Monthly Archives: December 2017

Desserts, Recipes

Tastes of the Season: Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Think cookies are not in your holiday celebrations? Well, you can have your cookies without worrying about over-doing your carb in-take if you make your own. They can be surprisingly low carb, like this little cookie. The trick is to not eat too many of them at one time.

Based on a chocolate crinkle cookie recipe I ran across, this low carb version replaces the flour with low carb flour and sugar substitutes. I used Bakesquick and a little coconut flour when I made them and they worked fine. I believe almond flour will work, but might benefit from a little coconut or soy flour with it. These do not create the distinct crinkles you get with regular flour and the powdered sugar substitute melts into the chocolate while cooking where the regular stuff won’t do that, apparently, but the taste is excellent. Just sprinkle a little more powdered sugar substitute on each cookie after they cool a little. Best of all, each cookie is about 1/2 net carb each! How can you beat that?

Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

3/4 cup LC all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon Peppermint Extract or Syrup (adjust to taste)
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
1 egg
2 tablespoons Egg Whites
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
powdered sugar substitute, as needed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small microwavable bowl, place broken pieces of bakers chocolate and microwave in 20 second intervals until the chocolate can be stirred with a spoon. Takes about one minute, depending on the microwave. Or you can put the chocolate in a double-boiler of simmering hot water until it melts.Let cool a little.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, oil and melted chocolate. Beat in egg, then egg white, and add peppermint extract. Mix until well blended.

In another bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into the batter bowl in 3 to 4 batches, mixing each batch in before adding the next one.

Set the dough aside to rest 15 minutes. In a small bowl or cup, add about 1/2 cup powdered sugar substitute.

Use a spoon to scoop about 3/4 tablespoons of dough and form into a ball, then roll in powdered sugar to coat. Set on the parchment papered cookie sheet and repeat until you’ve used all the dough.

Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be just set in the center. Remove and let cool a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.Sprinkle a little more powdered sugar over the top.

Delicious served at room temperature or slightly warmed, but also good cold.

Makes 18 to 20 cookies

Nutrition Information per cookie:
Calories: 53.6 Fat: 4.8 g Net Carbs: 0.5 g Protein: 1.8 g

Breakfast & Brunch

Tastes of the Season: Orange Cranberry Pancakes

Cranberry Orange Pancakes

I love this time of year when Fall gives way to Winter and the holidays roll around. It’s a good time to reflect on everything that’s happened in the past year and beginning planning for the next year. So, I want to celebrate this month with Tastes of the Season recipes; those wonderful dishes with flavors that remind us of the joy of the holidays.

Orange is a flavor that is oddly associated with Christmas for me. I think it must be because we always had apples and oranges in our Christmas stockings, thanks to places like Florida and California who produce them in the winter. Now we can also get them from Mexico. Cranberry is another seasonal favorite, although I enjoy them year round. These two flavors were made for each other. They go well in cakes, cookies, bread, jam, and pancakes!

I found an orange pancake recipe that made me chuckle. It called for 1 teaspoon of orange zest. That was it for the orange. Like it’s going to give much flavor? Actually, I don’t think orange zest brings a lot to the party, and it can be bitter. Not to mention, you now have a naked orange that will shrivel in a short time if you don’t use it.

Wanting to stay low carb, I decided to try to make my own version of Denny’s Cranberry Pancakes with Orange Sauce by taking it a step further and making  Cranberry Orange Pancakes. The sauce is similar to the chain’s, but not as sweet.  I, personally, think they’re better.

Cranberry Orange Pancakes with Orange Cream Sauce

Recipe by Rene Averett

2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
1 tablespoon Heavy Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (optional)
2 tablespoons Canola Oil
2 Eggs fresh
1/4 cup Low Carb Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Sugar Free Orange Drink Mix
1 tablespoon Sugar substitute
1/4 cup fresh Cranberries, chopped or cut into small pieces

For Topping
1 ounce Cream Cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon Sugar Free Orange Drink
1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
2 to 3 tablespoons Powdered Sugar Substitute

If you don’t use the protein powder, increase the low carb flour by 2 tablespoons. You may use a mix of low carb flours, such as Bakesquick, Carbquick, LC Foods Flour, Almond Flour, or Soy Flour.

Make the topping first. Use a mixer or small food processor to cream the butter and cream cheese together. Add the cream, orange drink, and sugar and mix together completely. Add a drop of yellow and a drop of red food coloring if you want an orange color. Your drink mix might be enough to turn it a light orange. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, ricotta cheese, drink mix, cream, and oil. Stir until well mixed. Add low carb flour, Protein powder (if using) and baking powder. Mix together until the batter is blended and completely moist. If it is too thick, add a little water to thin. You want a pretty thick batter, but it should be spreadable. Stir in the chopped cranberries.

Heat a non-stick pan or griddle until a drop of water sizzles on it, then spray with cooking spray and add the batter for one or two pancakes, about three tablespoons of batter per pancake, depending on how large your skillet is. Lower the heat to a medium high heat, cover with a lid and cook until the top is only slightly moist, then turn with a spatula. Cook the bottom another couple of minutes.

Butter the pancakes, if you wish, then spoon or spread the topping over them and serve.

Makes 2 servings of 2 pancakes each.

Nutrition Information per serving pancakes only:
Calories: 275 Fat: 23.7 g Net Carbs: 3.8 g Protein: 10.9 g

Nutrition Information per serving orange topping only:
Calories: 159 Fat: 17.3 g Net Carbs: 0.7 g Protein: 1.2 g