Tag Archives: craisins

Delightful Apple Cranberry Skillet Cake

Photo: Slice of apple cranberry skillet cake.

One of the really lovely things about the last five decades or so has been the availability almost year-round of most fruits and vegetables. If we don’t have them fresh, we might be able to get them frozen. As we move through the next few months, it will be interesting… and possibly a little alarming… to see if that ready access continues while we are still fighting COVID-19.

Apples have been readily available at the market, so I’ve been making a few apple recipes. I’m sharing one I made recently that is similar to the Cranberry Skillet Cake I made a few weeks ago. This one adds in Swerve Brown Sugar to add a nice caramel flavor to the it. So easy to put together, the cake is moist, loaded with flavor, and can be either a dessert or a nice breakfast treat.

I used DCC’s All Purpose Flour and Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour in my recipe. But you can substitute other flour, such as soy , hazelnut , or coconut in for the all purpose flour. If you use coconut , I’ve duplicated the recipe and made the adjustments for the coconut flour. As I’ve mentioned before, it absorbs a lot of moisture and expands a lot so it isn’t a “substitute the flour for the same amount of coconut flour” item. You use at least 50% less coconut flour plus additional egg and possibly water.

I also baked this in an 8″ cast iron skillet, which is perfect for this type of cake. If you don’t have one, use an 8″ round deep-sided cake pan. The nutrition information for both recipes is at the bottom of the page.

Enjoy the recipe, eat well, and stay in, stay healthy.

Apple Cranberry Skillet Cake

1 large Apple, cored and chopped
1/8 cup Craisins or 1/4 cup Cranberries
3 tablespoons Swerve Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1/4 cup granulated Sugar Substitute
1/3 cup Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp Brandy or Irish Whiskey
2/3 cup Low Carb Flour
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/3 cup Pecan or Walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 8″ cast iron skillet or an 8″ cake pan. Spray the paper and the sides with cooking spray.

Combine the eggs and sugar substitute in a bowl and whisk together until creamy. Add in the brown sugar, vanilla, brandy (or whiskey), and cinnamon and whisk to combine.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, almond flour, and baking powder. Whisk or mix with a spoon to combine. Add the egg mixture and stir it together to mix all the flour in. Add the butter, apples, and nuts and stir until they are mixed in.

Spoon the batter into the cast iron skillet (or cake pan) and smooth the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake is done. Insert a toothpick and if it is clean when removed, the cake is done. Set aside to cool.

Serve with whipped topping or low carb ice cream for dessert. Or spread butter over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar Substitute for a breakfast cake.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Photo: Apple cranberry skillet cake

Almond and Coconut Flour Version

1 large Apple, cored and chopped
1/8 cup Craisins or 1/4 cup Cranberries
3 tablespoons Swerve Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Egg White
1/4 cup granulated Sugar Substitute
1/3 cup Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/2 tablespoon ground Cinnamon
1 tbsp Brandy or Irish Whiskey
3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
1/3 cup Almond Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/3 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of an 8″ cast iron skillet or an 8″ cake pan. Spray the paper and the sides with cooking spray.

Combine the eggs, egg white, and sugar substitute in a bowl and whisk together until creamy. Add in the brown sugar, vanilla, brandy (or whiskey), and cinnamon and whisk to combine.

In a medium bowl, add the coconut flour, almond flour, and baking powder. Whisk or mix with a spoon to combine. Add the egg mixture and stir it together to mix all the flour in. If the batter is too dry, add a little water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Add the butter, apples, and nuts and stir until they are mixed in.

Spoon the batter into the cast iron skillet (or cake pan) and smooth the top.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cake is done. Insert a toothpick and if it is clean when removed, the cake is done. Set aside to cool.

Serve with whipped topping or low carb ice cream for dessert. Or spread butter over the top and sprinkle with a little sugar substitute for a breakfast cake.

Nutrition Info for Apple Cranberry Skillet Cakes

Add craisins to chocolate chip cookies for a treat

Photo: Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

I decided to get a little creative with this great recipe from Carb Counters All Purpose Flour for chocolate chip cookies. I decided to add craisins and pecans, so it’s not a big change, but the result is delicious. If you want just chocolate chip cookies, leave out the craisins and pecans. I used CC’s low carb flour but you can make this with almond flour. Just substitute the same amount for the flour.

To make this low-sodium, use almond flour and unsalted butter. Otherwise, the recipe is the same.

1 cup Low Carb Flour
1/2 cup Sugar Substitute
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Egg
4 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 cup Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Reduced Sugar Craisins
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.). Place parchment paper in a cookie tin.

In a medium bowl, add flour, sugar substitute, and baking powder and mix together. Add eggs, butter, and vanilla, then stir to mix. If the dough does not absorb all the flour, add a little water and stir to incorporate. Stir in the craisins, chocolate chips, and nuts.

Drop cookies by one tablespoon at a time onto the cookie sheet about 2″ apart. Press down to about 2″ in diameter. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes for soft cookies.

Makes 14 to 16 cookies. (I got 14 using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop.)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.

May 2020 be a deliciously healthy year!

Image: Nutrition Info for Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

Quick Apple Pie Dessert for One

Over half-way through November and I haven’t posted anything this month! I’m in the midst of NaNoWriMo, which is National Novel Writing Month in which writers spend as much time as possible working to write novel in November. Pick a busy time of year and put this huge challenge into it! The goal is 50,000 words, but the novel is actually longer than that, but I have reached the target and the novel is over three-quarters done at 75,000 words. So that’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it.

The down side of NaNo is that I don’t do much cooking during the month so new recipes aren’t emerging and eating out is adding more weight to my body. It’s  constant tug, isn’t it? But I did make this snappy little dessert a couple of nights ago and I think you might enjoy it.

Apple Pie Compote with Cranberry

With all the flavors of a rich apple pie, this little quick-to-make compote is a warm taste of Fall in a dessert bowl. Made in the microwave, it comes together quickly and makes one delicious serving. For more servings, simply double the recipe for 2 or triple it for 3. I used reduced sugar Craisins to add a bit of color and tartness to it. Check the carb count on these or use chopped cranberries to reduce the carbs a little.

This is higher net card than I usually make, so if you’re aiming for a low total for the day, make this on a day when you’re overall meals are coming in really low. It is an indulgence. If you’re one of the lucky ones who has a higher metabolism and can eat 3o to 40 net carbs a day, this should work in fine.

Recipe by Rene Averett

1/2 small Apple, sliced
1 tablespoon Butter
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground Cloves
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
1 tablespoon Reduced Sugar Craisins
1 tablespoon Golden Flax Meal
1 tablespoon Chopped Pecans
1 tablespoon Sweet Red Wine or Sugar Free Cranberry Juice
1 tablespoon Whipped Topping or Cream

Slice or chop the apple evenly. Put in a microwavable bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the whipped topping. Stir well, then microwave for 1 minute. Stir it up and microwave another 30 seconds.

Let cool about 5 minutes, then put into serving dish (if you wish or eat it out of the bowl you cooked it in) and top with whipped topping.

Makes 1 apple-pie-yummy serving.

Nutrition Information:
Calories: 252 Fat: 20.3 g Net Carbs: 11.3 g Protein: 2.6 g

Note: You could substitute in Almond Flour for the Flax Meal, but it will increase the net carbs by 1 nc.

Any of these Low Carb Cookbooks would make a great gift for a friend this holiday season. Other formats for the first two coming soon.

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Paperback on Amazon

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Paperback on Amazon

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Other formats at Books2Read