It’s not been easy taking care of my mother in law, but we are getting by. The ups and downs are hard. So are managing things that keep her active and happy. If you’ve ever taken care of someone with dementia, you know how hard it is getting them to do things. When they get towards to end, it can be impossible to get them to even eat. That is not a problem so far. It will be later down the road.

This week I am doing a recipe for Peanut Butter Chocolate Éclair Cake from MSN. I like this because it is a rich but simple dessert. It won’t take a lot of time to make. This is good when we have to keep an eye on my mother in law.

Here are the original stats:

Here’s what I changed:

• I replaced the peanut butter with powdered peanut butter to reduce the calories.
• I replaced the vanilla pudding with a sugar free variety to reduce the carbs and calories.
• I replaced the graham crackers with a gluten free lower carb variety to reduce the carbs.
• I replaced the milk with coconut milk to remove the dairy.
• I replaced the heavy cream with a dairy free variety to remove the dairy and whipped topping.
• I deleted the corn syrup to reduce the sugar.
• I increased the servings from 16 to 24 to reduce the calories.

Here are the final stats:

Here is the final recipe:

Low Sugar Peanut Butter Chocolate Éclair Cake

Serves 24

• 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant sugar free vanilla pudding
• 1 1/2 cups cold unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup peanut butter powder, reconstituted
• 2 (14.4-ounce) low carb sweet crackers
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (about 6 1/2 ounces)
• 2 1/4 cups heavy plant based cream
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Place 1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding and 1 1/2 cups cold coconut milk in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add peanut butter and whisk until no streaks remain. Take 1 1/2 cup of the cream and whip until stiff peaks. Add and fold with a flexible spatula just until combined.
2. Arrange about a layer of the crackers in a single, tight layer in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan (about 2 inches high), breaking the crackers as needed to fit. Spread half of the pudding mixture (about 2 1/2 cups) evenly over the graham crackers. Arrange a second layer of crackers on top of the pudding mixture. Spread the remaining pudding mixture over the top. Finish with a third layer of crackers. You might not have enough graham crackers to completely cover the top, but space them as evenly as possible.
3. Place 1 cup dark chocolate chips, 3/4 cup cream, and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 15-second increments, whisking after each increment, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is completely smooth, about 1 minute total. (Alternatively, heat in a small saucepan on the stovetop over low heat.)
4. Pour the chocolate mixture evenly over the top layer of crackers. Smooth it out with the spatula. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to overnight.