Banana-Coco-Nutty Candy

I don’t eat many sweets, but when I do, it’s usually a bite of candy of some sort.  I got to thinking about my Peanutty Coconut Candy yesterday, which I haven’t made in ages, and wondered what it would be like with banana in it.  So I mashed one of the beautiful bananas I bought at the store yesterday morning and just took equal amounts of the main ingredients.   That decision made for  some of the tastiest candies!  They are very filling, too, as just one one these takes the edge off my occasional sweet tooth.  I think I may even like this version better than the original peanut-coconut version!  After popping the candies out of the mold slots, I decided to store them in a zip-loc bag in the freezer.  They don’t get hard, just firm and chewy, so they can be eaten straight the freezer!

I used 1″ square silicone candy molds to make mine,  but you could also just roll into balls and if desired, coat with more desiccated coconut.  You could also roll them into balls and flatten like little hockey puck disks.  Maybe even little logs coated with finely chopped peanuts!  HAVE FUN SHAPING THEM!

These are not suitable until the higher fruit rung of the Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance Phase.  They are suitable for Keto diets as well.   The sweetener would have to be modified for this to be acceptable for Primal-Paleo.

INGREDIENTS: 

1     6-oz. banana, mashed

1 c. desiccated coconut (unsweetened)

1 c. natural peanut butter (I use Laura Scudder)

3/4 c. erythritol (or other sweetener to equal 3/4 c. sugar)

2 pkts. stevia (I used NuNaturals)

DIRECTIONS:   Using a fork, mash the banana in the bottom of a mixing bowl.  I added the juice of a wedge of lemon to prevent darkening, as candy is slow to be eaten in my house.  Add the peanut butter and stir well to blend.

Add coconut and blend it into the mixture until all ingredients are uniformly mixed.  Press into silicone molds, pressing down firmly.  Set mold on a flat pan and place in freezer for about 2 hours.   The mixture will make 28 small 1″ candies of about 1½-2 T. of the mixture.   Your numbers may vary, so I will provide the nutritional values for the entire recipe so you can calculate your per piece figures from the number you get.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    (does not include any additional coconut/peanut coating)  Entire recipe contains 3,034 calories, 239 g  fat, 133 g. carbs, 48.3 g fiber, 84.7 g. NET CARBS, 95.7 g. protein.

If yield is 28 pieces, each piece contains:

108 cals, 8.55g fat, 4.75g carbs, 1.72g fiber, 3.03g NET CARBS, 3.41g protein, 37 mg sodium

Butter Pecan Toffee Candy

This recipe was inspired by two different low-carb toffee recipes: one called Toffee, by Pami on now-closed Low-Carb Friends forums; one called Heath Bar Candy by Elaine Smith, also on the same closed forums.   I first tried Elaine’s recipe and it basically failed on me, in that when the boiled sugar mix reached the “brown paper bag color” specified in the recipe, I don’t think it had cooked long enough, so the final candy was too grainy and fragile when I tried to get it out of the pan.  Just wasn’t cohesive enough.

So as not to waste the nuts, I basically reheated the candy so I could strain out the pecans and recooked the sugar mix longer, but also decided to add in a little polydextrose, as Pami does in her recipe.  If unfamiliar with polydextrose, you can read about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydextrose I added a few other things as well.  This time I boiled the candy until it would form a nearly firm ball, but still stretchy/pliable, like a stiff caramel or SloPoke candy bar being stretched out (if you ever ate one of those).  In other words, I cooked it to “just short of hard ball stage” in candy making terms, or around 300º-310º on a candy thermometer.  Hard ball stage would end up like peanut brittle, and you definitely don’t want it that hard.

So cooking longer seems to have been what was needed!  The result is very tasty (I’m munching down on it as I type this.  Mmmm.)  The texture is just about like the toffee center of a Heath® bar.  This batch came out VERY close to my Mom’s sugar-based Butter Brickle Candy she made at Christmas every year!  This recipe is not acceptable until the nuts and seeds rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. erythritol, powdered

2 T. hazelnut sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

2 T. caramel sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

¼ tsp. vanilla

2 sticks butter, unsalted (8 oz.)

2 T. water

Dash salt

1/2 c.+ 2 T. polydextrose

2 c. pecan halves, chopped coarsely

DIRECTIONS:  Liberally butter a 12½ x 17½ sheet pan (even if it is non-stick, butter the pan!).  Chop the pecans and place in a bowl and set by the stove top.  Powder the erythritol in a food processor if you are using granular.  Using a large saucepan (3-4 qt.), melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Place a saucer of cold water beside the stove. Add the erythritol,  polydextrose, vanilla, both syrups, water and salt to the saucepan and whip with a whisk.  It will eventually get smooth (add a T. more water if not) as you bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.  As with most candy-making, you should stir the mixture continuously throughout the preferably with a whisk.  The mixture will slowly change from a slightly yellowish color to a tan and eventually dark caramel color when it is ready.  When the color starts to go browner, drop a few drops of mix in the water and see if it will clump together when you try to form a ball with your finger.  If it won’t, keep cooking and stirring.  Repeat the ball test in fresh water again in a few minutes.    When it will come together and form a ball or clump that feels pretty stiff but is still a little pliable, the mixture has cooked long enough.  Remove from heat.

Very quickly stir in the chopped pecans.  Working just as fast as you can, pour it onto the greased sheet pan, spreading quickly with a rubber spatula out to the edges of the pan.  It will set up real fast, so you really must work quickly.   I have never been able to work fast enough to be able to mark off square pieces with a knife, but maybe you’re faster than I.  🙂  When it is fully set (about an hour) , lift it up with the edge of a metal spatula and break into pieces.  Store in a VERY air-tight container at room temperature, as humidity (even in a refrigerator) really messes this candy up.  It will get softer and grainy if it gets damp.  If in an air-tight enough container, I found mine got a little more brittle on day 2, which pleased me greatly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Because I can’t know how your pieces will break up, an exact nutritional count is virtually impossible.   So I will give you the info for the entire pan full and you will have to estimate based on your number of pieces.  I got around a hundred  1″ pieces, maybe more, I’d guess, which made mine averaged around  0.18 net carbs per piece, or 5 pieces for 1 NC.  Some pieces broke small, some broke off larger.   Although per piece counts are impossible, clearly the count is so low (since polydextrose is full of deductible fiber), I never worry about it. Basically only the pecans really rack up the few carbs that are in this.

Entire batch:  3233 cals, 339g fat, 139g carbs, 121g fiber, 18g NET CARBS (for the entire batch!!), 22g  protein, 199 mg sodium

Toasted Coconut Candy

I try to incorporate coconut oil into my diet every single day as it has so many health benefits.  The ever popular Fat Bombs all over the internet gave me this idea.    What a delicious way to boost one’s intake of coconut oil!   I keep these at the ready in the freezer.   They can eaten right from the freezer, as they don’t get completely hard.  These are so good it can be tricky just eating ONE!   This candy reminds me a lot of those tiny, rich butter mints I had as a child, only these are cherry-coconut-almond flavored!  Mmmmm So good!

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction.  Wait until you get to the nuts and seeds level of Atkins Phase 2 for these tasty babies.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

¼ c. (1 oz.) desiccated, unsweetened coconut

¼ c. (1 oz.) desiccated, unsweetened coconut, TOASTED

½ c. coconut oil

1 oz. roasted almonds, ground coarsely

1 tsp. almond extract (makes the candy extra special)

3 T. coconut flour

¼ c. powdered erythritol (I powder in my food processor)

¼-½ tsp. liquid sweetener of your choice (add slowly & taste as you go)

Tiny pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:  Toast ¼ cup coconut on a pan in a 400º oven for 5-6 minutes or until just golden.  Remove and cool.  Line an 8×11 pan with waxed paper large enough to hang over the side a bit, so you’ll have something to grab onto when this is set.   I speak from experience when I caution you to watch that coconut closely in the oven lest it burn.  I’ve burned several batches in my time getting distracted in the kitchen.  So I have learned to not start my recipes until the coconut has been safely removed from the oven.  🙂

In a mixing bowl, whip the soft cream cheese with a rubber spatula.  Add both the toasted and untoasted coconut, as well as the chopped almonds.  Stir well.  Next add the  salt, coconut flour, erythritol, almond extract and liquid sweetener (taste as you begin adding to avoid  getting too sweet).    Add the coconut oil last.  Beat well to make your best attempt to incorporate the oil into the candy.  When it is as blended as best you can get it, scrape it out onto the wax-paper lined pan.  Using your spatula or hands, spread the candy out evenly.  Some of the oil will rise to the top, but that’s OK, as it freezes and isn’t really seen or noticed on the finished candy.  Place pan on a level shelf/surface in your freezer 4-5 minutes.  Remove and cut into 48 pieces (6×8).  Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.  Remove and separate the pieces by lifting the waxed paper up and bending them apart.  This will melt/soften quickly, so do not leave it out of the freezer ahead of consuming.  Just take out what you are eating immediately.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 48 pieces that are about 1¼” square.  Each piece contains:

51.4 cals, 5.11 g fat, 1.06 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 0.46 NET CARBS, 0.72 g protein

Chocolate Delights

My mother-in-law used to make a similar no-bake candy at Christmas I just adored.   Nobody but her and myself liked it in the family, but that wasn’t a problem for the two of us.  😉  Hers had rolled oats in them.  My version is almost as good as hers and much lower in carbs.

Not suitable for Induction, but OK once you get to the seed/nuts rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3  c. coconut, unsweetened, toasted in oven first

4 T. melted butter

24 drops liquid Splenda or liquid stevia (or to taste)

1 tsp. erythritol

4 T. cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 T. roasted pumpkin seeds

2 T. sunflower seeds

VARIATION:  Adding chopped nuts of your choice would be a nice touch as well, but be sure to add that to your nutritional info if you add nuts.  If you are in maintenance, a few finely chopped raisins added to this recipe is very good, say 2-3 tablespoons.  Be sure to recalculate macros if you make any changes.

DIRECTIONS: Toast coconut in 350º for about 5-8 minutes.  As ovens vary, check often lest you burn it.  In medium bowl, melt the butter in microwave.  Stir in cocoa powder and erythritol, stirring until smooth.  Add coconut and all remaining ingredients and blend well.  Drop onto parchment paper, silicon mat or plate, piling into six clusters.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes to set up.  ENJOY!  Store leftovers in refrigerator or freezer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings.  Each serving (as written) contains:

133 cals, 13.1g fat, 3.97g carbs, 2.03g fiber, 1.94g NET CARBS, 3g protein, 32 mg sodium

Almond Bark

Because this candy is made with coconut oil, it has a hint of coconut flavor.   This as the best low-carb chocolate I’ve made to date!  You can use melted butter if you don’t care for coconut. Tour final candy will taste just like commercial almond bark with no taste of coconut at all.  Wait until Atkins Phase 2 OWL to enjoy this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. coconut oil, warmed

½ c. cocoa powder

1 T. Fiberfit liquid sweetener (or equivalent liquid sweetener for 1/2 c. granular Splenda)

10 drops liquid stevia or liquid EZ sweets

6 oz. almonds, roasted 10 minutes at 350º

4 squares (½ bar or about 2 oz) Lindt 90% cocoa dark chocolate bar

DIRECTIONS: In 9×13 metal cake pan (or the metal lid for a 9×13 cake pan is even better for twisting to release the sheet of candy when set up) toast almonds at 350º for 10-15 minutes, stirring several times during roasting.  Cool nuts.  In a medium bowl, warm the coconut oil (or melt butter) in the microwave a few seconds until melted.  In another bowl, melt the Lindt chocolate until softened.  Add in the cocoa powder, melted chocolate bar and sweeteners and whisk until smooth.  Pour mixture over the almonds in the metal pan/lid.  Using a rubber spatula or spoon, try to spread out the almonds evenly so there will be a nut in each piece of finished bark.  Place on level shelf in freezer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from freezer.  Gently twist pan to loosen the sheet of candy and flip out onto you hand and set down on counter.  Break up in to approximately 1″ pieces.  I got 60 1-1½” pieces of candy with this recipe.

VARIATIONS:  Add 1/2 c. toasted unsweetened coconut.  If you’re to the fruits rung of OWL or beyond, 1/2 c. chopped dried apricots/peaches, or any combination of these would be fantastic in this!    Recalculate nutritionals if you add these items, however.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes around 60 1-1½” pieces, each containing approximately:

62.4 cals, 6.47 g fat, 1.2 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 0.6 g NET CARBS, 0.83 g protein, 1 mg. sodium

Chocolate Shell

This recipe is ideal for making a chocolate shell for ice cream bars and a variety of chocolate candies.  The sky is the limit on how it can be used for candy making, including multi-layer candies.  Pictured above are bite-size sweets made with (left) peanuts, (center) coconut-pecan, and (right) almond-dried cranberries.  Since what you add to your chocolate will vary, the nutritional information will vary.  Therefore I am providing just the counts for the chocolate coating mixture.  you will then have to add the nuts or fruits you add to each piece for an accurate count. This recipe is chilled to set, but it keeps at room temperature for a fairly long period, so you can serve these creations at parties without fear they will melt on the plate. Just pop any leftovers back in the fridge for longer term storage.  They should freeze OK, too.  🙂

The base chocolate shell recipe is suitable (as written) for all phases of Atkins.  Then, once you reach Atkins Phase 2 OWL, you can add nuts, coconut meat, fruit bits to your candy (whatever is allowed on your eating plan).

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE SHELL COATING:

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips (I use Hershey’s)

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 squares Lindt 90% chocolate)

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda (or 2 tsp.vanilla sugar-free syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  Set silicone candy molds on a sheet pan.  Place your nuts, coconut, or fruit bits into each of 48 silicone candy form cups.  Next, in double boiler or a small saucepan over another pan containing boiling water, melt the butter and coconut oil.  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly.  Add the chocolate chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.  It should make a smooth, silky (not lumpy) chocolate sauce.  Dip 1 tsp. of sauce onto each candy mold slot.  There should be enough to do all 48 slots.  Then go back and put any remaining sauce as equally on the 48 candies as possible, using it all up.  The chocolate will run down around the nuts/fruit and make a solid piece of candy once chilled.  If making a smaller batch, refrigerate (or freeze) any leftover sauce in a ziploc plastic bag for future use.  Pop the sheet pan into the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, pop ’em out from the bottom and ENJOY!  The chocolate will not totally melt if at room, but don’t leave them out for hours.  The chocolate WILL melt under the heat of your fingers if held too long.

NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR SAUCE:  Makes about 1¼ cups or 20 T. (60 tsp.).  This will be enough for 48 1″ candies.  Each tsp. contains:

19 calories, 1.79 g  fat, 0.55 g  carbs,0 .21 g fiber, 0.34 NET CARBS, 0.20 g  protein, < 1 mg. sodium

A useful chart of nutrition info for possible candy add-ins:

Peach Melba

Peach Melba

I remember a Russell Stover specialty candy they made many, many years ago.  It was called “Peach Melba”.  It consisted of a wonderful peach/coconut filling covered in rich dark chocolate.  Don’t know if they still make that candy anymore or not.  My Mom loved that candy so much, we’d walk into the Russell Stover candy shop and she’d buy it 2 or 3 pounds at a time!  Dad loved it, too.  In fact, she decided to come up with her own recipe so she could make it at home.  Hers truly rivaled Russell Stover’s!!    But she no longer has that recipe. So I just had to try something similar (low-carb of course).  My hubby isn’t so fond of coconut, so I didn’t put the large coconut chip onto these as I had wanted.

My favorite dried fruits have always been dried apricots and peaches but they’re both fairly high in carbs.  You sure can’t eat many of them on a low-carb diet. But I thought maybe just a very small piece of fruit, a big nut and just a whisper of delicious chocolate might make a wonderful confection worthy of serving during the holidays, without breaking the carb “bank”.   These came out GREAT!  I also did some with dried prunes, which I freely admit came out even better than the apricot version!  Next time I’m going to put a thin slice of fresh coconut between the fruit and nut on some of these, for ME.  I LOVE coconut!

This recipe makes a pretty big batch of the chocolate sauce, around 1¼ cups, so I’m providing the per teaspoon nutritional info and you’ll have to calculate your per serving candy figures because that depends on which fruit you pick, how many you eat or if the sauce is used in other dessert applications how much you used on each serving of that recipe.  This recipe is not suitable until you are way up on the fruits rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL or Maintenance.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and other talented cooks (myself included) to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Order your 10-volume set TODAY for special discounts! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE SHELL COATING:

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 squares Lindt 90% chocolate)

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda (or 2 tsp.vanilla sugar-free syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  First, cut each dried peach in half and with your fingers or a knife tip, butterfly each half out flat.  Set each piece sticky side up on a small baking sheet (I used a small 11 x 7″ pan as I was just making 10 pieces total).  Cut each dried prune into 3 pieces.  Butterfly them open and place sticky side up onto your pan.  Press 1 almond (or walnut half, or pecan half) on top of each piece of fruit, pressing firmly enough so that the sticky fruit “grabs’ onto the nut and holds is firmly in place.

Next, in a small saucepan, melt the butter in either a double boiler over medium heat.  You can use a makeshift one, where you put your saucepan down in a skillet of 1” boiling water (that’s all a double boiler really is anyway).  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly.  Add the chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.  You can add more butter (or coconut oil) in small increments if your chocolate is too thick to be like a nice chocolate sauce.  Melting/smoothness qualities vary from brand to brand, in my opinion.

ASSEMBLY:   Stir the warm chocolate sauce again and with a small spoon, dip about ½ tsp. of sauce onto each candy.  Refrigerate or freeze any leftover sauce for future use on more candy recipes or for a chocolate shell coating for vanilla ice cream bars.  Pop the pan into the refrigerator or freezer for about 10-15 minutes.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, ENJOY!  The chocolate will melt if at room/hand temperature too long, so these should pretty much go from fridge to mouth, but that shouldn’t be a problem for any of you.   Never has been for me either.  LOL

VARIATIONS:   Dried apricots, dried prunes, coconut chips, almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, dried cherries.

NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR SAUCE:  Makes about 1¼ cups or 20 T. (60 tsp.).  Each tsp. contains:

19 cals, 1.79g fat, .55 g  carbs, 0.21g fiber, 0.34 NET CARBS, 0.2g protein, < 1 mg. sodium

To help you calculate your per serving info I’m providing below the details on the various dried fruit and nets below:

Chocolate Blueberries

Chocolate Blueberries

There’s no law says you have to do chocolate covered STRAWBERRIES for your special occasions.  Other berries (or pineapple chunks) will work, too!  Today, I had big, plump blueberries in the fridge and wanted something sweet.  🙂

This recipe makes a pretty big batch of the chocolate sauce, around 1¼ cups, so I’m providing the per teaspoon nutritional info.  One teaspoon will definitely coat 1 blueberry, maybe even two.  This recipe is suitable once you reach the berries level of Phase 2 Atkins or for Keto diets as well.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS. She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS/NEEDS:

Some toothpicks

Fresh blueberries (pick the biggest ones in the carton)

Half lemon, orange or apple (for toothpick serving post)

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda or other liquid sweetener to taste

DIRECTIONS:  First, push a toothpick through the number of large berries you want to make.  Push through the stem scar but not quite all the way out the top.  Lay them aside until the chocolate sauce is made.  Set the lemon half cut side down on your serving plate and set aside.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat or use a makeshift double-boiler, where you put your saucepan down in a skillet of 1″ boiling water (that’s all a double boiler really is anyway).  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly in the hot melted oil/butter.  Add the chocolate chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.

ASSEMBLY:   Take each berry pick and dip the berry just deep enough into the chocolate sauce to coat the berry.  Lift carefully straight up and let it drip, rolling to even the chocolate as evenly as you can get it.  When it appears to be stopped dripping, carefully poke the berry pick into the lemon half.  Repeat for all berries.  It will take about ½ tsp. chocolate sauce to coat each berry. Refrigerate any leftover sauce for future use on more berries or for a chocolate shell coating for vanilla ice cream bars.  Pop the plate into the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes so the chocolate can harden.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, ENJOY!  These should pretty much go from fridge to mouth or they will melt, so it’s not really a good party food siting around on a buffet table.  They are best served right from the fridge.

VARIATIONS:   Big fresh strawberries, pineapple chunks, or orange segments with outer skin/membrane removed.

NUTRITIONAL INFO (sauce only):  Makes about 1¼ cups sauce (20 T.= 60 tsp.).  Each tsp. should coat 1-2 berries.  The berry will add another 0.2 net carbs.  Each teaspoon of sauce contains

19 cals, 1.79g fat, 0.55g carbs, 0.21g fiber, 0.34g NET CARBS (the blueberry adds 0.2 g additional net carbs, so one berry treat has 0.56 NET CARBS total), 0.2 g  protein

 

Chocolate Delights

 I saw a recipe for chocolate/coconut candy this week and got the idea to come up with a similar sweet that packed a little more fiber and nutrients.  My mother-in-law used to make a similar no-bake candy, but hers had rolled oats in it.

This recipe is not suitable for Induction, but you may enjoy it once you get to the seed/nuts rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb-reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3  c. coconut, unsweetened, toasted in oven first

4 T. melted butter

24 drops liquid Splenda or liquid stevia (or to taste)

1 tsp. erythritol

4 T. cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 T. roasted pumpkin seeds

2 T. sunflower seeds

VARIATION:  Adding chopped nuts of your choice would be a nice touch as well, but be sure to add that to your nutritional info if you add nuts.  If you are in maintenance, a few finely chopped raisins added to this recipe is very good, say 2-3 tablespoons.  Be sure to recalculate macros if you make any changes.

DIRECTIONS: Toast coconut in 350º for about 5-8 minutes.  As ovens vary, check often lest you burn it.  In medium bowl, melt the butter in microwave.  Stir in cocoa powder and erythritol, stirring until smooth.  Add coconut and all remaining ingredients and blend well.  Drop onto parchment paper, silicon mat or plate, piling into six clusters.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes to set up.  ENJOY!  Store leftovers in refrigerator or freezer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings.  Each serving (as written) contains:

133 cals, 13.1g fat, 3.97g carbs, 2.03g fiber, 1.94g NET CARBS, 3g protein, 32 mg sodium

Chocolate Shell

This recipe is ideal for making a chocolate shell for ice cream bars and a variety of chocolate candies.  The sky is the limit on how it can be used for candy making, including multi-layer candies.  Pictured above are bite-size sweets made with (left) peanuts, (center) coconut-pecan, and (right) almond-dried cranberries.  Since what you add to your chocolate will vary, the nutritional information will vary.  Therefore I am providing just the counts for the chocolate coating mixture.  you will then have to add the nuts or fruits you add to each piece for an accurate count. This recipe is chilled to set, but it keeps at room temperature for a fairly long period, so you can serve these creations at parties without fear they will melt on the plate. Just pop any leftovers back in the fridge for longer term storage.  They should freeze OK, too.  🙂

This recipe is suitable (as written) for all phases of Atkins.  Once you reach Atkins Phase 2 OWL, you can add nuts, coconut meat, fruit bits or whatever is allowed on your eating plan to your candies.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE SHELL COATING:

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips (I use Hershey’s)

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 squares Lindt 90% chocolate)

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda (or 2 tsp.vanilla sugar-free syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  Set silicone candy molds on a sheet pan.  Place your nuts, coconut, or fruit bits into each of 48 silicone candy form cups.  Next, in double boiler or a small saucepan over another pan containing boiling water, melt the butter and coconut oil.  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly.  Add the chocolate chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.  It should make a smooth, silky (not lumpy) chocolate sauce.  Dip 1 tsp. of sauce onto each candy mold slot.  There should be enough to do all 48 slots.  Then go back and put any remaining sauce as equally on the 48 candies as possible, using it all up.  The chocolate will run down around the nuts/fruit and make a solid piece of candy once chilled.  If making a smaller batch, refrigerate (or freeze) any leftover sauce in a zip plastic bag for future use.  Pop the sheet pan into the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, pop ’em out from the bottom and ENJOY!  The chocolate will not totally melt if at room, but don’t leave them out for hours.  The chocolate WILL melt under the heat of your fingers if held too long.

NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR SAUCE:  Makes about 1¼ cups or 20 T. (60 tsp.).  This will be enough for 48 1″ candies.  Each tsp. contains:

19 calories, 1.79 g  fat, 0.55 g  carbs,0 .21 g fiber, 0.34 NET CARBS, 0.20 g  protein, < 1 mg. sodium

Butter Pecan Toffee Candy

This recipe was inspired by two different low-carb toffee recipes: one called Toffee, by Pami on now-closed Low-Carb Friends forums; one called Heath Bar Candy by Elaine Smith, also on the same closed forums.   I first tried Elaine’s recipe and it basically failed on me, in that when the boiled sugar mix reached the “brown paper bag color” specified in the recipe, I don’t think it had cooked long enough, so the final candy was too grainy and fragile when I tried to get it out of the pan.  Just wasn’t cohesive enough.

So as not to waste the nuts, I basically reheated the candy so I could strain out the pecans and recooked the sugar mix longer, but also decided to add in a little polydextrose, as Pami does in her recipe.  If unfamiliar with polydextrose, you can read about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydextrose I added a few other things as well.  This time I boiled the candy until it would form a nearly firm ball, but still stretchy/pliable, like a stiff caramel or SloPoke candy bar being stretched out (if you ever ate one of those).  In other words, I cooked it to “just short of hard ball stage” in candy making terms, or around 300º-310º on a candy thermometer.  Hard ball stage would end up like peanut brittle, and you definitely don’t want it that hard.

So cooking longer seems to have been what was needed!  The result is very tasty (I’m munching down on it as I type this.  Mmmm.)  The texture is just about like the toffee center of a Heath® bar.  This batch came out VERY close to my Mom’s sugar-based Butter Brickle Candy she made at Christmas every year!  This recipe is not acceptable until the nuts and seeds rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.

Our latest three volumes of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks are calling you.  Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is hot off the press with more delectable goodies.  Special Christmas prices as low as $9.77 on some books (free shipping in USA).  Hurry and place your order today for any of our cookbooks at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leave a review here.

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. erythritol, powdered

2 T. hazelnut sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

2 T. caramel sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

¼ tsp. vanilla

2 sticks butter, unsalted (8 oz.)

2 T. water

Dash salt

1/2 c.+ 2 T. polydextrose

2 c. pecan halves, chopped coarsely

DIRECTIONS:  Liberally butter a 12½ x 17½ sheet pan (even if it is non-stick, butter the pan!).  Chop the pecans and place in a bowl and set by the stove top.  Powder the erythritol in a food processor if you are using granular.  Using a large saucepan (3-4 qt.), melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Place a saucer of cold water beside the stove. Add the erythritol,  polydextrose, vanilla, both syrups, water and salt to the saucepan and whip with a whisk.  It will eventually get smooth (add a T. more water if not) as you bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.  As with most candy-making, you should stir the mixture continuously throughout the preferably with a whisk.  The mixture will slowly change from a slightly yellowish color to a tan and eventually dark caramel color when it is ready.  When the color starts to go browner, drop a few drops of mix in the water and see if it will clump together when you try to form a ball with your finger.  If it won’t, keep cooking and stirring.  Repeat the ball test in fresh water again in a few minutes.    When it will come together and form a ball or clump that feels pretty stiff but is still a little pliable, the mixture has cooked long enough.  Remove from heat.

Very quickly stir in the chopped pecans.  Working just as fast as you can, pour it onto the greased sheet pan, spreading quickly with a rubber spatula out to the edges of the pan.  It will set up real fast, so you really must work quickly.   I have never been able to work fast enough to be able to mark off square pieces with a knife, but maybe you’re faster than I.  🙂  When it is fully set (about an hour) , lift it up with the edge of a metal spatula and break into pieces.  Store in a VERY air-tight container at room temperature, as humidity (even in a refrigerator) really messes this candy up.  It will get softer and grainy if it gets damp.  If in an air-tight enough container, I found mine got a little more brittle on day 2, which pleased me greatly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Because I can’t know how your pieces will break up, an exact nutritional count is virtually impossible for this candy.   So I will give you the info for the entire pan full and you will have to estimate based on your number of pieces.  I got around 100 1″ pieces, maybe more, I’d guess, which made mine averaged around .18 net carbs per piece, or 5 pieces for 1 NC.  Some pieces broke small, some broke off larger.   Although per piece counts are impossible, clearly the count is so low (since polydextrose is full of deductible fiber), I never worry about it. Basically only the pecans really rack up the few carbs that are in this.

Entire batch:  3233 cals, 339g fat, 139g carbs, 121g fiber, 18g NET CARBS (for the entire batch!!), 22g  protein, 199 mg sodium

Rum Balls

 

I modified my old rum ball recipe to be suited to a low-carb lifestyle and they taste just like the rum balls my mother made when I was growing up.  I’m hosting one course of our annual neighborhood round-robin dinner this week (20 people) and these will be on the goodie table for sure.  These are not acceptable for Induction unless you leave out the rum, which kinda takes most of of the flavor away, honestly.

Our latest three volumes of LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS cookbooks are calling you.  Volume 8 and Volume 9 are almost exclusively comprised of my recipes!  Included in both editions are a few tasty new creations of my dear friends George Stella and Jennifer Eloff.   Volume 10 is hot off the press with more delectable goodies for your holiday entertaining.  Special Christmas pricing as low as $9.77 on some books (free shipping in USA).  Hurry and place your order today at https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php.  When you purchase our books, we would sure appreciate you stopping by Amazon to leave a review here.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ c. almond meal

¼ c. unflavored whey protein

1 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

½ c. cocoa, sifted

¼ c. erythritol, sifted

4 T. melted butter

14 drops liquid sweetener of your choice (I use EZ Sweets)

2 T. rum  (or bourbon, if you prefer)

FOR OUTER COATING: 2 T. more erythritol + ½ c. more finely chopped walnuts or pecans mixed together in a small bowl.

DIRECTIONS: Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add liquid sweetener and rum to melted butter and stir into batter until well mixed.  It should begin to form a smooth batter.  Spoon up and using hands, form into eighteen ¾-1″ balls.  To finish them off, roll around in pecan coating (I found I had to press firmly onto surface) for as even a coating as you can get.  Store in air-tight container with wax paper between layers.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.  These can be frozen.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 balls, each containing:

136 cals, 12g fat, 3.75g carbs, 1.71g fiber, 2.04g NET CARBS, 4 mg. sodium

Chocolate Shell

This recipe is ideal for making a chocolate shell for ice cream bars and a variety of chocolate candies.  The sky is the limit on how it can be used for candy making, including multi-layer candies.  Pictured above are bite-size sweets made with (left) peanuts, (center) coconut-pecan, and (right) almond-dried cranberries.  Since what you add to your chocolate will vary, the nutritional information will vary.  Therefore I am providing just the counts for the chocolate coating mixture.  you will then have to add the nuts or fruits you add to each piece for an accurate count. This recipe is chilled to set, but it keeps at room temperature for a fairly long period, so you can serve these creations at parties without fear they will melt on the plate. Just pop any leftovers back in the fridge for longer term storage.  They should freeze OK, too.  🙂

This recipe is suitable (as written) for all phases of Atkins.  Once you reach Atkins Phase 2 OWL, you can add nuts, coconut meat, fruit bits or whatever is allowed on your eating plan to your candies.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE SHELL COATING:

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips (I use Hershey’s)

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 squares Lindt 90% chocolate)

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda (or 2 tsp.vanilla sugar-free syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  Set silicone candy molds on a sheet pan.  Place your nuts, coconut, or fruit bits into each of 48 silicone candy form cups.  Next, in double boiler or a small saucepan over another pan containing boiling water, melt the butter and coconut oil.  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly.  Add the choco chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.  It should make a smooth, silky (not lumpy) chocolate sauce.  Dip 1 tsp. of sauce onto each candy mold slot.  There should be enough to do all 48 slots.  Then go back and put any remaining sauce as equally on the 48 candies as possible, using it all up.  The chocolate will run down around the nuts/fruit and make a solid piece of candy once chilled.  If making a smaller batch, refrigerate (or freeze) any leftover sauce in a ziploc plastic bag for future use.  Pop the sheet pan into the refrigerator for about 15-30 minutes.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, pop ’em out from the bottom and ENJOY!  The chocolate will not totally melt if at room, but don’t leave them out for hours.  The chocolate WILL melt under the heat of your fingers if held too long.

NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR SAUCE:  Makes about 1¼ cups or 20 T. (60 tsp.).  This will be enough for 48 1″ candies.  Each tsp. contains:

19 calories, 1.79 g  fat, 0.55 g  carbs,0 .21 g fiber, 0.34 NET CARBS, 0.20 g  protein, < 1 mg. sodium

Rum Balls

I modified my mother’s favorite rum ball recipe that I have always made for the holidays.  My new low-carb version is quite tasty!  They look and taste just like the originals, in fact.  These tasty treats are not acceptable for Atkins Induction unless you leave out the rum, which sort of takes away the best flavor, sadly.  But as a chocolate/nut confection, they are still a treat……..just not spiked.  🙂

Many delicious low-carb recipes like this can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends (me included).  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

VARIATION:  Use bourbon instead of rum.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ c. almond meal

¼ c. unflavored whey protein

1 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

½ c. cocoa, sifted

¼ c. erythritol, sifted

4 T. melted butter

14 drops liquid sweetener of your choice (I use EZSweets)

2 T. rum

FOR OUTER COATING: 2 T. more erythritol + ½ c. more finely chopped walnuts or pecans mixed together in a small bowl.

DIRECTIONS: Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add liquid sweetener and rum to melted butter and stir into batter until well mixed.  It should begin to form a smooth batter.  Spoon up and using hands, form into eighteen ¾-1″ balls.  To finish them off, roll around in pecan coating (I found I had to press firmly onto surface) for as even a coating as you can get.  Store in air-tight container with wax paper between layers.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.  These can be frozen.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 balls, each containing:

136 calories, 12 g  fat, 3.75 g  carbs, 1.71 g  fiber, 2.04 g  NET CARBS, 4 mg. sodium

Lime Chocolate Candy

You know those cute little chocolate confections you always see at Christmas time in a box that are shaped like an orange cut into wedges just like an orange?  The most popular selling flavor is the chocolate orange.  But this one company used to also make these in LIME (though shaped like an orange) and man, oh, MAN, that one was to die for!  I bought one every year!!  Then all of a sudden in around 2008, I could no longer find it anywhere to save my life!!  Not even at Cost Plus World Market Imports, where they still carried the orange and raspberry ones.  World Market told me they thought the lime variety (and most of their flavors) had been discontinued.

So I decided to try to make something similar today myself, as we just loved that lime candy!  Just made my basic low-carb chocolate bark recipe and just added one of my favorite citrus flavorings:  Boyajian Lime Oil.  BAM!  That’s real close to the chocolate limes I’m remembering!!  If you’re not familiar with Boyajian Citrus Oils, you’ve just GOT to get the Mini Box of lemon, lime and orange.  They are fantastic and last a very long time, as you use so little in a recipe (couple drops).  Best $10 you’ll ever spend in the kitchen!

This recipe is suitable for all phases of Atkins, Keto diets and Paleo-Primal if you use ghee for the butter.

More delicious low-carb sweet treats can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented chefs to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in her cookbooks!  Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks unsalted butter

1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted

12-16 drops liquid Splenda (I used 16 because I like my candy sweet)

1 pkt. stevia

1/8 tsp. Boyajian Lime Oil

DIRECTIONS:   Place butter in 8×11″ metal baking pan and pop into oven at 350º until butter is just melted.  Remove and stir in lime oil and liquid sweetener.  Mix well.  You can either wait and add the stevia later, to taste, or go on and add it now to the cocoa powder in a small bowl.  Sift the mixture over the butter surface.  Using a rubber spatula, stir well, pressing out any cocoa lumps that form.  From here, you have two options.  Either pop pan into freezer on level surface for about 30 minutes.  OR you can pour mixture carefully into silicone candy molds totally 48 pieces.  If done in the pan, cut into exactly 48 pieces (6×8) and using a thin metal spatula, gently lift out each piece to a lidded storage container.   If using molds, pop each piece out and place in a lidded storage container.  Must be stored in refrigerator (or freezer) at all times.  Eat them fast or it will melt in your fingers, but that’s not a problem for me!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 48 pieces, each contains:

35 calories, 3.88 g  fat, 0.26 g  carbs, 0.13 g  fiber, 0.13 g  NET CARBS, 0.12 g  protein, 1 mg. sodium

Fruit and Nut Clusters

Decided to take healthy nuts and seeds and combine them much like one would make a pecan pie for a pop-in-your-mouth morsel that would be both filling and tasty.  But mine has no crust!  These came out quite tasty and I suspect they will keep well in the fridge or freezer.  These sweet treats are not suitable until you have transitioned to Phase 2 OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss) of Atkins.  They are acceptable for Keto diets if the carbs will fit your daily limits.  Primal and Paleo folks will want to use real honey and real maple syrup.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own cookbooks from LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS, by Jennifer Eloff and low-carb friends.  Chef George Stella also brings you a wealth of delicious recipes you will love!  Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php.DISCLAIMER: I do not accept payment for this book promotion. I promote the books because they are GREAT cookbooks anyone would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

5  Del Monte brand dried prunes, chopped (no added sugar)

1 c. whole almonds

½ c. pecan halves

½ c. walnut pieces

1/3 c. each hemp hearts, raw pumpkin seeds, roasted sunflower seeds

¼ c. sugar free maple syrup (I use Cary’s)

¼ c. sugar free honey  (Click here for recipe for homemade Sugar-Free Honey for lower carbs)

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. pure stevia (optional for sweeter result)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Dash sea salt

2 large eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Place 36 paper liners into 36 slots of mini-muffin pans.  Measure out all nuts and seeds into a large mixing bowl.  Add the vanilla, maple syrup,  honey and chopped prunes. Stir to mix well and coat dry ingredients with the wet.  Sprinkle on the cinnamon, stevia and salt.  Add the eggs to the edge of the bowl, beat and stir the eggs into the nut mixture well using a rubber spatula.  Using a soup spoon, spoon about 1T. mixture into each slot.  Evenly spoon any left on the tops.  Slightly tamp mixture down into the paper liner with the back of your spoon. Pop into 350º oven for about 15 minutes or until any egg coating appears to be dry and set.  Remove and cool.    Store in a lidded container in fridge or freezer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 36 clusters, each contains:

83 calories

6.9 g fat

3.08 g carbs, 1.39 g fiber, 1.69 g NET CARBS

3 g protein

29 mg sodium

 

 

Chocolate Blueberries

Chocolate Blueberries

There’s no law says you have to do chocolate covered STRAWBERRIES for your special occasions.  Other berries will work, too!  Today, I had big, plump blueberries in the fridge :).

This recipe makes a pretty big batch of the chocolate sauce, around 1¼ cups, so I’m providing the per teaspoon nutritional info.  One teaspoon will definitely coat 1 blueberry, maybe even two.  This recipe is suitable once you reach the berries level of Phase 2 Atkins or for Keto diets as well.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS. She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS/NEEDS:

Some toothpicks

Fresh blueberries (pick the biggest ones in the carton)

Half lemon, orange or apple for your serving “holder”

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda or other liquid sweetener

DIRECTIONS:  First, push a toothpick through the number of berries you want to make.  Push through the stem scar but not quite all the way out the top.  Lay them aside until the chocolate sauce is made.  Set the lemon half on your serving plate and set aside also.

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and coconut oil in a double boiler over medium heat or use a makeshift double-boiler, where you put your saucepan down in a skillet of 1″ boiling water (that’s all a double boiler really is anyway).  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly in the hot melted oil/butter.  Add the chocolate chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.

ASSEMBLY:   Take each berry pick and dip the berry just deep enough into the chocolate sauce to coat the berry.  Lift carefully straight up and let it drip, rolling to even the chocolate as evenly as you can get it.  When it appears to be stopped dripping, carefully poke the berry pick into the lemon half.  Repeat for all berries.  It will take about ½ tsp. chocolate sauce to coat each berry. Refrigerate any leftover sauce for future use on more berries or for a chocolate shell coating for vanilla ice cream bars.  Pop the plate into the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes so the chocolate can harden.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, ENJOY!  These should pretty much go from fridge to mouth or they will melt, so it’s not really a good party food to sit around for long on a buffet table.

VARIATIONS:   Big fresh strawberries, pineapple chunks, or orange segments with outer skin/membrane removed.

NUTRITIONAL INFO (sauce only):  Makes about 1¼ cups sauce (20 T.= 60 tsp.).  Each tsp. should coat 1-2 berries.  The berry will add another 0.2 net carbs.  Each teaspoon of sauce contains

19 cals, 1.79g fat, 0.55g carbs, 0.21g fiber, 0.34g NET CARBS (the blueberry adds 0.2 g additional net carbs, so one berry treat has 0.56 NET CARBS total), 0.2 g  protein

 

Banana-Coco-Nutty Candy

Banana-Coco-Nutty Candy

I don’t eat many sweets, but when I do, it’s usually candy or pure chocolate.  I got to thinking about my Peanutty Coconut Candy yesterday and wondered what it would be like with banana in it.  So I mashed one of the beautiful bananas I bought at the store yesterday morning and just took equal amounts of the main ingredients I wanted to include and formed some of the tastiest candies!  They are very filling, too, and one takes the edge off my occasional sweet tooth.  I think I may even like this version better than the original peanut-coconut version!  After popping the candies out of the mold slots, I decided to store them in a zip-loc bag in the freezer.  They don’t get hard, just firm and chewy, so they can be eaten right out of the freezer!

I used 1″ square silicone candy molds to make mine,  but you could also just roll into balls and if desired, coat with more dessicated coconut.  You could also roll into balls and flatten into hockey puck disks.  Or you might roll then into little logs and coat with finely chopped peanuts!  HAVE FUN SHAPING THEM!

These are not suitable until the higher fruit rung of the Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Mainitenance Phase.  They are suitable for Keto diets as well.   The sweetener would have to be modified for this to be acceptable for Primal-Paleo.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS: 

1     6-oz. banana, mashed

1 c. dessicated coconut (unsweetened)

1 c. natural peanut butter (I use Laura Scudder)

3/4 c. erythritol (or other sweetener to equal 3/4 c. sugar)

2 pkts. stevia (I used NuNaturals)

DIRECTIONS:   Using a fork, mash the banana in the bottom of a mixing bowl.  I added the juice of a wedge of lemon to prevent darkening, as candy is slow to be eaten in my house.  Add the peanut butter and stir well to blend.

Add coconut and blend it into the mixture until all ingredients are uniformly mixed.  Press into silicone molds, pressing down firmly.  Set mold on a flat pan and place in freezer for about 2 hours.   The mixture will make 28 small 1″ candies of about 1½-2 T. of the mixture.   Your numbers may vary, so I will provide the nutritional values for the entire recipe so you can calculate your per piece figures from the number you get.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    (does not include any additional coconut/peanut coating)  Entire recipe contains 3,034 calories, 239 g  fat, 133 g. carbs, 48.3 g fiber, 84.7 g. NET CARBS, 95.7 g. protein.

If yield is 28 pieces, each piece contains:

108 calories

8.55 g  fat

4.75 g  carbs, 1.72 g  fiber, 3.03 g  NET CARBS

3.41 g  protein

37 mg sodium

 

Rum Balls

Low-Carb Rum Balls

I have modified my traditional rum ball recipe I always do for the holidays and the low-carb version is VERY tasty.  These can also be made up as Bourbon Balls. I was amazed that they taste just like my tried-and-true original recipe!  They were a regular in my house when I was a child and they’ll make a wonderful addition to your Holiday candy tray! These are not acceptable for Atkins Induction Phase.  They are OK for all other phases and for Keto dieters as well.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS. She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and other wonderful cooks to bring you a wealth of recipes you will love! Some of my low-carb creations appear in each of the 5 volumes! Order yours TODAY! from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: By personal choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein. I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ c. almond meal

¼ c. plain whey protein

1 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

½ c. cocoa, sifted

¼ c. powdered erythritol, sifted

4 T. melted butter

14 drops liquid sweetener (I use EZSweets in the large bottle)

2 T. rum

FOR OUTER COATING: 2 T. more erythritol + ½ c. more finely chopped walnuts or pecans mixed together in a small bowl.

DIRECTIONS: Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add liquid sweetener and rum to melted butter and stir into batter until well mixed.  It should begin to form a smooth batter.  Spoon up and using hands, form into eighteen ¾-1″ balls.  To finish them off, roll around in pecan coating (I found I had to press firmly onto surface) for as even a coating as you can get.  Store in air-tight container with wax paper between layers.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.  These can be frozen.

VARIATION:  For Bourbon Balls, use an equivalent amount of bourbon for the rum.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 balls, each containing:

136 calories

12 g  fat

3.75 g  carbs, 1.71 g  fiber, 2.04 g  NET CARBS

3.21 g  protein

4 mg. sodium

Coconut-Apricot Candy

Click to enlarge

I took as my inspiration for this candy the coconut filling portion of Julie Bauer’s Coconut Klondike Bites at PaleOMG:  http://paleomg.com/coconut-klondike-bites/.  I used BOTH coconut cream and coconut butter in my filling, however.  I also don’t like chocolate as much as I like fruit, I so made my candy with no chocolate layer and just just sandwiched a bit of dried, unsweetened apricot between two layers of the coconut base filling.  Dried peaches would also work in this candy, but you’d have to cut those into probably 6 pieces (perhaps more), as some brands are considerably larger than the apricots.  Be sure you are using, no-sugar-added fruit and that ALL your ingredients are at room temperature so the coconut oil stays soft while you stir these up.  This candy is suitable for OWL Atkins phase and above, as well as Paleo/Primal followers.

INGREDIENTS:

1½ c. dessicated, unsweetened coconut (room temperature)

½ c. coconut cream (room temperature)

¼ c. coconut butter (room temperature)

½ c. coconut oil (room temperature)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. almond extract

12 dried apricots, unsweetened, pitted, torn in halves

Optional:  sweetener of your choice (I used 2 pkts. stevia)

Optional:  pecan halves or whole almonds to top

DIRECTIONS:  Make sure your dessicated coconut, if you keep it in the freezer as I do, is at room temperature and that your coconut oil is also, better yet, liquid.  I did not and my coconut oil instantly got hard on me and I had to wait 30 minutes to finish making my candy.  Duh.  Another coconut oil lesson learned.  🙂

In a medium mixing bowl, place the coconut and coconut butter.  Fork them together.  Stir the extracts into the coconut oil and add.  Also add the coconut cream at this time and blend all with your fork until it is smooth.    Place 24 candy paper/foil liners in a mini-muffin pan (or use silicon candy molds/cups if you have them).  Using a measuring teaspoon, scoop out 1 tsp. coconut filling into each candy cup.  This will use up half your filling.  Using a plastic glove or a sandwich baggie, press the filling evenly into the cups with your fingers.  Place an apricot half on each piece of candy.  Again using your measuring teaspoon, scoop another teaspoon of the coconut filling on top of the apricot pieces.  With a plastic glove, press that evenly down onto the candy.  Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and ENJOY!  As with most low-carb candies, keep refrigerated until ready to eat, or the coconut oil will melt in your hands.  Press an almond or pecan half into the tops if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 24 pieces, each contains (not including any nuts on top):

111 calories

10.8 g  fat

4.09 g  carbs, 1.55 g  fiber, 2.54 g  NET CARBS

.62 g  protein

9.92 mg sodium

70.2 mg potassium

<10% all other macronutrients

Peach Melba

Peach Melba

I remember a Russell Stover specialty candy they made many, many years ago.  It was called “Peach Melba”.  It consisted of a wonderful peach/coconut filling covered in rich dark chocolate.  Don’t know if they still make that candy anymore or not.  My Mom loved that candy so much, we’d walk into the Russell Stover candy shop and she’d buy it 2 or 3 pounds at a time!  Dad loved it, too.  In fact, she decided to come up with her own recipe so she could make it at home.  Hers truly rivaled Russell Stover’s!!    But she no longer has that recipe. So I just had to try something similar (low-carb of course).  My hubby isn’t so fond of coconut, so I didn’t put the large coconut chip onto these as I had wanted.

My favorite dried fruits have always been dried apricots and peaches but they’re both fairly high in carbs.  You sure can’t eat many of them on a low-carb diet. But I thought maybe just a very small piece of fruit, a big nut and just a whisper of delicious chocolate might make a wonderful confection worthy of serving during the holidays, without breaking the carb “bank”.   These came out GREAT!  I also did some with dried prunes, which I freely admit came out even better than the apricot version!  Next time I’m going to put a thin slice of fresh coconut between the fruit and nut on some of these, for ME.  I LOVE coconut!

This recipe makes a pretty big batch of the chocolate sauce, around 1¼ cups, so I’m providing the per teaspoon nutritional info and you’ll have to calculate your per serving candy figures because that depends on which fruit you pick, how many you eat or if the sauce is used in other dessert applications how much you used on each serving of that recipe.  This recipe is not suitable until you are way up on the fruits rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL or Maintenance.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE SHELL COATING:

1 c. sugar free chocolate chips

1 square unsweetened baking chocolate (or 4 squares Lindt 90% chocolate)

¼ c. melted butter

1 T. coconut oil (or 1 T. more butter)

6 drops liquid Splenda (or 2 tsp.vanilla sugar-free syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  First, cut each dried peach in half and with your fingers or a knife tip, butterfly each half out flat.  Set each piece sticky side up on a small baking sheet (I used a small 11 x 7″ pan as I was just making 10 pieces total).  Cut each dried prune into 3 pieces.  Butterfly them open and place sticky side up onto your pan.  Press 1 almond (or walnut half, or pecan half) on top of each piece of fruit, pressing firmly enough so that the sticky fruit “grabs’ onto the nut and holds is firmly in place.

Next, in a small saucepan, melt the butter in either a double boiler over medium heat.  You can use a makeshift one, where you put your saucepan down in a skillet of 1” boiling water (that’s all a double boiler really is anyway).  Add the square of chocolate and melt slowly.  Add the chips, stirring constantly so the chocolate will stay smooth.  You can add more butter (or coconut oil) in small increments if your chocolate is too thick to be like a nice chocolate sauce.  Melting/smoothness qualities vary from brand to brand, in my opinion.

ASSEMBLY:   Stir the warm chocolate sauce again and with a small spoon, dip about ½ tsp. of sauce onto each candy.  Refrigerate or freeze any leftover sauce for future use on more candy recipes or for a chocolate shell coating for vanilla ice cream bars.  Pop the pan into the refrigerator or freezer for about 10-15 minutes.  When the chocolate is hard to the touch, ENJOY!  The chocolate will melt if at room/hand temperature too long, so these should pretty much go from fridge to mouth, but that shouldn’t be a problem for any of you.   Never has been for me either.  LOL

VARIATIONS:   Dried apricots, dried prunes, coconut chips, almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, dried cherries.

NUTRITIONAL INFO FOR SAUCE:  Makes about 1¼ cups or 20 T. (60 tsp.).  Each tsp. contains:

19 calories

1.79 g  fat

.55 g  carbs, .21 g fiber, .34 NET CARBS

.20 g  protein

< 1 mg. sodium

To help you calculate your per serving info I’m providing below the details on the various dried fruit and nets below:

Butter Pecan Candy

Butter Pecan Candy

This recipe was inspired by two different low-carb toffee recipes: one called Toffee, by Pami on now-closed Low-Carb Friends forums; one called Heath Bar Candy by Elaine Smith, also on the same closed forums.   I first tried Elaine’s recipe and it basically failed on me, in that when the boiled sugar mix reached the “brown paper bag color” specified in the recipe, I don’t think it had cooked long enough, so the final candy was too grainy and fragile when I tried to get it out of the pan.  Just wasn’t cohesive enough.

So as not to waste the nuts, I basically reheated the candy so I could strain out the pecans and recooked the sugar mix longer, but also decided to add in a little polydextrose, as Pami does in her recipe.  If unfamiliar with polydextrose, you can read about it here:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydextrose I added a few other things as well.  This time I boiled the candy until it would form a nearly firm, but still stretchy/pliable, like a stiff caramel or SloPoke candy bar being stretched out (if you ever ate one of those).  In other words, I cooked it to “just short of hard ball stage” in candy making terms, or around 300º-310º on a candy thermometer.   Hard ball stage would end up it like peanut brittle, and you definitely don’t want it that hard.

So cooking longer seems to have been what was needed!  The result is not only very tasty (I’m munching down on it as I type this.  Mmmm.)  The texture is just about like the toffee center of a Heath® bar.  This batch came out VERY close to my Mom’s sugar-based Butter Brickle Candy she mades at Christmas every year!  This recipe is not acceptable until the nuts and seeds rung of Atkins Phase 2 OWL.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. erythritol, powdered

2 T. hazelnut sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

2 T. caramel sugar-free syrup (DaVinci or Torani)

¼ tsp. vanilla

2 sticks butter, unsalted (8 oz.)

2 T. water

Dash salt

1/2 c.+ 2 T. polydextrose

2 c. pecan halves, chopped coarsely

DIRECTIONS:  Liberally butter a 12½ x 17½ sheet pan (even if it is non-stick, butter the pan!).  Chop the pecans and place in a bowl and set by the stove top.  Powder the erythritol in a food processor if you are using granular.  Using a large saucepan (3-4 qt.), melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Place a saucer of cold water beside the stove. Add the erythritol,  polydextrose, vanilla, both syrups, water and salt to the saucepan and whip with a whisk.  It will eventually get smooth (add a T. more water if not) as you bring it to a boil over medium-high heat.  As with most candy-making, you should stir the mixture continuously throughout the preferably with a whisk.  The mixture will slowly change from a slightly yellowish color to a tan and eventually dark caramel color when it is ready.  When the color starts to go browner, drop a few drops of mix in the water and see if it will clump together when you try to form a ball with your finger.  If it won’t, keep cooking and stirring.  Repeat the ball test in fresh water again in a few minutes.    When it will come together and form a ball or clump that feels pretty stiff but is still a little pliable, the mixture has cooked long enough.  Remove from heat.  Very quickly stir in the chopped pecans.  Working just as fast as you can, pour it onto the greased sheet pan, spreading quickly with a rubber spatula out to the edges of the pan.  It will set up real fast, so you really must work quickly.   I have never been able to work fast enough to be able to mark off square pieces with a knife, but maybe you’re faster than I.  🙂  When it is fully set (about an hour) , lift it up with the edge of a metal spatula and break into pieces.  Store in a VERY air-tight container at room temperature, as humidity (even in a refrigerator) really messes this candy up.  It will get softer and grainy if it gets damp.  If in an air-tight enough container, I found mine got a little more brittle on day 2, which pleased me greatly.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Because I can’t know how your pieces will break up, an exact nutritional count is virtually impossible for this candy.   So I will give you the info for the entire pan full and you will have to estimate based on your number of pieces.  I got around 100 1″ pieces, maybe more, I’d guess, which made mine averaged around .18 net carbs per piece, or 5 pieces for 1 NC.  Some pieces broke small, some broke off larger.   Although per piece counts are impossible, clearly the count is so low (since polydextrose is full of deductible fiber), I never worry about it. Basically only the pecans really rack up the few carbs that are in this.

Entire batch:

3233 calories

339 g  fat

139 carbs, 121 g  fiber, only 18 NET CARBS (for the entire batch!!)

22 g  protein

199 mg sodium

939 mg potassium

Toasted Coconut Candy

I try to incorporate coconut oil into my diet every single day as it has so many health benefits.  The ever popular Fat Bombs all over the internet gave me this idea.    What a delicious way to boost one’s intake of coconut oil!   I keep these at the ready in the freezer.   They can eaten right from the freezer, as they don’t get completely hard.  These are so good it can be tricky just eating ONE!   This candy reminds me a lot of those tiny, rich butter mints I had as a child, only these are cherry-coconut-almond flavored!  Mmmmm So good!

This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction.  Wait until you get to the nuts and seeds level of Atkins Phase 2 for these tasty babies.

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

¼ c. (1 oz.) desiccated, unsweetened coconut

¼ c. (1 oz.) desiccated, unsweetened coconut, TOASTED

½ c. coconut oil

1 oz. roasted almonds, ground coarsely

1 tsp. almond extract (makes the candy extra special)

3 T. coconut flour

¼ c. powdered erythritol (I powder in my food processor)

½ tsp. Fiberfit or other liquid sweetener of your choice (add slowly & taste as you go)

Tiny pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:  Toast ¼ cup coconut on a pan in a 400º oven for 5-6 minutes or until just golden.  Remove and cool.  Line an 8×11 pan with waxed paper large enough to hang over the side a bit, so you’ll have something to grab onto when this is set.   I speak from experience when I caution you to watch that coconut closely in the oven lest it burn.  I’ve burned several batches in my time getting distracted in the kitchen.  So I have learned to not start my recipes until the coconut has been safely removed from the oven.  🙂

In a mixing bowl, whip the soft cream cheese with a rubber spatula.  Add both the toasted and untoasted coconut, as well as the chopped almonds.  Stir well.  Next add the  salt, coconut flour, erythritol, Fiberfit and almond extract.    Add the coconut oil last.  Beat the candy well to make your best attempt to incorporate the oil into the candy.  When it is as blended as best you can get it, scrape it out onto the wax-paper lined pan.  Using your spatula or hands, spread the candy out as evenly as possible.  Some of the oil will rise to the top, but that’s OK, as it freezes and isn’t really seen or noticed on the finished candy.  Place pan on a level shelf/surface in your freezer 4-5 minutes.  Remove and cut into 48 pieces (6×8).  Return to the freezer for 30 minutes.  Remove and separate the pieces by lifting the waxed paper up and bending them apart.  This will melt/soften quickly, so do not leave it out of the freezer ahead of consuming.  Just take out what you are eating immediately.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    Makes 48 pieces that are about 1¼” square.  Each piece contains:

51.4 cals, 5.11 g fat, 1.06 g carbs, 0.6 g fiber, 0.46 NET CARBS, .72 g protein

Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark

 

Chocolate Coconut Almond Bark

Had to satisfy my sweet tooth today.  Just went and made up a batch of this.  Quick, easy and MmmMmmMmm Good! This has less than .5 net carbs per piece!  First chocolate/candy I’ve indulged in for ever so long.  I make desserts for my husband a lot, but rarely eat them beyond sampling to see if the recipe is worthy of posting here.  🙂  This candy is not suitable until the nuts & grains rung of the OWL ladder.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in the cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I do not get paid for this book promotion or for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. coconut oil

½ c. cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)

1 T. Fiberfit liquid sweetener (or equivalent sweetener for ½ c. granular Splenda)

10 drops liquid stevia (I use Stevita) or liquid Splenda

2 oz. almonds, coarsely ground

2 oz. (4 squares, or ½ bar) Lindt 90% cocoa dark chocolate

¼ c. unsweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS:  In 9×13 thin metal pan (or the metal lid for a 9×13 cake pan), toast the almonds at 350º for 10 minutes or so.  Stir 1-2 times during roasting.  Cool nuts and coarsely chop.  Warm the coconut oil and Lindt chocolate slightly in a mixing bowl in your microwave until melted/liquid.  Stir well.  Add the cocoa powder and all sweeteners, whisking until smooth.  Add coconut and stir once again.  Pour mixture onto the pan (or metal lid) and spread evenly to the edges of the pan with a rubber spatula.  Quickly sprinkle the chopped almonds evenly over the top.  Place the pan on a level shelf in the freezer for about 10 minutes.  Remove.  Either score into 48 pieces (6×8) or 60 pieces (6×10) or loosen by twisting pan at corners and break into small pieces.  Return to freezer for another 10 minutes or so.  Remove and run knife around outside edges.  With a spatula, gently remove the pieces and serve at once.  As this is freezer candy, it will melt quickly, so eat it quickly.  Don’t know about you, but that’s never really been a problem for me. 🙂  Store remainders in a ziploc bag so you can free up your pan for other uses.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Based on how you cut it:

For 48 pieces, each piece will have 71.5 calories, 7.58g fat, 1.33g carbs, .66g fiber, .67g NET CARBS, .58g protein

For 60 pieces, each piece will have 57.2 calories, 6.06g fat, 1.06 g carbs, .53 fiber, .53g NET CARBS, .47g protein

Chocolate Delights

 

Chocolate Delights

 I saw a recipe for chocolate/coconut candy this week and got the idea to come up with a similar sweet that packed a little more fiber and nutrients.  If you are in maintenance, a few finely chopped raisins added to this recipe would also be very good, say 2-3 tablespoons.  This recipe is not suitable for Induction, but you may enjoy it once you get to the seed/nuts rung of the OWL ladder.  Next time I’m going to toast the coconut first and see what that does! 🙂  Second batch demonstrated to me I definitely like these with toasted coconut better and am changing the recipe to read toasted coconut!  Adding chopped nuts of your choice would be a nice touch as well, but be sure to add that to your nutritional info if you add nuts.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS. She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and other wonderful cooks to bring you a wealth of recipes you will love! Many of my low-carb creations appear in the 10 volumes! Order yours TODAY! (special sale on the complete set right now) from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

1/3  c. coconut, unsweetened, toasted in oven first

4 T. melted butter

24 drops liquid Splenda or liquid stevia (or to taste)

1 tsp. erythritol

4 T. cocoa powder, unsweetened

2 T. roasted pumpkin seeds

2 T. sunflower seeds

DIRECTIONS: Toast coconut in 350º for about 5-8 minutes.  As ovens vary, check often lest you burn it.  In medium bowl, melt the butter in microwave.  Stir in cocoa powder and erythritol, stirring until smooth.  Add coconut and all remaining ingredients and blend well.  Drop onto parchment paper, silicon mat or plate, piling into six clusters.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes to set up.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 6 servings each contains:

133 calories

13.1 g  fat

3.97 g carbs, 2.03 g fiber, 1.94 NET CARBS

3.078 g protein

32 mg sodium

Almond Bark

Click to enlarge

Because this candy is made with coconut oil, it has a hint of coconut flavor.    This was the best low-carb chocolate I’ve made to date!  You could, if you don’t care for coconut flavor, also use melted butter instead of the coconut oil and have a product that tastes more like commercial almond bark.  Wait until OWL to enjoy this recipe.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS. She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try. Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: By personal choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein. I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection.

INGREDIENTS:

1¼ c. coconut oil, warmed

½ c. cocoa powder

1 T. Fiberfit liquid sweetener (or equivalent liquid sweetener for 1/2 c. granular Splenda)

10 drops liquid stevia or liquid EZ sweets

6 oz. almonds, roasted 10 minutes at 350º

4 squares (½ bar or about 2 oz) Lindt 90% cocoa dark chocolate bar

DIRECTIONS: In 9×13 metal cake pan (or the metal lid for a 9×13 cake pan is even better for twisting to release the sheet of candy when set up) toast almonds at 350º for 10-15 minutes, stirring several times during roasting.  Cool nuts.  In a medium bowl, warm the coconut oil (or melt butter) in the microwave a few seconds until melted.  In another bowl, melt the Lindt chocolate until softened.  Add in the cocoa powder, melted chocolate bar and sweeteners and whisk until smooth.  Pour mixture over the almonds in the metal pan/lid.  Using a rubber spatula or spoon, try to spread out the almonds evenly so there will be a nut in each piece of finished bark.  Place on level shelf in freezer for 10-15 minutes.  Remove from freezer.  Gently twist pan to loosen the sheet of candy and flip out onto you hand and set down on counter.  Break up in to approximately 1″ pieces.  I got 60 1-1½” pieces of candy with this recipe.

VARIATIONS:  You could add 1/2 c. toasted unsweetened coconut.  If you’re to the fruits rung of OWL or beyond, 1/2 c. chopped dried apricots or dried peaches, or any combination of these would be fantastic in this.    Recalculate nutritionals if you add these items, however.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes around 60 1-1½” pieces, each containing approximately:

62.4 calories

6.47 g  fat

1.2 g  carbs

.6 g  fiber

.6 g  NET CARBS

.83 g  protein

1 mg. sodium

Rum Balls

 

Click to enlarge

I modified my old rum ball recipe I always do for the holidays and the low-carb version is quite tasty.  They look and taste just like the original, in my opinion.  These are not acceptable for Induction unless you leave out the rum, which kinda takes most of of the flavor away, honestly.

INGREDIENTS:

¾ c. almond meal

¼ c. unflavored whey protein

1 c. finely chopped walnuts or pecans

½ c. cocoa, sifted

¼ c. erythritol, sifted

4 T. melted butter

14 drops liquid sweetener of your choice (I use EZSweets)

2 T. rum  (or bourbon, if you prefer)

FOR OUTER COATING: 2 T. more erythritol + ½ c. more finely chopped walnuts or pecans mixed together in a small bowl.

DIRECTIONS: Mix first 5 dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Add liquid sweetener and rum to melted butter and stir into batter until well mixed.  It should begin to form a smooth batter.  Spoon up and using hands, form into eighteen ¾-1″ balls.  To finish them off, roll around in pecan coating (I found I had to press firmly onto surface) for as even a coating as you can get.  Store in air-tight container with wax paper between layers.  Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.  These can be frozen.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 balls, each containing:

136 calories

12 g  fat

3.75 g  carbs

1.71 g  fiber

2.04 g  NET CARBS

4 mg. sodium

Spiced Nuts

Click to enlarge

I have always enjoyed making spiced nuts for the holidays both for home consumption, gifts and to take to the workplace.  They disappear in no time!  But my old recipe is made with real sugar and cinnamon, cooked to soft ball stage before coating the nuts.  But I’ve been tinkering around with my recipe and have come up with a low-carb version for those at Atkins OWL “nuts and seeds” phase and beyond.  These nuts are not only tasty, but a serving provides 55% of daily copper requirement, 32% vitamin E, 18% iron, 23% magnesium, 22% phosphorus and 17% riboflavin, along with a host of other good nutrients.  Not gonna lie and tell you these are as good as the original recipe, but they are a tasty, acceptable stand-in.

More delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends’ best-selling cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  She has collaborated with famous low-carb Chef George Stella and several other talented cooks to bring you a wealth of delicious recipes you are going to want to try.  Even a few of my recipes are in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

DISCLAIMER: I am not paid for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes therein.  I do so merely because they are GREAT cookbooks any low-carb cook would be proud to add to their cookbook collection

INGREDIENTS:

2 egg whites

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. Splenda

1 ½ c. pecan halves

1 ½ c. walnut halves

2 c. almonds

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 250º.  Grease a 13×14 sheet pan with butter.  In a large mixing bowl beat the egg whites with a whisk until they begin to get frothy.  Add cinnamon and Splenda and whisk a minute more.  Add nuts.  Using a rubber spatula, toss repeatedly until it appears all nuts are glistening with coating.  Pour onto greased pan and spread out evenly.   Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring the nuts once at the 20 minute mark.  Nuts will be dry to the touch when done so take out when they are totally dry.  You don’t want to overcook them or the pecans will get bitter.   Some nuts will have clumped  together and that’s normal, but I break apart any huge clumps.  Store in air-tight container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 16 servings that are just under 1/3 cup each:

253.3 Calories

23.6 g  fat

8.03 g  carbs, 3.96 g  fiber, 4.07  NET CARBS

7.10 g  protein

7.31 mg sodium

Peanutty Coconut Candy

 

These are very tasty and thanks to the protein, are quite filling!  I haven’t had this candy in many years and wanted something sweet today.   Got to wondering if I could come up with a recipe that is ANA acceptable, but not until OWL phase.  And I’ve come close.  This recipe tastes very similar, though texture is very different from the original crunchy, toasted coconut covered, Butterfinger-like candy I used to buy at the department store candy counters.  They used to sell this candy by-the-pound in old-fashioned candy stores many moons ago.    Kind of like the old Zagnut candy bars, if anyone is old enough to remember those.  It was always my favorite candy and I would ask Mom and Dad to buy me some when we went to Sears (giving my age away, but that was way back when Sears sold candy by the pound in all their stores).

This is not Induction friendly but you OWL folks can sure enjoy it!    I plan on adding this to my holiday candy platter!

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. vanilla whey protein

½ tsp. cinnamon

2 T. granular Splenda

½ c. unsweetened coconut

¼ c. chopped walnuts or pecans

4 T. melted butter

¼ c. natural peanut butter (I use Laura Scudders)

2 T. heavy cream

1 T. sugar free maple syrup

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl.  Melt butter and peanut butter in microwave and add to dry ingredients.  Add cream and syrup last.  Stir well to blend, mashing as you go to press it into a dough.   Place cupcake papers into muffin pan and scoop 2T. into each paper.  Press firmly in bottom with fingers to form nice patties.  Cover tightly in lidded storage container or in ziploc bag and store in refrigerator.  These can be frozen, too.

I imagine these could be made with other flavors of whey protein, but naturally the flavor would also be different.   Have fun experimenting!

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 10 servings, each containing:

167 cals, 7.0 g  fat, 3.29 g  carbs, 1.4 g  fiber, 7.1 g  protein, 1.89 g  NET CARBS