Monthly Archives: December 2022

Desserts, Drinks, Recipes

A Toast to the New Year

Ginger nog and Chocolate Peppermint Balls

Happy Holidays to All!

I hope your winter holidays have been fabulous this year and have lifted any lagging spirits. We’re coming down to the end of 2022, and many of us are glad to bid adieu to it. Like many of you, I am hoping 2023 will be a much improved year. May it bring peace to parts of the world in unrest, and may we find a way to respect and tolerate one another.

To end the year, I have a pair of delicious treats to offer. One is a low carb variation of the chocolate rum ball, which is usually made with vanilla wafers. This version is made from an almond flour based shortbread cookie. Instead of rum, I used Peppermint Syrup. If you want the spirit version, you can replace the peppermint syrup with peppermint Schnapps.

The second recipe is a simple nog to celebrate the new year. I plan to toast 2023 with it.  Again, it can be made with or without alcohol. The flavor is like gingerbread, and I used sugar-free Gingerbread Syrup. You can also make ginger syrup and use it instead; just add a little extra cinnamon and nutmeg.

Chocolate Peppermint Balls

Chocolate Peppermint Balls

Shortbread Cookies:
2 cups almond flour
½ cup low carb powdered sweetener
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup oil
¼ cup butter unsalted and melted
1 teaspoon baking powder

Peppermint Balls
1 cup pecans finely chopped
½ cup low carb powdered sweetener
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon Peppermint extract
4 tablespoons sugar-free honey
1/4 cup Sugar-free Peppermint Syrup or Peppermint Schnapps
1/4 cup Low-carb Powdered Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.). Prepare a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper or a silicone mat.

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the shortbread cookies and using a mixer, beat until they are well combined and pull together. The dough will be a little loose.

Form the dough into small balls about the size of a walnut, place on the prepared baking pan, and press the top down to flatten. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until the cookies are browned around the edges and are lightly brown.

Let cool before continuing.

This will make about 15 cookies.

To make the balls, crumble the cookies into a mixing bowl. This should be a rough crumble about the size of bread crumbs.

Add the pecans, powdered sweetener, cocoa powder, peppermint extract, sugar-free honey, and peppermint syrup.

Mix together until the cookies are moist and the chocolate is evenly distributed. The cookies should be moist, not dry, so if you need to add a little more syrup, add another tablespoon until the ball holds together. Form the dough into 40 evenly-sized balls about one inch in diameter.

Place the balls onto your baking sheet and place them in the freezer for an hour to set.

Roll them into confectioners sugar substitute before serving if you’d like a light dusting. Mine mostly absorbed the powder.

Makes about 40 peppermint balls.

If you like the traditional rum or bourbon ball, use this same recipe and substitute vanilla extract for the peppermint extract and the alcohol of choice for the peppermint syrup.

Ginger Nog

Simple Ginger Nog

1-1/3 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk
1/3 cup Heavy Cream
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
1/4 teaspoon Ginger, ground
1 ounce Sugar-free Gingerbread Syrup
1 ounce Whiskey or Rum (or Rum extract)

In a small saucepan, heat almond milk and heavy cream over medium heat to almost a boil. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger and stir until mixed well. Remove from heat and add syrup and whiskey or rum.

Heat serving glasses with hot water from the faucet so they are warm before pouring the hot mixture into them. Divide the mixture into two glasses, sprinkle a little nutmeg over the top, and serve. Makes two servings.

To make your own Ginger Syrup:
1/2 cup Ginger root, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cups Water
1/3 cup Granulated Sugar Substitute

In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes.

Cool for an hour, then strain and store it in a clean jar in the refrigerator. This will keep for up to two weeks.

Not crazy about ginger? Try one of these delicious drinks:

Pumpkin Nog     Hot Spiced Low-Carb Cocoa

 

 

Desserts, Recipes

Cheery and Delish Cranberry Apple Cream Cheese Pie

Cranberry Apple Cream Cheese Pie

Hello, again…

It’s been a while since I posted a new recipe on here. Last month was really busy with writing since I participated in NaNoWriMo again. I almost have two complete novel drafts, but not quite. I’d hoped to work on them this month. Who was I kidding?!

So far as new recipes go, I have to say I haven’t been creating many new ones, mostly making some of my fall favorites. But this weekend, I made a simple and simply delicious dessert made with cream cheese, cranberries, and apples. To be honest, I’m not overjoyed with the bottom cake on this recipe, but I deviated from the recipe a bit and it might be my own fault. In brief, the sponge cake wasn’t very spongy. But the rest of the dessert was wonderful.

This would make a light and very scrumptious ending to your holiday dinner. Since it’s not a baked cheesecake, it’s lighter and fluffier. I’ve included some options for an alternate base other than the cake.

Cranberry Apple Cream Cheese Pie

Cranberry Apple Cream Cheese Pie - one serving.
Cut a 3 inch pie in half to make two servings. This shows the layers a little bit but the cream cheese mixture smears when it’s cut.

LOW CARB SPONGE CAKE
1 tablespoon Butter, unsalted melted
1 Egg beaten
2 tablespoons Almond Flour
1 tablespoon Coconut Flour
1 tablespoon Low Carb Sweetener
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons Unsweetened Almond Milk

FILLING
½ cup Cream Cheese softened
½ cup Heavy Cream
2 tablespoons Powdered Sugar Substitute
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla

TOPPING
1 cup Cranberries, fresh
1/4 cup Water
1/4 cup Sugar Substitute
1/2 large Apple, cored and peeled
1/2 teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground Cloves, optional

Make the Topping:
In a medium-sized pot, add two cups of fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup of sugar substitute. Stir together, then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium high and cook until all the cranberries have popped.

While the berries are cooking, core and peel the apple. Cut 1/2 in half, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Microwave for one minute, then set aside.

Let the cranberries cook for about five minutes after they’ve popped. Remove from heat, add apples, cinnamon, and cloves (if using). Stir together and set aside.

Make the sponge cake:
In a small bowl, mix all the cake ingredients together. Divide the batter into 2 three-inch in diameter microwaveable bowls. Cook in microwave for 2 minutes. Allow to cool, turn out and cut each small cake into two horizontally so you have four discs. Or, you can leave in the bowls and make 2 three-inch cakes and cut the completed cakes in half before serving versus 4 smaller cakes.

Make the filling:
Put the cream cheese, cut into pieces, and the heavy cream in a small mixing bowl. Beat with an egg beater until smooth. Add the powdered sugar substitute and vanilla and beat until the filling is fluffy.

Assembly:
Place a cake disc on the bottom of the serving bowl or glass, spread a layer of cream cheese mixture over the top (about two tablespoons), spoon a layer of cranberry and apple mix over the cream cheese. Add another layer of cream cheese and top with the rest of the cranberries.

Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if you wish.

Makes 4 servings.

TIP: If you want to make this all as one cake, it should fit into a 5″ cheesecake pan. Make the cake in the pan and bake it at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Test to make sure it is done. Let cool, then assemble the pie as described above, splitting the cream cheese and cranberry filling into two portions, one for the bottom, and one for the top layers.

 

Alternate bottom layers: Use a pecan/almond/flour and butter crust for the bottom layer. Mix 1/4 cup chopped pecans with 1/4 cup almond flour, 2 tablespoons butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar substitute. Pat the crust into the bottom of the oven-worthy serving dishes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes until the edges are lightly browned. Let cool, then assemble pie.

Pie crust bottom: Use your favorite low carb pie crust recipe and quarter the amounts.

Almond flour sugar cookie crust: Use a low carb sugar cookie recipe. Pat into your bowls to form a 1/4 inch crust and bake any leftovers into cookies. Bake and let cool, then assemble pie.

If you don’t want any crust, just assemble in your serving dishes.

You can use this same recipe to make a strawberry cream cheese pie, or a blueberry, mixed berry, peach or any other type fruit pie you’d like. They’re all delicious.

This is loosely based on Angela Coleby’s Tiramisu Mug Cake (that will be another post).

Nutrition information calculated at www.nutritionvalue.org.   Values may vary based on ingredients and brands that you use, but should be close to the ones I calculated. 

Hope you try this. Let me know if you do and if you like it.