Tag Archives: butter

Desserts, Product Review, Recipes

Product Review and a Recipe

To start the year off, I’m doing a review of Good Dee’s Butter Pecan cookies mix. Then, I’ll give you a recipe for making these without a mix.

image: package mixFirst up, I ordered the Good Dee’s mix when it was on sale at Amazon for $7.95 so I could evaluate it. The regular price is $12.99, which is about what most of the various mixes from the company are.

For the mix, you need to add melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the package contents and stir. Easy to do, the dough is done in a short time. Line a baking pan with parchment paper, then use a tablespoon to make 1 inch balls and flatten to about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake them for 10 to 15 minutes at 350 degrees and you have one dozen cookies.

I made these exactly as stated on the package except I made the balls a little large by using a regular tablespoon instead of a measuring spoon and only got 10 cookies. When I took them out of the oven, they looked like this:

image Good Dee's Butter Pecan Cookies

Not quite the same as the picture. But the flavor is delicious, so rich with the butter they almost melt in your mouth.

So, for the ease of making and the taste, I give them high marks. For the sprawled out cookie result and the price, I’m handing them a lower mark. I think it’s too much to pay for 12 cookies.

But if you want an easy-to-make cookie, they’ll do fine. Here’s a hint though, put the raw cookies on the pan in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will help to keep them from spreading in the oven and make them a more compact cookie like the ones I made with my recipe.

From Scratch Cookies

Like the cookie mix, these cookies are made with almond flour. Where the mix used oat flour, this recipe uses coconut flour. The extra pecan halves used for decoration are optional.

Flavor-wise, these cookies are just as good as the mix although they are a little more work to make. But you get 24 cookies from the recipe for less money than the mix. Swerve’s sugar combination works best with this recipe.

Image: From scratch cookies

Low Carb Butter Pecan Cookies

½ cup unsalted Butter, softened
½ cup Swerve Sweetener
1 Egg
1-3/4 cups Almond Flour
2 tablespoon Coconut Flour
½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon Salt
½ cup chopped Pecans
24 Pecan halves (optional)

Line two standard baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sweetener together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat to combine.

In a small bowl, add almond flour, coconut flour, and salt and whisk together. Beat 1 cup of the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it’s combined. Add the rest of the flour mix and beat to combine. Stir in the chopped pecans.

Use about a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a 1-inch ball and place a few inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Repeat until all the dough is used. Flatten each ball to about 1/4-inch thick with the back of a spoon or your palm.

Put pans in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

15 minutes before pulling the cookies from the refrigerator, set the oven to heat to 325 degrees F.

Take the cookies from the ‘fridge and press a pecan half into the center of each cookie.

When oven is up to temperature, bake 15 to 18 minutes until the edges look golden brown.

Image: Cookies

Remove to a towel or pad-covered counter or set the pans on cooling racks and let cool completely. Store in Zip-lock bags on the counter for up to 4 days. Put extras in the refrigerator if they last longer than 4 days.

Makes 24 cookies.

By the way, if you don’t like pecans, you can substitute other nuts into the recipe. Some of the nut carb counts might differ slightly, but they will be close.

Image: Nutrition Info

 

Desserts

Filled with color and flavor Ricotta Cookies

 

Photo: Cranberry Ricotta Cookies

I’m a big fan of ricotta cheese. I use it a lot in my cooking, whether as a lasagna layer, an add-in to quiche, or to add sturdiness to my baking. It has a mild flavor, but it brings fluffiness and texture to your cooking. It can elevate the simple to something more elegant. I don’t have the same fondness for cottage cheese, so I often substitute ricotta.

However, this cookie recipe actually is a ricotta original. The cookie is like a sugar cookie with a light, fluffy center. I added chopped cranberries to it for specks of color and a bit more taste; however, it isn’t needed if you prefer to leave them out.

About the flour combination I used, these work well for me, but you don’t have to use them. You can choose coconut flour (use about 1/2 the amount called for and add egg whites to add moisture and help the lift), almond flour, soy flour, or any other low carb flour you like. The carb count may come out a little higher, but you should be below 2 net carbs per cookie with most low carb options.

I recommend using Swerve Confectioners’ Sugar, but you can use Splenda and process it in a blender to powder it. It will use at least two cups of Splenda to make one cup of powdered sugar. Alternately, you can dip the warm cookie in a plate of granulated sugar substitute of your choice or sprinkle the sugar over the tops.

Cranberry Ricotta Cookies

1/2 cup Butter, softened a bit
1 cup White Sugar Substitute
1 Egg
8 ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose Low Carb Flour
1/4 cup Almond Flour
1/4 cup Vanilla Whey Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 tablespoon Sprite Zero or Diet 7-Up
1 cup Cranberries, chopped

Icing:
1/3 cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon Butter
1 cup Swerve Confectioners’ Sugar
1/2 tablespoon Lemon Extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Either grease two cookie sheets or cover them with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, cream one-half cup of butter, vanilla, and sugar together. I like to start with cut and slightly softened butter, so the beater doesn’t throw it all over the counter. Beat in the egg and the ricotta cheese.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, almond flour, whey powder, baking powder, and baking soda and whisk together. Add a little at a time to the ricotta mixture, beating on low. Add 1 tablespoon of the Lemon soda of choice.

If the dough is too thick to pull together, add a tablespoon of water and mix until it is easy to work with. Drop by rounded tablespoons onto the prepared cookie sheet. Leave at least an inch between each cookie.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes until just turning brown around the edges. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets.

Make the icing by adding half-and-half and 1/2 teaspoon butter to a microwavable bowl and cook for 20 seconds to heat the liquid and melt the butter. Add lemon juice and mix. Stir in the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. It should be about the consistency of gravy.

Use a spatula or spoon to spread a layer of icing over each cookie.

Makes thirty cookies.

Image: Nutrition Information