After a long time spent eating very little sugar, I now find even the smallest quantity of anything sweet to be enough.

Almost.

For those moments when something sweet is the only option, I’ve worked to create recipes that at least broadly balance sugar(s) – in whatever form – with other stuff that has more nutritional value. Nuts are great for this as they release their energy slowly, are full of vitamins and minerals and valuable fibre, too.

I’ve also learned to incorporate some powders, such as lacuma and maca, for their sweetness and added nutrients. I know that some of the ingredients I’ve used over the past few months might be unfamiliar to some readers, but I’m also pleased to see that many of them are steadily becoming more widely available than ever before.

These powders work well in cooking, and many are really nutritious to boot. Maca, for example (or Peruvian ginseng as it is better known), is full of fatty acids and amino acids.

Traditionally it has been used medicinally, including for balancing hormones, so it’s a good idea to use it sparingly, as in my first recipe here, for blondies – sweet dessert balls that in this instance uses prunes and goji berries instead of sugar. Even better, they don’t have to be cooked, hence the raw in the title.

The blondies are also full of walnuts, which also feature in my second sweet recipe here – for walnut, fig and prune bars. The first version I attempted was too dry, so to make it hold together better we added more fat and reduced the quantity of nuts. The filling needed no tweaking, though, it’s yummy. Unlike the blondies, however, these bars need a bit of cooking. And when they emerge from the oven, all warm and crisp, you’ll be pleased you made the effort.

dkemp@irishtimes.com