to 12 ounces a week was the ration. Even that amount could have been hard to come by at times.

When sugar was available, it was often needed for jam making to preserve precious fruits for winter use. In a time of desperate situations with loads of stress, so little sugar for comfort or energy. Can you imagine?

Fresh Fruit to the Rescue

Strawberry Pudding is a perfect remedy. With a bit of fruit and less sugar than a flavored coffee, the whole family could enjoy a refreshing dessert. Berries and other fruits were plentiful during summer months. They would have made this type of dessert possible. The strawberries could be replaced by other fruits—stone fruits work especially well.

This pudding can be topped in a variety of ways depending on what’s available. Don’t count on leftovers. 😊

See below for a wonderful Strawberry Pudding recipe that is small on sugar but big on sweet!

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Strawberry Pudding

Yield 4

Author Harriett Sebastian

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

5 Min

Inactive time

2 Hour

Total time

2 H & 25 M

The strawberries can be replaced by other fruits. Stone fruits such as cherry, nectarine, peach or apricot are especially good. Toppings of complementary fruits can also be added.

Ingredients

• 1 quart ripe strawberries (they really need to be ripe and sweet)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ cup water
• 1 ½ tablespoon arrowroot or corn starch
• Juice of one lime (Optional)

Optional Toppings

• Sprinkle of sugar
• Whipped cream
• Heavy cream
• Sugared fruit pieces
• Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Wash and hull berries. Cut into halves or quarters. Sprinkle with sugar and mash gently to combine. Allow to stand 15 minutes.
2. Add arrowroot or cornstarch to water and mix well. Then, add to berry mixture.
3. Add berry mixture to a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until mixture comes to a boil. Then, simmer 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes transparent. Remove from heat and add lime juice, if using. Mix well.
4. Pour pudding into serving dishes and chill until set. Top as desired.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6:9