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Desserts, Recipes

Pumpkin Season with a Low Carb Pie

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Pumpkin Pie slice with whipped cream
Not the actual pie I made, but one to remind you what the full carb-loaded one looks like.

It’s the final day of November and I’m finally getting to wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving if you’re celebrating it. Here in the land of mixed up everything. we’re recovering from turkey day. I didn’t prepare anything at home except this yummy low-carb pumpkin pie. This pie is delicious. I even had a little leftover filling that I put into a ramekin and microwaved for a minute.

I know I’ve posted a pumpkin pie recipe before, but this one is using Splenda Sugar Free Condensed Milk. Easy to make. The tricky part is the pie crust.

The almond flour pie crust is a good one for any sweet pie you want to make. I’m giving you the crust first with the nutrition information for it alone, then the filling recipe.

Pumpkin Pie with Almond Shortbread Crust

Almond Flour Shortbread Crust

1 ½ cups almond flour
3 tbsp coconut flour (helps bind)
1/4 cup sugar substitute powdered sweetener like Swerve
1/4 tsp salt
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix almond flour, coconut flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in melted butter and vanilla until crumbly dough forms.

Press evenly into a 9-inch pie pan, making sure it goes up the sides. Use your fingers to press it in firmly and use your knuckles along the base to push it against the pan. If you get the dough over the top edge, you can trim it or shape it with yours fingers to give it a finished look.

Bake for 10–12 minutes until lightly golden. Cool slightly before adding the filling.

Nutrition Information: Calories: 204 Fat: 9.7 g Sodium: 127 mg Carbohydrates: 10 g Fiber: 1.5 Protein: 2.2 g Net Carbs: 8.6 g

Pumpkin Spice Filling

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or double to 4 tsp for stronger flavor)
1 tsp cinnamon (adds extra warmth)
1/2 tsp salt

Nutrition Information for 1/8 of the crust.

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin puree, condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt until smooth and creamy.

Pour into cooled crust.

Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 45–50 minutes, until the center is just set (slight jiggle is okay).

Cool completely before slicing. Chill for extra creaminess.

Top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Makes 8 slices.

Nutrition Information per slice: Calories: 304 Fat: 32 g Sodium: 38 mg Carbohydrates: 9.3 g Fiber: 1.5 Protein: 3.6 g Net Carbs: 8.8 g

TIP: If you want to skip the crust and just make a pumpkin pie custard, you can spoon the filling into 1/2 cup ramekins and bake those in a pan of water for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Alternately, you can microwave each ramekin for one minute.

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. Although they are a close calculation, your results may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

Copyright 2025 by Rene Averett, Skinny Girl Bistro

Book News, Desserts

Cool off with Keto Key Lime Cheesecake Pie

Keto Key Lime Cheesecake Pie

Hi, everyone…

How is summer going for you? Too hot?? July was the hot month here in Northern Nevada, but August has been a little cooler. Still, a nice cool dessert recipe is always refreshing. This is a recipe I adapted from Sola Bread for their Keylime Cheesecake Bars. I didn’t use their Keto Granola but substituted an almond flour sugar cookie bottom crust. It’s easy to make and goes well with the cheesecake pie.

I admit, I never seem to get much flavor from any fruit zest, but chefs swear it carries more flavor than the juice. So I put it in. Add a teaspoon more lime juice if you don’t want to use it.

In other news, I am working on a new Asian Cookbook with recipes from China, India, and Thailand. I have a couple of Korean and Japanese recipes in there, also. I plan to have this released by the end of November, but it takes time to make and photograph all the recipes in the book, so fingers crossed I hit that deadline.

Keto Key Lime Cheesecake Pie

Recipe adapted from Sola Bread recipe
by Rene Averett

Crust
1 cup Almond Flour
2 tablespoons granulated Sugar Substitute
2 Tablespoons melted butter

Filling
4 Tbsp Hot water
1 Tbsp gelatin (1 packet)
16 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz heavy cream
1/3 c sugar-free sweetener
3 Tbsp key lime juice
1 tsp lime zest

Garnish
Whipped topping
lime zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.) Spray an 8″ pie plate with baking spray.

In a bowl, mix almond flour with melted butter and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar substitute until it begins to pull together. Pour into pie pan and use fingers to press the crust into place on the bottom. Bake for about 10 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.

Add gelatin and hot water to a bowl, stir once and let sit for five minutes. Stir until the gelatin dissolves. If any chunks remain, remove them.

Add the cream cheese to a large bowl and blend until smooth. Add gelatin, cream, sugar substitute (you may use liquid sweetener if you like), lime juice, and zest. Mix until combined. Scrape down the sides as you go. Add one drop of blue and two drops of yellow food coloring to make a pale green mixture if you wish.

Pour the cheesecake mixture into the prepared pie pan and use a spatula to smooth it around evenly. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours to allow it to set.

Cut into 8 slices and serve with whipped topping. Garnish with a little lime zest if you like.

Makes 8 servings.

nutrition information

Note: Nutrition information is based on the ingredients I used in this recipe and my measurements. They are a close calculation and may be slightly higher or lower. Ingredient substitutions may affect the carb count. Different brands may have other carb counts.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Desserts, Recipes

Quick Dessert with Cranberries and Pecans

Cranberry Pecan dessert photo

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

Desserts, Recipes

Happy Thanksgiving and a Dessert Recipe

As those of us in the U.S. sit down on Thursday to give thanks for the blessings of the past year, we expect to enjoy a wonderful feast with family and friends. Sadly, there are many people who won’t be in the same position. With the disasters, fighting, and other acts of violence around the world, some people are not so fortunate as others. Please remember them in your prayers and thoughts this holiday.

From a low carb stand point, you can have a lovely holiday dinner without exceeding your carb max too much. This blog has many suggestions for side dishes, main course, soups, and, of course dessert.

For starters, try these dessert options:

Traditional Pumpkin PIe

 

 

  Traditional Pumpkin Pie

 

 

Pumpkin and Cranberry Nut Muffins

 

Pumpkin and Cranberry Muffins

 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake – makes about 12 servings.

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake

 

 

 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

 

 Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

 

 

 

And here’s one I just whipped together yesterday that is light, delicious, and just hits the spot after a heavy meal. You can make the crumble with almond flour or with the even lower carb’d mix from LC Foods for their Granola & Cookie Bites. Either way, it’s a winner!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait

Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait

1/4 cup Almond Flour or 1/4 cup LC Foods Granola & Cookie Mix
2 tablespoons Butter, melted
1 tablespoon Sugar Substitute *
4 ounces Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup Pumpkin Puree
1/ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1 teaspoon Crystallized Ginger, chopped or sliced into small pieces (optional)
1/2 cup Heavy Cream, whipped
1/4 cup Powdered Sugar Substitute

• If using Granola mix, this isn’t needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F.)

In a small bowl, mix the almond flour or granola mix with butter. If you’re using almond flour, add 1 tablespoon sugar substitute. Mix together well and press out onto a pie tin or other small baking sheet. It should be about 3/8ths inch thick. Bake for about 10 minutes, check at 7 minutes, until lightly toasted. Let cool and break apart with a wooden spoon or spatula into small crumbs. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the heavy cream and beat with electric mixer until it thickens. Add 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract and 1/4 cup powdered sugar substitute, then continue mixing until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate.

In a larger bowl, add the cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup powdered sugar substitute, vanilla, and spices. Beat until completely mixed together, then mix in three-fourths of the whipped cream. Put the rest back in the refrigerator for the topping.

Cover the bowl of pumpkin cream mixture and refrigerate at least two hours.

To serve, put about 1-1/2 tablespoons in the bottom of four to six small serving glasses or juice glasses. Press the almond or granola crumbs into the bottom to form a shallow crust. Spoon in the pumpkin mixture, about 4 tablespoons in each glass, until it is almost full. Top with a sprinkling of the crumb mix, a dollop of whipped cream then a few more sprinkles of the crumbs and a little chopped ginger.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Made with LC-Granola & Cookie Mix
Nutrition Information per serving (4 servings):
Calories: 311.5 Fat: 28.3g Net Carbs: 5.7 g Protein: 4.4 g

Nutrition Information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 207.7 Fat: 18.9 g Net Carbs: 3.9 g Protein: 0.9 g

Made with Almond Flour
Nutrition Information per serving (4 servings):
Calories: 317 Fat: 30.3 g Net Carbs: 6.3 g Protein: 5.1 g

Nutrition Information per serving (6 servings):
Calories: 211.3 Fat: 20.2 g Net Carbs: 4.2 g Protein: 3.4 g

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!