Diabetic Treats
I feel deeply for your friend. It was very hard for me when I was diagnosed with diabetes. You are terrific for considering her diagnosis. The question is not an easy one. Not all diabetics are the same. Some will be able to have a bit of cake and ice cream on their birthdays, whereas others have to adhere to a strict diet.
My key with diabetes is the carbs. Unfortunately not all carbs are alike. And not all diabetics will react to them the same way. For example, pasta does not send my blood sugar skyrocketing, but rice will. My answer here really is based on what has worked for me.
You may wish to consider a cheesecake made with splenda - b/c you can adjust the amount of crust, etc. Also cheesecake has enough protein from the cream cheese to help bind the sugars and keep the bg from spiking.
Another idea would be an apple crisp made with splenda brown sugar and try for a whole grain topping on the crisp.
You can make cream pies that are sugar free, etc.
But. as mentioned, the key is the carbs. Even a fruit pie made with splenda will have carbs. Like a small apple is 1 carb exchange. So think portion sizes too. For example, a sugar free chocolate pie still has carbs from the milk and the crust. So maybe a cup of sugar-free pudding would be better. Carb for carb, the cup of pudding would likely have less carbs than the sliver of sugar-free pie. Crusts typically have a lot of carbs.
Similarly, the apple crisp with a sprinkle of crisp will allow her to have more than a sugar-free apple pie.
Fats are the hidden triggers to blood sugar. Fats are three sugars held together by a glycerine molecule which breaks down to three sugars. So fine today and pay for it come morning...for me, anyway.
I'd go with something like a fruit crisp made with splenda and dabs of butter. Lots of flavor. And you can seriously control the carbs that go into it or adjust her insulin. Or make it with sugar and she can figure that out too.
If she has had education on her diabetes, take the recipe. She should be able to look at it and the portion and figure out her carbs for it to fit it in her food plan.
Hope this helps.
~Kathleen