I had an apple that needed using so I decided to try this delicious-sounding recipe from AllRecipes.com user NMARIEA, but I adapted it to a low carb version. The result is delectable, especially when heated up before eating. It works well for a quick breakfast and also for a light dessert.
I put a light streusel topping made with almond flour and brown sugar mix on top, just enough to give it a little sweetness. For the flour, I used a combination of different brands, such as Carbolose, Bakesquick, and Carbquick in it. Each one has a different texture and taste so together, you get a nice mixture.
Apple and Pecan Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
1 cup Low Carb Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Butter, softened
1/2 cup white Sugar Substitute
1 Egg
1 Egg White
1 teaspoon Vanilla or Almond Extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3/4 cup chopped Apples
1/3 cup Pecans pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F.) Prepare 10 muffin tins by spraying them with cooking spray or put paper liners and spray those.
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar substitute and mix together until creamy. Add the egg, egg white, vanilla or almond extract and cinnamon. Mix until combined.
In a smaller bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together. Mix into the butter and egg in small batches until combined. This will be a fairly stiff dough. Stir in the apples and pecans.
Put about two tablespoons of the dough in each muffin cup. Because of the apples, they will nearly fill the cup.
In a small bowl, put in the brown sugar substitute (I used the Splenda Brown Sugar Blend, or you could use Sweet Brown from LC Foods and add a little more butter.) Add butter and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cut together until it is crumbly. Sprinkle a little over the top of each muffin.
Bake 11 to 14 minutes. Use a toothpick to test if they are done. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then move to a cooling rack.
Just a little late for the Jewish holiday, I made a batch of low carb Rugalach cookies. These are simple to make, although a little time-consuming, and make a delightful cookie for the holidays. After my first batch, I plan to make a few minor changes to the next batch I make, but I wanted to get this recipe up before I do that. I cut down a little on the chocolate used, and this recipe reflects that.
Rugalach Cookies
FOR THE DOUGH:
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 4 pieces
1 cup low carb all-purpose flour *
FOR THE FILLING:
1/2 cup raspberry jam, apricot jam or marmalade
3 tablespoons sugar substitute
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pecans, but you can use walnuts or almonds)
1/3 cup chopped cranberries
2 ounces sugar-free chocolate, finely chopped
FOR THE GLAZE:
2 tablespoons egg whites
1 teaspoon cold water
2 tablespoons sugar, preferably coarse sugar
* For this recipe, I used Dixie Carb Counters All Purpose Low Carb Flour rather than their biscuit mix. Tova Foods also has an All Purpose Low Carb Flour as does LC Foods. I have not tried this with Almond Flour, but I believe it would work fine since it is mixed with cream cheese. You will need to make sure the dough is chilled well or it will break easily.
Make the dough first. In a food processor, place the softened cream cheese pieces and the softened butter pieces. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until the cream cheese and butter are blended together. Add the flour and pulse several times to mix it in. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed to get all the flour mixed in. Pulse until the dough forms large curds.
You can mix it with a hand mixer also, but don’t let the dough form into a ball on the blades.
Turn the dough out into a bowl and gather it into a large ball. Divide it in half, shape each into a disk, wrap in plastic, then put into the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.
Before you begin rolling the dough out, make the filling. Heat the jam over low heat or in the microwave until it liquefies. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar substitute and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside. Chop the cranberries in a small food processor. In a microwavable bowl, add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar to the cranberries. Microwave for 40 seconds. Stir well.
Ready two baking sheets.
Pull one disc of dough from the refrigerator, place a sheet of parchment over the breadboard, and sprinkle low carb flour on it. Roll out the dough into a circle about eight or nine inches in diameter. If it is too firm to roll easily, let it sit for about 10 minutes. Spoon or brush about 1/2 of the melted jam in a thin layer over the dough and sprinkle 1/2 of the cinnamon sugar over the top. Scatter 1/2 of the nuts, 1/2 of the cranberries, and 1/2 of the chopped chocolate over the jam. Cover the filling with a piece of waxed paper and gently press on it to push the filling into the dough. Remove the waxed paper, Slide the disk onto a baking pan and put the pan in the refrigerator to chill while you roll the second disc and repeat the steps.
Pull out the first pan when you put the second pan in, then cut the original dough into quarters, like you would a pizza. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter for this. Try to get it separated evenly. Now, cut each wedge into three triangular slices. Starting at the outside edge, roll the dough toward the middle to form a crescent cookie and tuck the end tip under the dough on the baking sheet, curving the cookie a little. Repeat with each triangular shape, cutting each of the quarter wedges into three triangles.
Pie cut for 12 slices.
Repeat with the second round of cookies. Put the shaped cookies in the refrigerator or other cold place on their baking sheets to firm up for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F.) Position the racks in the oven to divide it into thirds.
Before baking the cookies, mix the egg white and water together and brush over the tops of the cookies and sprinkle the granulated sugar substitute over each.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom racks and turning them from the front to the back of the oven about mid-way through the baking. Remove when they are golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack until they are just warm or at room temperature.
Makes 24 cookies.
Nutrition information per cookie: Calories:102.2 Fat: 8.9 g Net Carbs: 1.0 g Protein: 3.3 g
A few months ago, writer Kim Iverson posted her mother’s recipe for a pecan pie muffin that sounded wonderful. I adapted it to a low carb recipe and made a couple of changes along the way. I can truthfully say, this makes a wonderfully delicious cupcake that you can enjoy any time. Plus, it is so low-carb, you can splurge on two if you can’t resist and still not feel guilty.
I use Dixie Carb Counter’s low carb baking mix for this recipe, although you could use any low carb flour. LC Foods has a nice fine cake flour and CarbQuick also works in it. I just like the finer texture of the DCC baking mix or use a combination. You can also use almond flour. I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour alone but in combination with another flour. If you use coconut flour, use 1/2 the amount and add 1 or 2 additional eggs or egg whites as coconut flour will absorb the liquid and the eggs will add the rise to the cupcakes.
Pecan Pie Muffins
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1 -1/2 tablespoons Sugar free Maple Syrup
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 cup low carb Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 cup Chopped Pecans
1/4 cup Sugar-free Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Grease standard muffin pans or use paper liners and spray those with baking spray.
Mix sugar substitute with maple syrup until it is blended in. Add eggs and butter and mix together.
Stir in flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. When mixed, stir in chocolate chips and nuts.
Spoon into muffin wells until 2/3 full. Bake 18 to 20 minutes.
Makes 8 muffins.
Nutrition Info per muffin: Calories: 304 Fat: 29.5 g Net Carbs: 1.8 g Protein: 5.0 g
I cannot believe March is almost over! Where does the time go? I seem to be way behind on everything this month. But I did manage to try out a quick recipe for a wonderful dessert like Pecan Pie.
I’ve seen several recipes for “Impossible” pies that use the same technique as the Bisquick recipes that work so well to mix all the ingredients in one bowl, pour them into the pie shell, and they separate while they cook to give you a crust on the bottom and sometimes a topping layer. So far, I haven’t been able to duplicate this using low carb flours.The food tastes great, but the crust doesn’t seem to come out on the bottom. This is another one of those recipes. It seems more like a very low flour cake than a pie, but the taste is wonderful.
The original recipe came from Dixie Carb Counters, but I made a few adjustments. I used the DCC All Purpose Flour to make this, but I think it will work equally as well with almond flour, soy flour, or coconut flour (use 2 tablespoons and add 2 tablespoons of water). The recipe uses a small amount of flour, so the crust isn’t very thick.I used my cranberries whole, but they might be distributed better if they are chopped.
Cranberry Pecan Pie Cake
Cooking Spray
2 tablespoons Butter, softened
1 cup Sugar Substitute
1/4 cup Low Carb Flour
2 Eggs
1 tablespoon Sugar-free Maple Syrup
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 cup Pecans, chopped
1/3 cup fresh or frozen Cranberries
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (F.). Prepare a pie tin or an 8-inch square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray. I also like to line mine with parchment paper, then spray the paper.
In a small bowl, add the sugar, flour, and baking soda and mix together. Set aside. In a larger bowl, add the eggs, butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract and whisk together until blended. Stir in the flour until it is all mixed in. Add 3/4 cup of the nuts and the cranberries and stir them in.
Pour into your prepared pan, smoothing until even. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of pecans over the top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, checking at 20 to see if the edges are getting too browned. If so, cover with foil and cook until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Makes 8 Servings
Nutrition Information per serving: Calories:162 Fat:15.7 g Net Carbs: 1.6 g Protein: 3.7 g
Looking for a special breakfast meal this holiday season? How about something with a yummy honey flavor along with the seasonings of gingerbread? I came up with this recipe and just loved it. It’s not the lowest carb’d breakfast you can serve, but it is still about 8 net carbs and is really filling. Add a couple of slices of bacon or sausage and it will last you until dinner.
Honey Ginger Pancakes with Pecan Sauce
2 tablespoons Ricotta Cheese, whole milk
2 tablespoons Coconut or Vegetable Oil
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon Cloves, ground
2 teaspoons Ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground
1 teaspoon Ginger paste
1 teaspoon Ginger, Crystallized, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute
2 tablespoons Sugar–free Honey
2 large Eggs
1/4 cup Bakesquick or Carbquick Mix or other Low Carb Flour
2 tablespoons Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
In a medium bowl, add ricotta cheese, oil, and eggs and beat together with a whisk or a rubber spatula. (I use the small end of my double-sided spatula for this.) Add the seasonings — cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and ginger paste– and add the sugar substitute and sugar-free honey. Hold on to the ginger crystals for now. Mix it into the egg mixture well.
In a small bowl, add the low carb flour of choice, the vanilla whey powder, baking powder and baking soda and mix together. Add to the egg mixture and stir until fully mixed in. The batter should be thick, but easy to spread in the pan. Chop the candied ginger into little bits and stir into the batter. If the batter is too thick, thin with a little water.
Heat a non-stick skillet or griddle until a drop of water skittles across it. Lower to a medium high head and spoon two heaping tablespoons of the batter into the skillet. Spread to form about a 4 to 5 inch pancake. If there is room, add a second pan cake. Cover and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes until the top no longer looks wet and the spatula slides easily under the cake. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes until browned on the bottom.
Remove to a warm plate and keep warm in a low oven while you prepare the rest of the cakes.
Look at how thick these pancakes are!
For the Ginger Pecan Sauce:
In a non-stick pan, melt the butter. Add the ground ginger, ginger paste, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the chopped pecans and honey and toast for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to burn them. Pour over the pancakes and serve.
Makes 2 servings of 2 pancakes each.
Pancakes only: Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 286.7 Fat: 21.5 g Net Carbs: 6.1 g Protein: 15.6 g
Sauce Only: Nutrition information per serving: Calories: 418 Fat: 44.9 g Net Carbs: 1.9 g Protein: 3.0 g
Note: Want to cut the calories some? Just use sugar-free maple syrup in place of the Ginger Pecan Sauce or use 1/4 cup of pecan pieces instead of 1/2 cup. That will lower the calories by 100 per serving. Or only eat one pancake and 1/4 of the sauce.
