Cashew-Peanut Butter Cookies

I tinkered around a bit with the classic 3-ingredient low-carb peanut butter cookie recipe that floats around on the internet.  I like peanut butter a lot.  My husband, although he eats peanuts like crazy, hates peanut butter’s taste and mouth-feel.   So I backed off on the peanut butter and added some raw cashew butter to my new creation.  GOOD decision because he liked these!  I also wanted to pump these up with more nutrients so I added some whey protein to my cookie dough.    These came out GREAT!   These gems are not suitable until the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb re-introduction ladder.  They are not suitable for Paleo-Primal followers at all.  Hope you folks able to have these like them as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS: 

½ c. (rounded) raw cashews (2½ oz. )

1 T. coconut oil

½ c. unsweetened chunky peanut butter (I use Laura Scudder)

3/4 c. granulated erythritol

1/4 c. granulated Splenda

¼ c. plain whey protein powder (I use NOW brand)

1 large egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:  Soaking your nuts in some water and then draining to swell and soften them isn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s easier on your food processor blade and will render a smoother cashew butter.  I soaked mine 2 hours in warm water and then drained.

Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a cookie sheet either with parchment paper, a silicone sheet, or grease the pan well. Place cashews and coconut oil into food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Scrape into a bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the erythritol, Splenda, whey protein powder, egg  and chunky peanut butter.  Stir to blend mixture well.  In the name of uniform cookie size, using a teaspoon,  mark off the dough in the bowl into 4 equal sections.  You should get 5 cookies from each section, or a total of 20 cookies. Dip up enough dough with your spoon to roll into 1″ balls in your palms.  Set the balls onto the pan about 1″ apart.  These don’t spread much during cooking, so you can probably get all 20 on 1 large pan (4×5) .  When the 20 balls have been formed, take a fork and press them down slightly for that classic peanut butte cookie imprint we all know well.  Pop into preheated 350º oven for approximately 12-14 minutes or until just slightly brown on the edges.    These are crumbly when hot, so allow them to completely cool on the pan before removing with a spatula.  Store in an air-tight container when fully cooled.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 20 cookies, each contains:

76 cals, 5.8g fat, 2.6g carbs, 0.51g fiber, 2.09g NET CARBS, 3.56g protein, 30 mg sodium, 34 mg potassium

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Almond Butter Cookies

These tasty treats come out kind of chewy and are still like that after they cool off.  I got this base batter idea from the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Honeyvillegrain Blanched Almond flour bag.  I made some drastic changes to their basic dough, however.  They used all almond flour in their recipe and I’ve added some ingredients I find improve low-carb baked goods.  I’m very pleased with the chewy texture of these cookies and will likely use this cookie dough as a base dough for many variations in the future.  So far I have done variations with fresh cherry, pineapple and pecan, dried prune , currant-spice, pumpkin, and chia-chai .  All have been delicious.  If you’re tired of cake-y or dry/brittle cookies and are wanting a low carb cookie that is moist and chewy, this one you really need to try!  They really deliver!  They also freeze well and are even chewier when eaten right out of the freezer, if you’re into very chewy cookies!!  These are not suitable until the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

DO NOT SUBSTITUTE OTHER SWEETENERS FOR THE SUGAR-FREE HONEY IN THESE OR THEY WILL NOT COME OUT CHEWY!  I tried that already.  Real honey works, but will also jack up the carbs considerably!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (substitute gluten-free oat flour for gluten-free version)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. coconut oil (or softened butter)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda

1 T. erythritol

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free imitation honey (no substitutions, unless it’s REAL honey)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl stir the almond butter and oil together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.    Measure in all dry ingredients on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   If your dough seems very dry or stiff (coconut flours vary), add in ½ beaten egg. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Press balls down slightly flat and pop pan into preheated oven.  Top with chopped, sliced almonds if desired, but this really doesn’t impact flavor, just the look.  Bake for about 7 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool on the pan a few minutes before removing with a spatula.  These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Store in an airtight container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 cookies, each contains:

105.5 cals, 9.1g fat, 4.12g carbs, 2.07g fiber, 2.05g NET CARBS, 2g protein, 48.2 mg sodium

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: If you really don’t feel like running to the store for ready-made sugar-free honey, but also don’t want to use all real honey because of the carbs, I have a homemade recipe you might want to try.  Boil for 2-3 minutes: ¼ c. erythritol, 2 T. + 1 tsp. real honey and 1 pkt. stevia (or Splenda).  Cool (thickens as it cools) and put in airtight jar.  Added note:  If it crystalizes over time, just soften in the microwave on DEFROST for 1  minute or plunge into a pot of slow simmering warm water a minute or so before stirring and using.

Pistachio-Rosewater Cookies

Before we move on from Iran to another area of Middle Eastern cooking, I want to share one last fond memory of our stay there.  That was going into the Iranian and German bakeries that dotted the city streets.  Exciting sweets like “Birds Nest” phyllo cups filled with chopped pistachios and drizzled with honey.  They also made a wonderful baklava with almonds, honey and rosewater.  Rosewater is a commonly used dessert flavoring in the Middle East.  I use Sadaf brand available in Middle Eastern Groceries and you can also order it on-line.

One particular sugar shortbread-like cookie at a bakery near our house was one of my favorites.  They were made with pistachio nuts and a hint of rosewater.  Theirs were not iced, but I would like that addition.  I decided today I would try my hand at a basic refrigerator sugar cookie recipe, using alternate flour ingredients and artificial sweeteners, of course.  The result was quite nice.  These are similar to what I remember from that bakery.  These are delicious and I really like that you can just refrigerate, slice off a few and bake just the number you want/need.  The total recipe of dough will make about 4 dozen cookies, if they are sliced about ¼” thick.   This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of OWL.

This is my first experiment using the bake mix of a former member of Low Carb Friends forums, KevinPa.  Sadly, Kevin passed away and his baking expertise is sorely missed by folks like me who greatly admired his culinary prowess.  The various bake mixes and flour substitutes called for in this recipe can be varied with likely the same good result, so if you don’t have the ingredients for Kevin’s mix, you could just use all Jennifer’s mix and get about the same result.

This roll of batter can also be frozen.  Just remember to thaw before attempting to slice.

VARIATION:  Omit the pistachios and substitute chopped almonds for another tasty shortbread cookie.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

2 small or 1 large egg

¼ tsp. salt

2 oz. pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 T. + 1 tsp. Rosewater (I use Sadaf brand)

½ c. granular Splenda

¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix, Peggy’s Version (see that below)

½ c almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, nuts, sweeteners and rosewater.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Mix well and shape into a log on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly and chill for about 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Ice with your favorite cream cheese frosting with 1/2 tsp. rosewater added and sprinkle with some finely chopped pistachios, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48 cookies, each contains (does not include icing or nut garnish):

63.63 cals, 5.68 g  fat, 2.10 g  carbs, 1.10 g  fiber, 1 NET CARB, 1.83 g  protein, 20mg sodium

Kevin’s Bake Mix (MY version of it):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

Granola Bars

This experiment was quite a pleasant surprise.  I am quite pleased with the final taste on these granola bars.  They baked up beautifully.  I would describe these as firm, but not hard like Nature’s Valley® granola bars.  This makes a huge pan of bars, so you may want to make half a recipe or simply freeze half, as they freeze really well without detriment.  I love one of these with half a banana!

These can be crumbled up for a granola cereal if you like, but I recommend a little extra toasting after crumbling.   These also make a nice crunch topping for baked peaches, apples, or favorite crumb-topped pies.  This recipe is not suitable until Phase 2 Atkins but they are well worth the wait, folks!  They are very nutrient dense.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. rolled oats, toasted (use 100% certified gluten-free oats if required)

2 c. dark flax meal

¾ c. vanilla whey protein

½ c. granular Splenda

10 drops liquid stevia

½ c. sesame seeds

¾ c. grated coconut meat

1½ T. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

½ c. coconut oil (or butter), melted

½ c. sugar free maple syrup

¼ c. water

2 c. pecans, chopped

½ c. walnuts, chopped

½ c. almonds, coarsely chopped

6 T. sugar free honey (I use Honey Tree from Walmart)

¾ c. sunflower seeds, unsalted

½ c. pumpkin seeds, roasted,salted

VARIATIONS:  Add a very few snipped home dried cranberries or raisins (add to nutritionals below)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  On a 13×15 cookie sheet, toast oats until begin to lightly brown.  Remove from oven and lower heat to 250º.   Pour oats into large mixing bowl.  Add all other ingredients and stir well to be sure all ingredients are moistened.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Pour granola mixture onto paper and using plastic gloves or baggies over hands, press evenly into pan.  I like to take a glass loaf pan or sheet of parchment and press the surface evenly before baking.  Pop into oven and bake at 250º for approximately 1 hr. 30 minutes until dry to the touch in the center.  Remove from oven and when almost cool, cut into 30 rectangular bars (10 x 3 rows). This makes a nice size granola bar at an acceptable 4.05 net carb count.  Cutting into 60 squares will of course halve that number.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 30 bars, each contains:

239.7 Calories, 20.0 g  fat, 8.77 g  carbs, 4.72 g  fiber, 4.05 g  NET CARBS, 8.31 g  protein, 79 mg sodium

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are moist, dense cake-like in texture, and incredibly tasty!  My picky husband really liked these, and he usually isn’t too fond of low-carb desserts.  These are not Induction friendly due to the almond flour and nuts.  Sometimes I leave out the chopped nuts to lower calorie/carb count even more.

VARIATION:  If you like a chewier cookie, use the sugar-free honey (I use Honeytree from Walmart) instead of the DaVinci vanilla syrup.   For a crunchier cookie, bake them longer/browner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. almond flour

¼ c. + 2T. unsweetened, plain whey protein

1 tsp. baking soda

½ c. chopped nuts

½ c. sugar-free chocolate chips

¼ c. granular Splenda

4 T. erythritol sweetener

3 T. melted, unsalted butter

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar free honey+1 tsp. vanilla (about 1/4 c. DaVinci Vanilla sugar-free syrup, added slowly and just enough to create a thick batter)

1 T. water (omit if you used Davinci syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.  Add all wet ingredients.  Blend well and let batter sit for a couple minutes to firm up.  Spoon onto greased or non-stick baking sheet in 1″ globs.  They don’t spread out much when cooking, so I slightly  flattened with my fingers, but not too much.  Bake for about 12 minutes at 350º.  Cool on cloth or racks.  I got exactly 26 cookies.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 26 cookies, each contains:

55.85 cals, 4.79g fat, 2.04g carbs,0.84g fiber, 1.2g NET CARBS, 1.8g protein, 54 mg. sodium

Cranberry Refrigerator Cookies

I created a tasty refrigerator cookie some time ago:  these Pistachio Rosewater Cookies) were my inspiration for this holiday version.  These are delicious and so easy to make!  My mother loved refrigerator cookies you just slice off and bake like these.  A little dessicated coconut (maybe 1/4 c.) would transform them yet again.  Those changes would require you add the numbers to the nutritional info provided below.  It’s nice to be able to freeze this dough and just slice off the number of cookies you want to bake.  Lowers the chance for constant temptation.  I bake a little pan of 6 refrigerator cookies at a time.  This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of the OWL phase of Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

1 large egg, beaten

¼ tsp. salt

2/3 c. fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (pulsed in processor 4-5 times)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda

¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

VARIATIONS:   Add ½ c. unsweetened coconut or orange zest (or both) to the batter.

Kevin’s Bake Mix (slightly modified):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, sweeteners and vanilla.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Add chopped cranberries and gently fold in to get berries evenly distributed in the batter.  Shape into a log about 12″ long and 1½” in diameter on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly, closing ends of waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to slice.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Roll any unused dough in waxed paper and store in refrigerator or freeze if you prefer.  If freezing, slightly defrost dough a half hour before attempting to slice or the cookie will likely “break” under the knife pressure.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48  (¼” cut ) cookies, each contains:

58 cals, 5.13 g fat, 1.94 g carbs, 1.05 g fiber, 0.89 g NET CARBS, 1.6g protein, 17 mg sodium

Sugar Cookie Mini Stars

It just isn’t Christmas without sugar cookies frosted with my “cherry/almond” butter frosting.  So I took my low-carb favorite sugar cookie recipe, cut star shapes with my mini cookie cutter and piped with a 1/2 teaspoon dollop of low-carb butter frosting that has almond extract for a cherry flavor.  Both of us just love these just-a-biteful mini cookie treats at our parties!  My recipe usually makes around 40 mini cookies, but of course, your cutter size and rolled dough thickness will make a difference on the per cookie nutritional stats.  I will provide the info below for the entire recipe of batter.  You need to divide those numbers by the number of cookies you get.  Then be sure to add in the nutritional value for your chosen frosting.   These are suitable once you get to phase 2 Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Sugar Cookie dough

About 1 c. low-carb frosting of choice

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Make up the cookie per that recipe’s instructions.  Instead of making balls and pressing the cookies out onto pans, roll out the dough on plastic wrap with another sheet of plastic wrap on top.  Roll to about 1/4″ thickness.  With a floured cutter, cut into 40 1″ mini star shapes (or whatever mini cutter shape you have) and place onto parchment-lined cookie sheets.  Pop into 350º preheated oven for about 15 minutes.  Watch them so they do not get over-browned.   Remove from oven and completely cool.  While they bake, mix up your preferred frosting recipe.  I made a quick frosting mixture of:  1 stick softened butter, 1 c. powdered erythritol, 1 c. granular Splenda, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1 tsp. almond extract and some food coloring.  Fill a piping bag (or use a plastic bag with corner clipped off) and with a star tip, pipe 1/2 teaspoon frosting on each cookie.   Plate and serve.  Refrigerate them if you have any leftover.  We rarely do, as I only make them for special occasions and they disappear quite fast.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Entire recipe of cookie dough has 1589.4 calories, 152.64 g fat, 64.26 g carbs, 35.46 g fiber, 28.80 g net carbs, 31.32 g protein and 140 mg sodium.

If you get 40 mini cookies from the dough, each cookie (minus any frosting) will contain 39 cals, 3.8g fat, 1.6g carbs, 0.88g fiber, 0.72g NET CARBS, 0.78g protein, 3.5mg sodium

Pineapple-Pecan Cookies

I made some delicious pineapple cookies recently.  They came out kind of chewy and are still like that after they cooled off.  I’m very pleased with the moist, chewy texture of these cookies and will likely use this cookie dough for many cookie variations in the future.  These freeze well and are even chewier eaten right out of the freezer!!  These are not suitable until the advanced fruit rung of the Atkins OWL ladder, or near Pre-Maintenance.  But they are so good, they are well worth waiting for.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. butter, softened (or coconut oil)

2 T. almond butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ tsp. pineapple extract

½ c. granular Splenda

1 T. erythritol

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free imitation honey (I make my own to save money, see below)

½ c. juice pack crushed pineapple (water pack if available), drained well

½ c. chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out all wet ingredients including the pineapple into a large mixing bowl.  Beat well with a fork until smooth.  Measure out all dry ingredients, including the nuts, on top of the wet and stir well to blend.  The dough will be moderately stiff.  Roll into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Press balls down slightly flat and try to leave 1″ between cookies.  Pop pan into preheated oven.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  Do not overbrown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan before attempting to remove with a spatula.  These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Store in an airtight container.  I store mine in the freezer and eat them without even defrosting!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 30 cookies, each contains:

110 cals, 9.79 g  fat, 4.55 g  carbs, 2.07 g  fiber, 2.48 g  NET CARBS, 2.55 g  protein, 45 mg sodium

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: Modified slightly from a recipe of Birgit Kerr on Birgitkerr.blogspot.com.  Boil for 2-3 minutes ¼ c. erythritol, 1 tsp. honey, 2 T. imitation honey and 1 pkt. stevia or Splenda.  Cool and put in airtight jar.  If it crystalises over time, soften in microwave on defrost a minute before using.

Cranberry Refrigerator Cookies

I created a tasty refrigerator cookie recently.  My Pistachio Rosewater Cookies) were my inspiration.  These are delicious and so easy to make!  My mother loved refrigerator cookies you just slice off and bake like these.  A little dessicated coconut (maybe 1/4 c.) would transform them yet again.  Those changes would require you add the numbers to the nutritional info provided below.  It’s nice to be able to freeze this dough and just slice off the number of cookies you want to bake.  Lowers the chance for constant temptation.  I bake a little pan of 6 refrigerator cookies at a time.  This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of the OWL phase of Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

1 large egg, beaten

¼ tsp. salt

2/3 c. fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (pulsed in processor 4-5 times)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda

¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

VARIATIONS:   Add ½ c. unsweetened coconut or orange zest (or both) to the batter.

Kevin’s Bake Mix (slightly modified):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, sweeteners and vanilla.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Add chopped cranberries and gently fold in to get berries evenly distributed in the batter.  Shape into a log about 12″ long and 1½” in diameter on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly, closing ends of waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to slice.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Roll any unused dough in waxed paper and store in refrigerator or freeze if you prefer.  If freezing, slightly defrost dough a half hour before attempting to slice or the cookie will likely “break” under the knife pressure.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48  (¼” cut ) cookies, each contains:

58 cals, 5.13 g fat, 1.94 g carbs, 1.05 g fiber, 0.89 g NET CARBS, 1.6g protein, 17 mg sodium

Cran-Orange Pastry Bites

I got the idea for these from a holiday recipe posted on Pinterest this month.  It was basically two layers of pie crust rolled with a sprinkling of chopped cranberries and pecans inside (my husband hates nuts in desserts) and then cookie cutters were used to cut out holiday shapes, baking them like cookies.  Well, I really liked the idea and they were real cute, but didn’t want to go to that much trouble.  So I used my own fav low-carb pie crust, processed a few raw cranberries and orange peel right with the crust dough and pressed the sweetened pie crust dough into some Christmas Tree silicone molds.  You could use any shape oven-safe mold you like to make these or even use a mini-muffin pan.  These are delicious and I can’t wait to take some to our annual neighborhood Christmas round-robin dinner coming soon.  They are somewhere between a pie crust and a cookie in texture with a nice mouth feel.

This recipe is not suitable until you reach the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb-re-introduction ladder.

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.  EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Special pricing and limited-time free shipping so hurry and place your order today.  You can order these or 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 at this site.

VARIATIONS:   Use extra virgin coconut oil (chilled and firm) for the shortening to give them a hint of coconut taste.  Or add ½ c. chopped pecans or almonds.   

INGREDIENTS: 

1 recipe my Carbalose Pie Crust

½ c. fresh cranberries

1½ T. orange zest

½ c. granular erythritol

½ c. Splenda

DIRECTIONS:   Make up the pie-crust dough per that recipe’s instructions.  Crumble slightly into the bowl of a food processor.  In a small bowl mix the two sweeteners well. Reserve 3 T. and add the rest to the food processor as well.  Next add the whole, raw cranberries and the orange zest to the processor.  Pulse several times until the mixture is well blended and all the cranberries are chopped up.  Spoon a rounded teaspoon of the crumbled dough into each of the slots of your mold.  Press down firmly into the bottoms of the shapes.  If your mold is flexible silicone you will want to set it on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle the 3 T. sweetener mix on the tops as evenly as you can.  Pop into 375º oven for about 25 minutes.  They should be lightly browned around the edges only.  Allow to cool and firm up before tipping them out of your molds as they are a little fragile when hot.  I had to bake mine in two batches since my mold has just 24 slots.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 32 bites, each contains:

62 cals, 4.6g fat, 4.81g carbs, 3.2g fiber, 1.61g NET CARBS, 0.15g protein, 6.34g sodium

Pistachio-Rosewater Cookies

One of my fondest memories of Iran was going in the Iranian and German bakeries there.  Exciting sweets like “Birds Nest” phyllo filled with chopped pistachios and drizzled with honey.  They made a wonderful baklava with almonds, honey and rosewater.  Rosewater is a commonly used dessert flavoring in the Middle East.  I use Sadaf brand available in Middle Eastern Groceries and you can also order it on-line.

One sugar shortbread-like cookie at a nearby bakery was one of my favorites.  They were made with pistachio nuts and a hint of rosewater.  I decided today I would try my hand at a basic refrigerator sugar cookie recipe, using alternate flour ingredients and artificial sweeteners, of course.  The result was quite nice.  These are similar to what I remember from that bakery.  These are delicious and I really like that you can just refrigerate, slice off a few and bake just the number you want/need.  The total recipe of dough will make about 4 dozen cookies, if they are sliced about ¼” thick.   This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of OWL.

This is my first experiment using the bake mix of a former member of Low Carb Friends forums, KevinPa.  Sadly, Kevin passed away and his baking expertise is sorely missed by folks like me who greatly admired his culinary prowess.  The various bake mixes and flour substitutes called for in this recipe can be varied with likely the same good result, so if you don’t have the ingredients for Kevin’s mix, you could just use all Jennifer’s mix and get about the same result.

This roll of batter can also be frozen.  Just remember to thaw before attempting to slice.

VARIATION:  Omit the pistachios and substitute chopped almonds for another tasty shortbread cookie.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

2 small or 1 large egg

¼ tsp. salt

2 oz. pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 T. + 1 tsp. Rosewater (I use Sadaf brand)

½ c. granular Splenda

¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix, Peggy’s Version (see that below)

½ c almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, nuts, sweeteners and rosewater.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Mix well and shape into a log on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly and chill for about 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Ice with your favorite cream cheese frosting with 1/2 tsp. rosewater added and sprinkle with some finely chopped pistachios, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48 cookies, each contains (does not include icing or nut garnish):

63.63 cals, 5.68 g  fat, 2.10 g  carbs, 1.10 g  fiber, 1 NET CARB, 1.83 g  protein, 20mg sodium

Kevin’s Bake Mix (MY version of it):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

Currant-Spice Cookies

I’ve come up with a spice cookie for the holidays using my chewy Almond Butter Cookies basic dough.  All I did was add a splash of vinegar, blackstrap molasses and some spices and pressed a pecan half into each cookie.  They came out simply delicious!  Although similar to gingerbread cookies, the allspice makes these a little different in flavor.  My husband is quite fond of these and has eaten 3-4 already!  These cookies are not suitable until Phase 2 OWL of Atkins.  They are acceptable for Keto diets.  The oat fiber can be omitted making these OK for Primal-Paleo as well.

Many 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 (me included).  Chef George Stella of Food Network fame, also brings to the table a wealth of delicious recipes added to the collection!  You’ll LOVE these recipes!  Order your copy today from Amazon  or our direct order site: amongfriends.us/order.php.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (omit for Primal or Paleo)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (from the konjac tuber)

½ tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. each allspice, nutmeg and cloves

½ tsp. ginger

1/16 tsp. cinnamon

liquid sweetener to equal 1/2 c. sugar

1 T. erythritol

1 large egg, beaten

2 T. almond butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cider vinegar (optional)

¼ c. imitation honey (use real honey for Primal-Paleo)

2 T. backstrap molasses

½ c. your favorite oil or softened butter

2 T. dried currants

24 pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl stir the almond butter and oil together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.  Add the dried currants and stir.   Measure in all dry ingredients on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   If your dough seems very dry or stiff (coconut flours vary), add in ½ beaten egg. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Dough is somewhat oily.  Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Press balls down to ¼” thick cookies with your fingers or the bottom of a glass.  Press 1 pecan half into each cookie center.  Pop pan into preheated oven.  Top with pecan halves and press slightly into the cookie.  Bake at 350º for about 7 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan before removing with a spatula.   These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Store in an airtight container.  These freeze nicely, too!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 24 cookies, each contains:

133 calories, 11.6 g  fat, 5.97 g  carbs, 2.17 g  fiber, 3.80 g  NET CARBS, 2.95 g  protein, 54 mg sodium

Cranberry Coconut Cookies

This experiment came out quite good.  Not at all like the crisp sugar cookie basic dough they were made from.  These came out soft, moist and fruity.  We both LOVED them.  It’s the moisture of the cranberries that moistens these cookies right up.  These are not acceptable until you get to Atkins Phase 2 OWL but are suitable for other Ketogenic diets.  They would not be acceptable for Primal-Paleo unless you sub in a plan-acceptable sweetener like honey (to taste).

If you like a crunchier cookie, you might prefer my Refrigerator Cranberry Cookies 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 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

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Sugar Cookie dough

1 c. chopped fresh cranberries

6-12 drops liquid sucralose to taste (needed to offset tart cranberries]

¼ c. unsweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS: Make sugar cookies as instructed in that recipe, adding the additional liquid stevia to the creamed butter and Splenda.  When all ingredients are blended well, add in chopped cranberries and coconut.  Fold the fruit in until it is uniformly distributed.   Dough will make 18 small balls of dough.  Place balls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet.  Press down with fingers or the back of a fork to flatten a bit. These spread little during cooking, so if careful, you can get all 18 on one pan.  🙂  Bake at 350º for 15-18 minutes until just browned on the edges.  Cool on the pan before removing.  Do not cover until completely cooled off.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 cookies, each contains:

97.3 calories, 9.2 g  fat, 4.2 g  carbs, 2.29 g  fiber, 1.94 g  NET CARBS, 1.8 g protein, 8 mg sodium

Refrigerator Pistachio-Rosewater Cookies

My family lived in Teheran, Iran when I was 10-12 years old and I just loved the wonderful pastries and baked goods in the Iranian and German bakeries there.  Rosewater is a commonly used flavoring in the Middle East.  One sugar-type cookie we used to get there, made with pistachio nuts, was one of my favorites.  I decided today I would try my hand at a basic refrigerator sugar cookie recipe, using alternate flour ingredients and artificial sweeteners, of course.  The result was quite nice.  As the roll of dough will keep for a long time in the refrigerator or freezer, you can slice off and bake just as many as you like.  The total recipe of dough will make about 4 dozen cookies, if they are sliced about ¼” thick.   This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of OWL.  This basic dough, minus the pistachios and rosewater, would make an excellent plain refrigerator cookie, using 1½ tsp. vanilla instead of rosewater.

This is my first experiment using the bake mix of a former member of Low Carb Friends forums, KevinPa.  Sadly, Kevin passed away and his baking expertise is sorely missed by folks like me who greatly admired his culinary prowess.  The various bake mixes and flour substitutes called for in this recipe can be varied with likely the same good result.  So if you don’t have the ingredients for Kevin’s bake mix, you could just use all Jennifer’s mix and get about the same result.

This roll of batter can also be frozen.  Just remember to thaw a short amount of time so slicing is possible.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

2 small or 1 large egg

Click to enlarge

¼ tsp. salt

2 oz. pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 T. + 1 tsp. Rosewater (I use Sadaf brand, from Middle Eastern grocers or on-line suppliers)

½ c. granular Splenda¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix, Peggy’s Version (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2008/08/bake-mix-substitutions-to-customize-to.html

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, nuts, sweeteners and rosewater.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Mix well and shape into a log on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly and chill for about 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Ice with your favorite cream cheese frosting with 1/2 tsp. rosewater added and sprinkle with some finely chopped pistachios, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48 cookies, each contains (does not include icing or nut garnish):

63.63 calories

5.68 g  fat

2.10 g  carbs, 1.10 g  fiber, 1.0 NET CARBS

1.83 g  protein

19.9 mg sodium

13.7 mg potassium

Kevin’s Bake Mix (MY version of it):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

Chia-Chai Chewies

These spice cookies will appeal to the chai tea lovers out there and be a hit on your Holiday dessert table.  They will certainly be on my Thanksgiving dessert tray this year.  These are sort of like an cinnamon oatmeal cookie with a “twist”.  Nice thing about them, they just seem to mellow and get tastier every day they sit in your fridge or freezer.  I know there are a lot of ingredients, but it’s why they are so good and  SO WORTH EVERY ONE OF THEM.  These are truly the best low-carb cookie I’ve developed!  I do hope you’ll try this one.  🙂

You might want to add chopped pecans or walnuts to these, but my husband doesn’t like nuts much and I also wanted to post just a basic recipe with the dried prunes (a great raisin replacement for lower carbs).  I have added nutty-tasting hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds) and some chia seed for the bit of crunch and nutrition these two ingredients bring to these cookies.   The sugar-free honey is essential for these to be chewy, so do not sub out this honey with any other sweetener or you are NOT going to get a chewy cookie (trust me, been there, done that).   This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction.  Wait until you are nearing Pre-Maintenance to enjoy these, as they are a little higher carb than most of my cookies, having prunes in them.

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. Several of my own creations appear 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

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. coconut oil (preferably not in liquid form, so do not melt)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I can buy it at Walmart)

4 dried prunes, chopped (DelMonte brand has no added sugar)

1½ c. almond flour

¼ c. + 3 T. hemp hearts

1 T. ground chia seeds (I use 50:50 white and black)

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (or xanthan gum)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 T. erythritol

½ c. granular Splenda or equivalent sweetener to equal ½ c. sugar

2 tsp. my Chai spice blend

VARIATION:  You can just use 2 tsp. ground cinnamon if you are not fond of Chai spice flavors.  Another delicious variation would be to use dried cranberries for the prunes in these. 🙂

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all the wet ingredients into a small bowl.  Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth.  Stir in the chopped prunes and if using nuts, add them now.  In another bowl, measure out all the dry ingredients and stir well.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until all are uniformly mixed into a solid cookie dough.  It will be pretty thick and stiff if your coconut oil wasn’t liquid.   Form into 24 roughly 1″ balls (I use a scooper to be sure they are all about the same size) and set on parchment lined cookie sheets about 3/4″ apart.  These don’t spread much during cooking. Slightly press the ball of dough to flatten on top a wee bit (not too much though).

Pop into preheated oven for about 12-13 minutes.  Ovens can vary, so yours may take a little less or a little more time.  They will be slightly firm to the touch in the center when done, and just beginning to brown a bit on the edges.  Remove and DO NOT REMOVE FROM PANS UNTIL COMPLETELY COOLED.  These are quite fragile when hot and will break apart if not cooled completely before handling.  When fully cool, remove from pans and ENJOY!  Store remainders in a lidded container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 24  2-inch cookies, each cookie contains:

126 calories, 10.9 g  fat, 5.44 g carbs, 2.38 g fiber, 3.06 g  NET CARBS, 3.36 g  protein, 53 mg sodium

Chia-Chai Chewies

The name of these cookies may appeal to children, but this may not be a cookie that children like as much as their parents do.  Chai tea spices are unusual to the immature palate.  That said, I think they taste FANTASTIC! Sort of like an oatmeal cookie with a “twist”.  They just seem to mellow and get tastier every day they sit in your fridge or freezer.  This recipe is going into my Holiday cookie rotations. I know it’s a lot of ingredients, but OH, SO WORTH EVERY ONE OF THEM.  These are marvelous and the very best low-carb cookie I’ve developed!  🙂

You might want to add chopped pecans or walnuts to these, but my husband doesn’t like nuts much and I also wanted to post just a basic recipe with the dried prunes (a great raisin replacement for lower carbs).  I have added nutty-tasting hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds) and some chia seed for the bit of crunch and nutrition these two ingredients bring to these cookies.   The sugar-free honey is essential for these to be chewy, so do not sub out this honey with any other sweetener or you are NOT going to get a chewy cookie (trust me, been there, done that).   This recipe is not suitable for Atkins Induction.  Wait until you are nearing Pre-Maintenance to enjoy these, as they are a little higher carb than most of my cookie recipe, having prunes in them.  But I think of these as “holiday special treats”.  🙂

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. Several of my own creations appear in each of the 5 volumes! Order your set TODAY! (also available individually) from Amazon or our direct order site: http://amongfriends.us/order.phpDISCLAIMER: 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:

½ c. coconut oil (preferably not in liquid form, so do not melt)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I buy HoneyTree brand at Walmart)

4 dried prunes, chopped (DelMonte brand has no added sugar)

1½ c. almond flour

¼ c. + 3 T. hemp hearts

1 T. ground chia seeds (I use 50:50 white and black)

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 T. erythritol

½ c. granular Splenda or equivalent sweetener to equal ½ c. sugar

2 tsp. my Chai spice blend

VARIATION:  You can just use 2 tsp. ground cinnamon if you are not fond of Chai spice flavors

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all the wet ingredients into a small bowl.  Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth.  Stir in the chopped prunes and if using nuts, add them now.  In another bowl, measure out all the dry ingredients and stir well.  Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until all are uniformly mixed into a solid cookie dough.  It will be pretty thick and stiff if your coconut oil wasn’t liquid.   Form into 24 roughly 1″ balls (I use a scooper to be sure they are all about the same size) and set on parchment lined cookie sheets about 3/4″ apart.  These don’t spread much during cooking.

Pop into preheated oven for about 12-13 minutes.  Ovens can vary, so yours may take a little less or a little more time.  They will be slightly firm to the touch in the center when done, and just beginning to brown a bit on the edges.  Remove and DO NOT REMOVE FROM PANS UNTIL COMPLETELY COOLED.  These are quite fragile when hot and will break apart if not cooled completely before handling.  When fully cool, remove from pans and ENJOY!  Store remainders in a lidded container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 24  2-inch cookies, each cookie contains:

126 calories, 10.9 g  fat, 5.44 g carbs, 2.38 g fiber, 3.06 g  NET CARBS, 3.36 g  protein, 53 mg sodium

Shortbread

This is a modification (of another low-carber’s modification) of a Michelle Obama Shortbread recipe found on the internet.  I found the original recipe way too greasy and too crumbly.  The first batch I made literally fell apart in my hand when I tried to eat them, with huge bits falling onto the floor for my puppies to enjoy. Made them 🙂 but made me 😦 .   So I made another batch with several changes and those came out much more to my liking.  So my recipe below reflects those changes.  These are certainly not Walkers shorbread, but very tasty nonetheless.  These are not acceptable until OWL Phace 2 of Atkins.

TIP:  I store these in the freezer and preferred them eaten right from the freezer.  They don’t really get hard and are much less fragile that way.

Many more delicious low-carb recipes can be at your fingertips with your very own copy of our cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Volume 8 is almost exclusively comprised of my recipes with some new George Stella and Jennifer Eloff creations.  Volume 9, due out in October, has mostly my recipes once again with Jennifer and George adding new creations as well.

EARLY BIRD SECRET SALE!!  Order here for estimated October delivery:  https://amongfriends.us/Secret-SALE.php

Order any of our books from Amazon  or here: amongfriends.us/order.php. There’s currently a special offer of a bundle of all 8 previous volumes that reduces their individual price to only $13.22!  Don’t miss out on this bargain!  And please, if you’ve already bought Volume 8,  I sure would appreciate your taking a moment to stop by this page and leave your personal review:

INGREDIENTS:

2½ sticks (1¼ c.) unsalted butter, softened

1 c. granular Splenda (or 1 c. equivalent sweetener of choice)

2 beaten eggs

3 c. almond flour

1 T. coconut flour

¼ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. salt

1/3 c. oat fiber (do NOT use oat bran, as it it much higher in carbs)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325º.  Line a sheet pan (mine are 12″x17″) with parchment paper.  Cream butter and Splenda together until smooth.  Add the 2 beaten eggs and vanilla extract, whipping to combine well.  Add almond flour, coconut flour, oat fiber and salt.   Stir well to a smooth batter.  Spread dough evenly onto parchment-lined pan.  You can use your fingers moistened with cold water to do this or use plastic gloves if you have some.  Batter will spread to about ¼” thickness.  Poke holes into shortbread with tines of a fork about every 2″.  Bake at 325º for 25 minutes or just until it begins to brown light golden on the tops and edges.  For a firmer shortbread, cook them longer, but don’t let these get too brown or the taste will change!  Cut carefully into 32 pieces while still slightly warm.  I like to store these in the freezer and eat them right out of the freezer.  I find that makes them less fragile/crumbly.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 32 rectangles of shortbread, each contains:

133 calories, 12 g  fat, 4.09 g  carbs, 2.10 g  fiber, 1.99 g  NET CARBS, 2.9 g  protein, 30 mg sodium

Refrigerator Pistachio-Rosewater Cookies

My family lived in Teheran, Iran when I was 10 years old. Dad was USAF and sent there to train their pilots on F-84’s and F-86’s.   I just loved the wonderful pastries and baked goods in the Iranian and German bakeries there.  Rosewater is a commonly used flavoring in the Middle East, as much as we use vanilla, actually.  One particular sugar-type cookie we used to get there, made with pistachio nuts, was a fav.

I decided today I would try my hand at a basic low-carb refrigerator sugar cookie recipe, using alternate flours, of course.  The resulting cookie was quite nice and a good stand-in for old-fashioned refrigerator sliceable cookie dough.  As the roll of dough will keep for a long time in the refrigerator or freezer, you can slice off and bake just as many as you like.  The total recipe of dough will make about 4 dozen cookies, if they are sliced about ¼” thick.   This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of OWL.  This basic dough, minus the pistachios, would make an excellent plain refrigerator cookie, using 1½ tsp. vanilla for the flavoring instead of rosewater.

This is my first experiment using the bake mix of a former member of Low Carb Friends forums, KevinPa.  Sadly, Kevin passed away a few years ago.  His baking expertise in the low-carb kitchen is sorely missed by folks like me who greatly admired his culinary prowess.  The various bake mixes and flour substitutes called for in this recipe can be varied with likely the same good result.  So if you don’t have the ingredients for Kevin’s bake mix, you could just use all Jennifer’s mix and get about the same result.

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.

Note:  this is NOT a gluten-free recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

2 small or 1 large egg

¼ tsp. salt

2 oz. pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 T. + 1 tsp. rosewater (I use Sadaf brand I order on-line)

½ c. granular Splenda¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix, (see my modified version below, or use other low-carb mix)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, nuts, sweeteners and rosewater.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Mix well and shape into a log on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly and chill for about 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Ice with your favorite cream cheese frosting with 1/2 tsp. rosewater added and sprinkle with some finely chopped pistachios, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48 cookies, each contains (does not include icing or nut garnish):

63.63 calories

5.68 g  fat

2.10 g  carbs, 1.10 g  fiber, 1.0 NET CARBS

1.83 g  protein

19.9 mg sodium

KevinPa’s Bake Mix (my modified version of it):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used a discontinued product called Not/Sugar)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

           Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are moist, dense cake-like in texture, and incredibly tasty!  My picky husband really liked these, and he usually isn’t too fond of low-carb desserts.  These are not Induction friendly due to the almond flour and nuts.  Sometimes I leave out the chopped nuts to lower calorie/carb count even more.

VARIATION:  If you like a chewier cookie, use the sugar-free honey (I use Honeytree from Walmart) instead of the DaVinci vanilla syrup.   For a crunchier cookie, bake them longer/browner.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. almond flour

¼ c. + 2T. unsweetened, plain whey protein

1 tsp. baking soda

½ c. chopped nuts

½ c. sugar-free chocolate chips

¼ c. granular Splenda

4 T. erythritol sweetener

3 T. melted, unsalted butter

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar free honey+1 tsp. vanilla (about 1/4 c. DaVinci Vanilla sugar-free syrup, added slowly and just enough to create a thick batter)

1 T. water (omit if you used Davinci syrup)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl.  Add all wet ingredients.  Blend well and let batter sit for a couple minutes to firm up.  Spoon onto greased or non-stick baking sheet in 1″ globs.  They don’t spread out much when cooking, so I slightly  flattened with my fingers, but not too much.  Bake for about 12 minutes at 350º.  Cool on cloth or racks.  I got exactly 26 cookies.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 26 cookies, each contains:

55.85 cals, 4.79g fat, 2.04g carbs,0.84g fiber, 1.2g NET CARBS, 1.8g protein, 54 mg. sodium

Granola Bars

 

This experiment was quite a pleasant surprise.  I want to give credit where due.  This bar recipe is based on a recipe from Dana Carpender’s granola cereal recipe in her book 500 Low Carb Recipes.  I had to seriously increase sweetener, increase the syrup, add sugar-free honey and increase cinnamon to get the flavor I was looking for.  I also used whole toasted oats rather than oat bran.  I am quite pleased with the final taste on these.  They went together well  and baked up beautifully.  Just so you know what to expect, I would describe these as firm, but not hard like Nature’s Valley brand granola bars.  This makes a huge pan of these, so you may want to make half a recipe or simply freeze half, as they freeze really well without getting  dry or crumbly.

These can be crumbled up for a granola cereal if you like.  They also make a nice crunchy topping for baked “fruit” or “fruit” pies and bar cookies.  🙂  The inspirational recipe mid-cooking time, is crumbled and baked for the last half of the time, as it is offered in the book as a cereal recipe, not a bar.

This recipe is not suitable until Phase 2 Atkins but they are well worth the wait, folks!  They are very nutrient dense.

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 her cookbooks! Order your 5-volume set TODAY! (available individually) from Amazon or: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. rolled oats, toasted (use 100% certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free version)

2 c. dark flax meal

¾ c. vanilla whey protein

½ c. granular Splenda

10 drops liquid stevia

½ c. sesame seeds

¾ c. grated coconut meat

1½ T. cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

½ c. coconut oil (or butter), melted

½ c. sugar free maple syrup

¼ c. water

2 c. pecans, chopped

½ c. walnuts, chopped

½ c. almonds, coarsely chopped

6 T. sugar free honey (I use Honey Tree from Walmart)

¾ c. sunflower seeds (I use unsalted)

½ c. pumpkin seeds, roasted, salted

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  On a 13×15 cookie sheet, toast oats until begin to lightly brown.  Remove from oven and lower heat to 250º.   Pour oats into large mixing bowl.  Add all other ingredients and stir well to be sure all ingredients are moistened.  Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Pour granola mixture onto paper and using plastic gloves or baggies over hands, press evenly into pan.  I like to take a glass loaf pan or sheet of parchment and press the surface evenly before baking.  Pop into oven and bake at 250º for approximately 1 hr. 30 minutes until dry to the touch in the center.  Remove from oven and when almost cool, cut into 30 rectangular bars (10 x 3 rows). This makes a nice size granola bar at an acceptable 4.05 net carb count.  Cutting into 60 squares will of course halve that number.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 30 bars, each contains:

239.7 Calories, 20.0 g  fat, 8.77 g  carbs, 4.72 g  fiber, 4.05 g  NET CARBS, 8.31 g  protein, 79 mg sodium

 

Cranberry Walnut Sandies

Cranberry Walnut Sandies

Made my hubby some delicious cookies this evening.  They came out pretty much like pecan sandies in texture but if you freeze them, they get firm and slightly chewy.  They seem to even get tastier from having been frozen.  🙂  They can be eaten right from the freezer, as they do not get hard.  These are delicious and will add variety to your holiday cookie tray.  One thing I would change about my recipe is next time I won’t press the dough into my bar silicone pan.  The cookie texture in a long stick-like shape are inclined to break in half.  Next time I’ll roll into balls and press slightly to form round cookies, like traditional sandies. So I’m writing my instructions to reflect that change in forming the cookies. These are not suitable until you reach the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

DO NOT substitute other sweeteners for the sugar-free honey or they will be more shortbread-like and not chewy.  If, however, that’s what you desire, sub away.  🙂

You can have other tasty low-carb cookie recipes at your fingertips with your own set of Jennifer Eloff and friends latest cookbooks LOW CARBING AMONG FRIENDS.  Click the link to see a preview of what’s in store in this 5-volume set.  They can also be ordered individually at Amazon or here.

DISCLAIMER:  By personal choice, I do not accept payment for this book promotion nor for the inclusion of my recipes in these books.  I do so simply because I think they are GREAT recipes you’re going to want in your collection.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (substitute gluten-free oat flour for gluten-free version)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder, which is pure fiber)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. coconut oil or softened butter

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda (or sweetener of choice to equal ½ c. sugar)

1 T. erythritol (or sweetener of choice to equal 1 T. sugar)

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free imitation honey (NO SUBSTITUTIONS.  I use Honey Tree from Walmart)

½ c. chopped walnuts

½ c. coarsely chopped fresh cranberries (I used homemade sugar-free dried)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl stir the almond butter and oil together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.    Measure in all dry ingredients on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   Add chopped nuts and cranberries and stir to blend well.  If your dough seems very dry or stiff (coconut flours vary), add in ½ beaten egg. My dough was about like chocolate chip cookie dough, neither stiff nor gooey.  With your hands, roll dough into 24 equal balls (around 1¼” balls of around 2 T. dough each) and place them onto a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet.  Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Press balls down slightly flat and pop pan into preheated oven.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes or until firm.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on the pan COMPLETELY before removing with a spatula as these are delicate while hot. They firm up when cool. 🙂  Store in an airtight container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 24 cookies, each contains:

138 calories

12.2 g  fat

5.53 g  carbs, 2.72 g  fiber, 2.81 g  NET CARBS

3.36 g  protein

56.3 mg sodium

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: If you don’t want to run to the store for sugar-free honey, but also don’t want to use all real honey because of the carbs, I have a homemade recipe for sugar-free honey to allow you to make these cookies right now!  🙂  This was inspired by a recipe of Birgit Kerr on Birgitkerr.blogspot.com.  Boil the following for 2-3 minutes: ¼ c. erythritol, 2 T. + 1 tsp. real honey + 1 pkt. stevia (or Splenda).  Cool (thickens as it cools) and spoon into an airtight jar.  If it crystalizes over time in your pantry, just soften in the microwave on DEFROST for 1  minute or plunge the jar into a pot of slow simmering warm water a minute or so before using.

Raspberry-Lemon Bites

Raspberry-Lemon Bites

I got this idea from a Lemon-Raspberry Cheesecake recipe by Stacey Crawford over at Beauty and the Foodie.  I made some raspberry sauce to keep on hand for a variety of uses as well as some lemon cookies this week and thought I’d combine the two.  What a WONDERFUL decision!  Delicious flavor combo, Stacey!  These are OK for all folks who have reached Phase 2 Atkins or beyond.  Keto fans can enjoy them if the carbs fit your daily limit.  These cookies would not be suitable for Primal or Paleo followers.

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. Several of my own creations appear 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:

1 recipe my Raspberry Coulis

1 recipe my Lemon Cookies

DIRECTIONS:  Make the cookies per that recipe’s instructions and chill.  Make the Raspberry Coulis per that recipe’s instructions and chill.  When ready to serve, remove them from the refrigerator and place 1/2 tsp. of the raspberry coulis atop each cookie and plate decoratively.  Enjoy at once!  If these are held over, the sauce may run off the top, but that won’t affect the flavor.  🙂

NUTRITIONAL INFO:     Makes 36 little cookies, each contains:

82 calories

7.1 g  fat

3.6 g  carbs, 1.8 g  fiber, 1.8 g  NET CARBS

2.0 g  protein

375 mg sodium

Cookie Bouquet

Cookie Bouquet

Just in time for Valentine’s Day.  I modified my regular sugar cookie recipe, adding oat fiber, coconut flour and changing up the sweetener, to come up with these tasty blossoms.  My husband doesn’t like icing much so I didn’t bother.  The flower detail would be totally lost if iced anyway.  These have a very nice texture and flavor, somewhere between a sugar cookie and shortbread.  These are not acceptable until the nut rung of the OWL ladder.    I don’t think this batter is suitable for rolling and making cut-out cookies as even when well-chilled, it gets soft and difficult to work with almost immediately once taken from the fridge.  So I recommend sticking with simple round cookies or molds of some sort.

Close Up View

INGREDIENTS:

1 stick softened butter, unsalted

¼ c. granular Splenda

2 T. granular erythritol

1 beaten egg

1 tsp. vanilla (almond extract is good for variety)

1 c. almond flour

2 T. oat fiber (or 2 T. more almond flour for 100% gluten-free version)

1 T. coconut flour

DIRECTIONS: Cream butter and sweeteners until smooth.  Add beaten egg, vanilla and beat well.  Add all dry ingredients, blend well and chill batter for 1 hour.  Spoon up a rounded teaspoon of dough, roll into a ball of dough and place onto parchment and press slightly to a round cookie (or drop into your mold slots).  If using molds, press slightly flat to fill mold bottom.   I use Nordicware’s “mini flower” bundt pan (shown below with 1½” slots).  Other silicone candy molds could be used.  The 15 slots are nearly full with batter before baking, slightly rising out of the slot while they cook and settling back level when cooled.  If baked round on a sheet pan, these don’t spread out much so ½” between is adequate spacing.  I get 15  cookies from this recipe.  YMMV: your mileage may vary.  Just gently poke a kebab stick in each and place in a vase.  I anchored mine in some play sand I have, but a floral foam block for flower arrangements will work, too,

Bake at 350º for 18 minutes.  Do not over brown.   FAIR WARNING:  Allow to completely cool before attempting to remove from the pan with a knife tip or spatula.  They will definitely tear up on you if handled while the slightest bit warm.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 15 cookie “flowers”, each contains:

105 calories

10.3 g  fat

2.98 g carbs, 1.62 g  fiber, 1.36 g  NET CARBS

2.15 g  protein

9.13 g  sodium

ENTIRE RECIPE CONTAINS:  1581 calories, 154g fat, 44.8g carbs, 24.4g fiber, 20.4g net carbs, 32.3 g protein (provided should your cookie count come out different)

Oatmeal Cookies

Made my hubby some delicious oatmeal cookies this afternoon.  They came out kind of chewy and are still like that after they cooled off.  I’m very pleased with the chewy texture of these and have used this basic cookie dough for many cookie variations over the last 2 years. So far I have done variations with fresh cherry, pineapple and pecan, dried prune , currant-spice, pumpkin, and chia-chai .  All have been delicious.  If you’re tired of dry/brittle cookies and seek a low carb cookie that is moist and chewy, this one you really need to try!  They also freeze well and are even chewier when eaten right out of the freezer!!  These are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

DO NOT SUBSTITUTE OTHER SWEETENERS FOR THE SUGAR-FREE HONEY IN THESE OR THEY WILL NOT COME OUT CHEWY!  I discovered that the hard way. Real honey will work, but will also jack up the carbs considerably!

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:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (substitute 100% certified gluten-free oat flour for a gluten-free version)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. granular Splenda (or equivalent sweetener to = ½ c. sugar)

1 T. erythritol

½ c. chopped pecans

½ c. rolled oats (100% certified gluten-free if you require that)

½ c. melted coconut oil or butter (or any combination of the two)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I use Honey Tree brand from Walmart.  Netrition.com sells it also.)

5 chopped dried prunes (much lower in carbs than raisins)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl measure in all dry ingredients.  In a smaller bowl, stir the almond butter and oils together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.    Add the chopped prunes  on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   Roll dough into 28  1″ balls of dough and place them onto parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets.  Leave 1″ space between cookies as they don’t spread much during cooking.  Press balls down slightly flat to about a 2″ circle and pop pans into preheated 350º oven.  Bake for about 7-8 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and prone to crumble more.  Remove from oven and COOL COMPLETELY on the pans before removing with a spatula.  These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when cooled. Store in an airtight container on counter or freeze up t 1 month.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 cookies, each contains:

120 calories

10.4 g  fat

6.03 g  carbs, 2.21 g  fiber, 3.82 g  NET CARBS  (without prunes, 5.18 g carbs, 2.10 fiber, 3.08 NET CARBS)

2.82 g  protein

58 mg sodium

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: If you have real honey (too high in carbs) but really don’t want to run to the store or order sugar-free honey, I have a solution inspired by a recipe I saw on Birgit Kerr’s blog Birgitkerr.blogspot.com.  My recipe is to simply boil for 2-3 minutes: ¼ c. erythritol, 2 T. + 1 tsp. real honey and 1 pkt. stevia (or Splenda).  Cool (thickens as it cools) and put in airtight jar.  My version is here if you want to print a copy: https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/imitation-sugar-free-honey/  TIP:  If it crystalizes in your pantry over time, just soften in the microwave on DEFROST for 1  minute or plunge into a pot of slow simmering warm water a minute or so before using.

Chocolate Cookies

Peggy’s Chocolate Pecan Cookies

Peggy’s Chocolate Cookies (without nuts)

♪♪  SOMETIMES YOU FEEL LIKE A NUT;  ♪♪  SOMETIMES YOU DON’T!  ♪♪  (click to listen)

Old enough to remember the melody from the Almond Joy/Mounds TV commercials?  🙂 Well, in our house, I always feel like a nut; my husband doesn’t, EVER.  He has never been fond of nuts. So the batter for all my cookies and brownies invariably gets divided into two halves and I do some both ways.   I’ve been meaning to try my hand at a chocolate cookie for some time.  Ever since I developed my Almond Butter Cookie recipe 3 years ago, actually.  I finally got around to it today.  Better late than never, huh?  Well that’s not exactly true.  I tried a batch last year and they were so bitter and unpleasant-tasting, they ended up crumbled up for chocolate pie crust or cheesecake crust.  🙂  Waste not; want not.  🙂

These chewy little chocolate-y gems are scrumptious!  Chewy and not dry at all.  Hubby gave them a thumbs up, as did I.   These cookies, like all of my recipes that use my Almond Butter Cookie dough for a base, freeze very well.  In fact, they can be eaten right out of the freezer for an even chewier cookie!  These are not suitable until 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. Several of my own creations appear 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: 

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (for gluten-free, use 1 T. oat flour ground from 100% certified gluten-free oats)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (optional, but improves texture)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. baking powder

¼ c. erythritol (or ¼ c. sugar equivalent of your favorite sweetener)

½ c. Splenda (or 1/2 c. sugar equivalent of your favorite sweetener)

1 beaten egg

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I use Honey Tree from Walmart)

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract (yes, that much!)

2 T. almond butter

½ c. melted butter

1½ squares (1.8 oz.) unsweetened dark baking chocolate, melted

3/4 c. nuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:   Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure all the dry ingredients (including nuts if using) into a large mixing bowl and stir well.  In a small bowl, stir the almond butter into the melted butter.  Add the vanilla and beat in the egg.  Stir in the sugar-free honey next. Melt the Pour the wet ingredients into the dry.  Melt the baking chocolate in the microwave or over hot boiling water and when completely melted, scrape it into the liquid ingredients with a rubber spatula to get it all.  Stir well.  Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to form a dough.  Roll into 1″ balls (I got 34 total) and set on baking sheets lined with silicone or parchment (or greased pans).   Press slightly flat with your fingers or the bottom of a glass so that they are about 3/8″ thick.  They can be pretty close together as they don’t spread much during baking.  Pop into 35oº oven for 7-9 minutes.  Do not over brown these or they will not be chewy.  Do not attempt to remove from pans while hot or they will crumble on you!   Cool completely and then remove to an airtight container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 34 cookies, each contains (without nuts):

83.4 calories

7.26 g  fat

4,16 g  carbs 1,97 g  fiber, 2.19 g  NET CARBS

2.2 g  protein

41 mg sodium

If you decide you want to add the nuts, each cookie has 89 calories, 9.15g fat, 4.52g carbs, 2.22g fiber, 2.3 NET CARBS, 2.4g protein

Currant-Spice Cookies

Click to enlarge

I’ve come up with a spice cookie for the holidays using my chewy Almond Butter Cookies basic dough.  All I did was add a splash of vinegar, blackstrap molasses and some spices and pressed a pecan half into each cookie.  They came out simply delicious!  Although similar to gingerbread cookies, the allspice makes these a little different in flavor.  My husband is quite fond of these and has eaten 3-4 already!  These cookies are not suitable until Phase 2 OWL of Atkins.  They are acceptable for Keto diets.  The oat fiber can be omitted making these OK for Primal-Paleo as well.

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (omit for Primal or Paleo)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (from the konjac tuber)

½ tsp. baking soda

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. each allspice, nutmeg and cloves

½ tsp. ginger

1/16 tsp. cinnamon

liquid sweetener to equal 1/2 c. sugar

1 T. erythritol

1 large egg, beaten

2 T. almond butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cider vinegar (optional)

¼ c. imitation honey (use real honey for Primal-Paleo)

2 T. backstrap molasses

½ c. your favorite oil or softened butter

2 T. dried currants

24 pecan halves

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl stir the almond butter and oil together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.  Add the dried currants and stir.   Measure in all dry ingredients on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   If your dough seems very dry or stiff (coconut flours vary), add in ½ beaten egg. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Dough is somewhat oily.  Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Press balls down to ¼” thick cookies with your fingers or the bottom of a glass.  Press 1 pecan half into each cookie center.  Pop pan into preheated oven.  Top with pecan halves and press slightly into the cookie.  Bake at 350º for about 7 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan before removing with a spatula.   These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Store in an airtight container.  These freeze nicely, too!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 24 cookies, each contains:

133 calories

11.6 g  fat

5.97 g  carbs, 2.17 g  fiber, 3.80 g  NET CARBS

2.95 g  protein

54 mg sodium

46 mg potassium

7% RDA Vitamin E, 10% iron and 7.5% manganese

Blue Dot Cookies

Blue Dot Cookies

These delicious, chewy cookies are made from my Almond Butter Cookie recipe, which I have found to be a very versatile cookie dough.  The mildly sweet, fairly neutral almond taste yields a punch of sweet blueberry right in the middle.  If you can afford the extra carbs, you might want to press 4-5 berries into each of these (each additional berry has about .2 carbs).  I was looking to keep the carb count low for the basic cookie however.  This is one cookie that is NOT very good hot right out of the oven.  Not only are they very delicate when still hot, but their flavor improves when cooled completely. That’s also when they achieve their chewy quality.  These are not suitable for Atkins Induction, but are OK once you get to Phase 2 nuts and seeds level.

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: By personal choice, 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:

½ c. coconut oil or melted butter

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder

½ c. granular Splenda (or equivalent sweetener of your choice)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

1 T. erythritol

28 fresh blueberries

DIRECTIONS:    Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out wet ingredients (all but the berries) into a medium mixing bowl.  Add the Splenda and beat these together until smooth. Measure the remaining dry ingredients on top of the wet and stir them together until they are mixed well and form a fairly stiff cookie dough.  Using a teaspoon, scoop up enough dough to form a 1″ ball when rolled in your palms.  Repeat 27 times, as consistently this recipe makes 28 cookies for me.  Place the balls of dough onto parchment lined or silicone lined sheet pans about 1″ apart (they don’t spread out much during cooking).  Press them slightly flat with your hands, dimple the center of each cookie with your index finger to make a depression for the berry.  Place a berry into each depression and press slightly (not too hard or it may burst).  Pop the pans into the hot 350º oven and bake for about 10-11 minutes or until lightly browned.  These are better not overly browned.  Remove from oven and completely cool on the pans.  Remove to a covered container or enjoy at once.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 cookies, each contains:

102 calories

9.2 g  fat

4.17 g  carbs, 1.81 g  fiber, 2.36 g  NET CARBS

2.4 g  protein

46 mg sodium

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

I whipped up a bunch of whipping cream yesterday for making a birthday dessert for my hubby and had quite a bit leftover.  In order to use it up promptly I decided to try my hand at some whoopie pies.  Been wanting to try making them for a long time now.  I don’t own a whoopie pie pan, but do have an Ebilskiver pan with seven 3″ slots that works just fine for such things (provided you use the correct amount of batter for each one).

These came out delicious, for my very first foray into the whoopie pie world.  🙂  Both hubby and I gave them a 2-thumbs-up!  Very nice texture in the cookie part.  I will definitely want to try my hand at a chocolate version one day.  Stay tuned!  Due to the oat flour, these are not suitable until Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance.  They would also not be suitable for a Paleo-Primal lifestyle on several levels.   I used liquid sucralose to cut carbs. These cake-y cookies can be eaten plain, just as a good gingerbread cookie as well.  🙂  If you want to cut carbs a bit, instead of using 2/3 c. oat flour, you could sub in almond flour or coconut flour for 1/3 c. of the oat flour.  I would not recommend more than that or they may get crumbly.

Many more delicious, guilt-free sweets like this can be at your fingertips in Low Carbing Among Friends, the latest low-carb, gluten-free cookbook series by international author Jennifer Eloff and a group of other talented chefs, including George Stella, well-known to the low-carbing community.   Order you personal cookbooks at Amazon or here: http://amongfriends.us/order.php

VARIATION:  ¼ c. pumpkin added to the whipped cream filling would be very good, but that will likely necessitate a few more drops of sweetener.  

COOKIE INGREDIENTS:

2/3 c. oat flour (ground from 100% gluten free rolled oats) [or 1/3 c. oat flour + 1/3 c. almond or 1/3 c. coconut flour, to lower carbs a bit)

1 c. plain whey protein powder

3/4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

½ tsp. ginger

Liquid sucralose to equal 3/4 c. sugar  (less if you don’t like things too sweet)

¼ c. erythritol

1 T. oat fiber, optional for smoother texture (omit for gluten-free version)

1 T. flax meal

4 egg whites, whisked until frothy

8 oz. baby food carrots (I use 2 the tiny 4-oz. jars)

1 T. blackstrap molasses

1 T. coconut oil, melted

½ tsp. glucomannan powder (optional, but greatly improves texture)

COOKIE DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Lightly oil your baking pan slots with a brush and set pan aside.  Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whisk until frothy. Add all other liquid ingredients and whisk well.  Measure all dry ingredients into the bowl right on top of the liquid ingredients.  Stir batter well to blend ingredients.  This is a very thin batter, but that is normal.  They will cook up quite nicely.  Using a 2-tablespoon measuring cup, spoon 2 T. of batter into each greased slot.  The batter will make 20 cookie halves.  Pop into 350º oven for about 10 minutes or until dry to the touch in the center. Remove and cool int he pan.

FOR THE FILLING:  Whip 1 c. heavy cream with a hand mixer until thick.  Add liquid sucralose or liquid stevia to taste, 1/4 tsp. vanilla, and most important of all, add 1/4 tsp. glucomannan to stiffen and stabilize the final whipped cream filling.  Chill an hour before filling cakes and serving.  I used 2 T. filling per whoopie pie.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 10 Whoopie Pies.  Each filled whoopie pie contains:

158 calories

11.5 g  fat

8.36 g  carbs, 1.73 g  fiber, 6.63 g  NET CARBS

7.68 g  protein

88 mg sodium

156 mg potassium

29% RDA Vitamin A, 19% manganese, 13% phosphorous, 9% selenium

Cashew-Peanut Butter Cookies

I decided to tinker a bit with the classic 3-ingredient low-carb peanut butter cookie recipe that floats around everywhere on the internet.  I like peanut butter but my husband is now.   So I decided to back off on the peanut butter and add half cashew butter to my new creation.  GOOD decision because he liked these!  I also wanted to pump these up with more nutrients so I added some whey protein to my cookie dough.    These came out GREAT!   These gems are not suitable until the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb re-introduction ladder.  They are not suitable for Paleo-Primal followers at all.  Hope you folks able to have these like them as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS: 

½ c. (rounded) raw cachews (2½ oz. )

1 T. coconut oil

½ c. unsweetened chunky peanut butter (I use Laura Scudder)

3/4 c. granulated erythritol

1/4 c. granulated Splenda

¼ c. plain whey protein powder (I use NOW brand)

1 large egg, beaten

DIRECTIONS:  Soaking your nuts in some water and then draining to swell and soften them isn’t absolutely necessary, but it’s easier on your food processor blade and will render a smoother cashew butter.  I soaked mine 2 hours in warm water and then drained.

Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a cookie sheet either with parchment paper, a silicone sheet, or grease the pan well. Place cashews and coconut oil into food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Scrape into a bowl with a rubber spatula.  Add the erythritol, Splenda, whey protein powder, egg  and chunky peanut butter.  Stir to blend mixture well.  In the name of uniform cookie size, using a teaspoon,  mark off the dough in the bowl into 4 equal sections.  You should get 5 cookies from each section, or a total of 20 cookies. Dip up enough dough with your spoon to roll into 1″ balls in your palms.  Set the balls onto the pan about 1″ apart.  These don’t spread much during cooking, so you can probably get all 20 on 1 large pan (4×5) .  When the 20 balls have been formed, take a fork and press them down slightly for that classic peanut butte cookie imprint we all know well.  Pop into preheated 350º oven for approximately 12-14 minutes or until just slightly brown on the edges.    These are crumbly when hot, so allow them to completely cool on the pan before removing with a spatula.  Store in an air-tight container when fully cooled.  ENJOY!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 20 cookies, each contains:

76 cals, 5.8g fat, 2.6g carbs, 0.51g fiber, 2.09g NET CARBS, 3.56g protein, 30 mg sodium, 34 mg potassium

Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

Chewy Pumpkin Cookies

Made my hubby some delicious pumpkin cookies this afternoon.  They came out very moist and flavorful.   And for once, they are sweet enough! Honestly, none of the low-carb pumpkin cookie recipes I’ve tried so far have been sweet enough for me, and just not moist enough either.  I basically took my Almond Butter Cookies https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/almond-butter-cookies/  and added pumpkin and  appropriate spices.    The texture is soft, but not quite chewy like my Almond Butter cookies, so the pumpkin lessened the chewy quality of the base dough, it would appear. By the way, these freeze very nicely and are very good eaten in that semi-frozen state.  🙂  These are not suitable until the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb ladder has been reached.  Just so you know, I use Honeyville Grains coconut flour, almond flour and oat fiber but they are also available from Netrition.com.

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 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 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (omit for gluten free)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. granular Splenda

1 T. erythritol (or your preferred sweetener equivalent to 4 tsp. sugar)

1 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

½ c. melted butter or coconut oil

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

½ c. canned pumpkin

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I buy at Walmart)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl stir the almond butter, pumpkin and butter/oil together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.    Measure in all dry ingredients on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   Dough is wet, but you can slightly roll it in your palms. If your dough seems too dry or stiff and won’t hold together (coconut flours vary a lot), 1 T. more pumpkin. If too wet, add 1 T. more coconut flour. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.  Press balls down slightly flat with your fingers, leaving 1″ between cookies.  Pop pan into preheated oven.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until firm in center and beginning to brown around edges.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier.  Remove from oven and do not try to lift them right away. Cool completely for them to achieve their proper texture. These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Enjoy!  Leftovers store just fine in a cookie jar on your counter or in a plastic bag in your freezer.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 36-37 cookies (I got 37 and calculated accordingly) 1½” in diameter.  Each cookie contains:

77.6 calories

6.95 g  fat

3.18 g  carbs, 1.4 g  fiber, 1.78 g  NET CARBS

1.83 g  protein

34.7 mg sodium

14.7 mg potassium

 

Lupin Lemon Cookies

Lupin Lemon Cookies

This was my very first experiment with lupin flour.  I only recently learned it existed!  I also discovered it is extremely low in carbs (12 g carbs and 11 g fiber or 1 net carb per ¼ cup!!).  My husband is VERY picky about desserts, doesn’t low-carb 100% and quite honestly, hasn’t liked all the cookies I’ve made in the last 4 years since I began my low-carb journety.  Well, tonight, he sampled these and said “Yeah, those are pretty good” and scarfed down several more (as did I)!

I’m proud to let my readers know this recipe appears in Vol. 4 of Jennifer Eloff’s Low-Carbing Among Friends cookbook ON SALE NOW!  Her cookbooks are a collections of easy, tasty, gluten-free recipes by a group of some of the most talented, creative low-carb chefs on the web!  Get your’s today!   http://amongfriends.us/order.php or at Amazon.com

These chewy, lemony cookies are DELICIOUS!  They’re soft in the center (but not crumbly) and slightly chewy on the edges and bottoms where they brown (even chewier on day 2!).  I attribute the chewiness to the imitation honey.  These have no funny bean taste often associated with lupin flour and they were just as good as any traditional lemon cookie I’ve ever eaten.  Lupin flour makes a final product that is fairly yellow in color, but that’s not a problem for lemon cookies, lemon cakes, yellow cakes or cornbread.  I’m looking forward to further experimentation with this flour, both for sweets and savory uses.  This recipe would not be suitable until the legume level of the Atkins carb ladder.  It is not suitable for Paleo or Primal lifestyles.  I obtained my lupin flour from Fooducopia, linked on the main Lopino website:  http://www.lopino.com/product/21 and it is also now available at Netrition.com.

NOTE:  People who are allergic to peanuts should proceed with caution with regards to lupin flour.  I am NOT allergic to peanuts, however since creating this lemon cookie recipe, and a few other baked goods, I have discovered I am highly sensitive to lupin flour!  I will therefore not be able to do further experimentation with it.  But I chat with others who are having GREAT baking successes with it.  🙂

INGREDIENTS:   

1 c. almond flour

1½ c. lupin flour

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. sea salt

1 c. Splenda (equivalent liquid sucralose will lower carbs even more!)

¼ c. erythritol

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I use Honey Tree brand from Walmart)

2 eggs, beaten

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

Juice of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

1/8 tsp. Boyajian Lemon Oil (optional)

DIRECTIONS:  Prepare 2 cookie sheets with either parchment paper (or silicone sheets).  Preheat oven to 350º.  I couldn’t quite get all mine on two pans and had to bake the last 5-6 on a second go round.  Mix the almond meal, lupin flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  In a large mixing bowl, whip the softened butter with a rubber spatula until smooth (or use an electric mixer if you prefer).   Add the sweeteners of your choice and whip until well-blended.  Next add the beaten eggs and beat until smooth.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the egg-butter mixture, beating until smooth between each addition.  The batter will be too thick to roll into balls, so just spoon up in 1″ balls or with a small dough scoop.  They spread a little during cooking, but I only placed mine about 1½” apart.  Press the blobs of dough with your fingers to about ½” thick.  If desired, press a pecan in some of them; or sprinkle a few with unsweetened coconut pressed down.  Those flavor “extras” are NOT calculated below in stats, however.  Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until lightly browned along edges and on tops.  Remove from oven and place on towel to cool.  Store totally cooled cookies in airtight containers or plastic zip bags.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 36   2″ cookies, each cookie contains: (not including pecans or coconut toppings)

60.7 calories

4.7 g  fat

3.63 g carbs, 2.24 g fiber, 1.47 g NET CARBS (.87 NC using liquid sucralose)

3.04 g  protein

43 mg sodium

45 mg potassium

Apricot Shortbread Bars

Apricot Shortbread Bars

These buttery, not-too-sweet apricot cookies I made for some company my husband is having tomorrow.  They came out much better than I thought they might when I originally got this idea. I simply used my low-carb shortbread recipe I came up with last year and baked a little for a bottom crust, smeared some stewed up dried apricots on top and added more shortbread dough to the top for a sandwich cookie. They’re not terribly sweet, but they sure are rich and buttery!  These are not suitable until you reach the Atkins nuts and seeds level of the OWL carb ladder.  These are NOT suitable for Paleo-Primal guests.  I think these would also be very good made with a dried prune, dried blueberry or dried cherry filling and plan on trying those one day as well.  Oat fiber is available at Netrition.com or Honeyvillegrains.com.

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:

2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened

½ c. granular erythritol

4 pkts. stevia

3 c. almond flour

1 T. coconut flour

1/3 c. oat fiber (substitute 100% gluten-free ground oat flour for gluten free version)

3 beaten eggs

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

5.6 oz. dried apricots (no sugar added variety)

½ c. tap water

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (or your preferred thickener to thicken the apricots)

¼ tsp. almond extract

DIRECTIONS:  Place apricots in small saucepan with the ½ c. water. Bring to a boil and lower heat and simmer, stirring often, mashing with a wooden spoon.  Cook until they are tender and most of the water has been absorbed.  Add a little more water if it all cooks out before the fruit is tender.  Remove and stir in the glucomannan (or whatever thickener you are using) and the almond extract.  Set aside to thicken up while you make the cookie/pastry layers.

Preheat oven to 350º.  Soften butter in a large mixing bowl.  With a whisk or electric mixer, beat in the eggs until fairly smooth.  Add vanilla, salt, erythritol, stevia and mix until well blended.  Add almond flour, coconut flour and oat fiber and stir with a spoon or fork until well mixed.  Using plastic gloves or “baggie” gloves, dip up 1/2 of the dough into a 9×13 non-stick baking sheet or pan.  Chill the remaining dough while you are working so you can roll it.  Press out the first half of the dough onto the 9×13 pan as evenly as possible.  Pop into preheated 350º oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until it is touchable in the center, but not fully browned/cooked.  Remove and let cool a few minutes.  Using the back of a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, evenly spread the thickened apricot mixture gently and carefully over the bottom crust trying not to tear it up as you work.  Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator.  Place a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and put the chilled dough on it.  Place a second sheet of plastic on top of the dough and roll it to the approximate size of your pan.  Remove the top plastic.  Taking it with your hands at the mid-point, plastic and all, lift it, allowing it to fold in the air and place it over the right half of the bottom of your creation. Lift the other half on over the left side of the pan.  As this dough isn’t terribly rollable, you may have to trim the edges off and place them in thin spots as needed, using excess dough to patch any tears/breaks in the top crust.  Pop the pan into your preheated oven and bake another 15-20 minutes or until the top is fully touchable at the center and the edges are browned.  Allow to air dry in the pan until totally cool.   The WILL firm up the longer they are exposed to the air, so don’t be concerned they seem too soft when you take them out of the oven.  Cut into 28 “sandwich cookies”, cutting evenly 4 x 7.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 28 cookies, each contains:

150 calories

13.13 g  fat

7.43 g  carbs, 2.88 g fiber, 4.55 NET CARBS

3.51 g  protein

34.8 mg sodium

Gingerbread “Bigfoot”

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist when I named this Christmas creation. 🙂  I bought the pictured 14″ tall Wilton Gingerbread Man cookie pan a couple years ago and haven’t really used it with any of my low-carb gingerbread recipes to date.  But I came across a recipe on Robb Wolf’s website, posted by a Kim Ludeman, that inspired me to test this “behemoth” pan.

I changed up the sweeteners considerably to lower carbs and also added currants and raisins for decoration.  Original recipe had no flaxmeal and used all almond flour.  My longtime favorite gingerbread recipe has a bit of vinegar in the dough, so I also added a tablespoon to this recipe (don’t worry, you won’t taste it).  I think it is for improving rise, but this stiff dough did not rise much during baking, so I may need a little more.  I’ll try 2 T. next time.  The resulting gingerbread cookie was sort of cake-like and sort-of chewy on the edges, and most DEFINITELY tasty!!  I’ll be trying this as individual cookies next baking, as I liked the chewy browned edges.

This recipe is fairly carby, since it has molasses in it, so I would not indulge in these unless you are in Atkins Pre-Maintenance or Maintenance phase.  You can eliminate the raisins/currant decoration and also decrease the molasses and increase the sugar-free maple syrup by that amount to reduce carbs.  My Paleo-Primal subscribers will of course want to use REAL maple syrup instead of the sugar-free maple syrup.  The Steviva called for is a blend of erythritol and stevia and is about twice as sweet as sugar, but you could use another sweetener (2 T. sugar equivalent) if you prefer.

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:  

½ c. flax meal (I use 50:50 golden and dark mixed)

2½ c. almond flour

2 pkts. stevia

1 T. Steviva (a blend of erythritol and stevia)

1 tsp. each cinnamon and ginger

½ tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ c. backstrap molasses

¼ c. sugar-free maple syrup (or regular maple syrup, or omit and use ½ c. total molasses for Paleo/Primal version)

1 T. white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:  Lightly grease or line a cookie sheet with coconut oil.  Preheat oven to 350º.   Beat all wet ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.  Measure the dry ingredients on top.  Slowly stir the dry into the wet below until smooth.  Dough will be fairly stiff.  If making a giant single cookie, spread the dough evenly onto the baking pan using plastic gloves or baggie “gloves”.  My gingerbread man pan is approximately 14″ tall x 9″ wide.   Use raisins for eyes and button, currants for his nose and mouth.  Pop into preheated 325º oven for about 18-20 minutes.  Do not overcook so you should remove from oven when the cookies are just browning a wee bit around the edges.  Cool and enjoy.

If making individual round cookies, this dough should make about 24 small 1½ round cookies.  I would roll dough into 1″ balls and then press flat into 1½-2″ cookies with your fingers or the bottom of an oiled glass.   The individual cookies should only require 10-12 minutes to get done.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 1 huge gingerbread man or twenty-four  1½-2″ round cookies, each round cookie or approximately 1/24 of the giant cookie has: (calculated using sugar-free maple syrup).  If making smaller gingerbread men, this recipe (I’m guessing) would probably make 12 of them.

107.8 calories, 8.73 g  fat, 6.18 g  carbs, 2.08 g  fiber, 4.1 g  NET CARBS, 2.96 g  protein, 76.5 mg sodium

Key Lime Bars

My husband and I love anything LIME, so I decided to try my hand at a lime version of a simple granola-type bar.  Not much to them really, but they sure came out good!   And they freeze well, too!  In fact, the lime flavor improves with “age”.  🙂  These would not be suitable until the higher fruits rung of the Atkins carb ladder but are totally suited to Paleo eating.  These are pretty carby, so it’s not something I’ll be eating a lot of or very often.  But I might allow myself one or two for special occasions or holidays.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. Medjool dates (7), pitted

1 c. unsweetened coconut

1 c. almond flour

1 c. sliced almonds

1 c. whole almonds

Zest of 1 large lime

Juice from 1 large lime

Optional:  Sweetener of your choice to taste

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Place sliced and whole almonds in food processor.  Pulse until fairly fine.  Add coconut, pitted dates and almond flour.  Pulse a few more times.  Add lime juice and zest.  Taste test and decide if you need to add any sweetening agent.  My husband like lime stuff tart, so he was OK without adding sweetener.  I found the mix too sour, so I added some stevia. You can also use more dates, or even a little raw honey (maybe 2-3 T.), which will up the per bar counts.  Stevia, if you use it on your plan, won’t change carb counts by much.  Pulse a couple more times after adding any sweetener.  With a ¼ c. scooper, scoop out ¼ c. portions of the mix into latex bar molds (see below) or paper lined cupcake pans.  With moistened  fingers, press mixture firmly and evenly into the pans.  I used a silicone bar pan I bought last year.  Bake in preheated oven for just 9-10 minutes.  I left mine 15 and browned them a bit too much.  Cool before storing in airtight container or ziploc plastic bags.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 19 bars, each contains (using stevia):

179 calories

13.84 g  fat

14.20 g  carbs, 3.96 g  fiber, 10.24 g  NET CARBS

4.96 g  protein

4.42 mg sodium

87 mg potassium

26% Vitamin E, 27% copper, 14% iron, 16% magnesium, 30% manganese, 12% phosphorous, 12% riboflavin, 8% zinc

Pineapple-Pecan Cookies

Click to enlarge

I made some delicious pineapple cookies this afternoon.  They came out kind of chewy and are still like that after they cooled off.  I’m very pleased with the moist, chewy texture of these cookies and will likely use this cookie dough for many cookie variations in the future.  These freeze well and are even chewier eaten right out of the freezer!!  These are not suitable until the advanced fruit rung of the Atkins OWL ladder, or near Pre-Maintenance.  But they are so good, they are well worth waiting for.

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 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 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. coconut oil (or softened butter)

2 T. almond butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1½ tsp. pineapple extract

½ c. granular Splenda

1 T. erythritol

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free imitation honey (I make my own to save money, see below)

½ c. juice pack crushed pineapple (water pack if available), drained well

½ c. chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out all wet ingredients including the pineapple into a large mixing bowl.  Beat well with a fork until smooth.  Measure out all dry ingredients, including the nuts, on top of the wet and stir well to blend.  The dough will be moderately stiff.  Roll into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Press balls down slightly flat and try to leave 1″ between cookies.  Pop pan into preheated oven.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  Do not overbrown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan before attempting to remove with a spatula.  These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Store in an airtight container.  I store mine in the freezer and eat them without even defrosting!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 30 cookies, each contains:

110.4 calories

9.79 g  fat

4.55 g  carbs, 2.07 g  fiber, 2.48 g  NET CARBS

2.55 g  protein

45 mg sodium

23.2 mg potassium

9% RDA Vitamin E, 8% copper, 8% manganese

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: Modified slightly from a recipe of Birgit Kerr on Birgitkerr.blogspot.com.  Boil for 2-3 minutes ¼ c. erythritol, 1 tsp. honey, 2 T. imitation honey and 1 pkt. stevia or Splenda.  Cool and put in airtight jar.  If it crystalizes, soften in microwave on defrost a minute before using.

Fresh Cherry Cookies

Fresh Cherry Cookies

Made my hubby some delicious cherry cookies this afternoon.  He loves anything cherry!  They came out chewy, moist and are still like that after they cooled off.  I got this base batter idea from the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Honeyville Farms Blanched Almond flour bag.  I made some drastic changes to their basic dough, however.  They used all almond flour in their recipe and I’ve added some ingredients I find improve baked goods a bit.  I’m very pleased with the chewy texture of these and will likely use this cookie dough for many variations in the future.  These freeze well and are even chewier eaten right out of the freezer!!  These are not suitable until the advanced fruit rung of Atkins OWL ladder, or near Pre-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 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 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. softened butter (I use unsalted)

2 T. almond butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsp. almond extract

½ c. granular Splenda

1 T. erythritol

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I buy Honey Tree brand at Walmart)

20 fresh cherries, pitted and chopped coarsely

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Line cookie pan with parchment or silicone sheet.  Measure out all wet ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Beat to blend well until smooth.  Measure out dry ingredients on top of the wet and stir in until you have a smooth dough.  It will be moderately stiff.  Work cherries into dough with your hands like you were making a meatloaf.  The cherries WILL discolor your batter a bit.  Such is life.  But that won’t impact flavor ONE bit! Roll cookie dough into 1″ balls and place them onto baking sheet lined with parchment or silicone sheet.  Press balls down slightly flat and pop pan into preheated oven.   Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  When totally cooled, remove with a spatula and store in an airtight container.  These freeze well and can be eaten right out of the freezer for an even chewier cookie!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 30 cookies, each contains:

98.6 calories

8.51 g  fat

4.39 g  carbs, 1.96 g  fiber, 2.43 g  NET CARBS

2.42 g  protein

45 mg sodium

 

Prune Cookies

Prune Cookies

Made some Prune Cookies from a basic cookie dough I developed today.  Mmmmm they came out like my Grandma’s old-fashioned prune cookies.  I might even add some nuts next time, as hers had nuts in them as I recall.  These are VERY moist and cake-like, yet a bit chewy, too.  I’m very pleased with the chewy texture of these cookies and will likely use this cookie dough for many variations in the future.  These are not suitable until the advanced fruits rung of the Atkins OWL phase, when you are nearing maintenance.  Prunes are pretty carb-y, thus I only used 5 in these.  These freeze well and are even chewier eaten right out of the freezer!!

More delicious low-carb dessert 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 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 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. softened butter (or coconut oil)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda (or equivalent sweetener for ½ c. sugar)

1 T. erythritol

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. imitation honey (I make my own to economize, see below)

¼ tsp. cinnamon

5 dried plums/prunes (no sugar added variety, like Del Monte), chopped

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Measure out dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  In a smaller bowl, beat the egg and vanilla.  Add the almond butter and butter/oil and whisk together until pretty smooth. Stir in the chopped prunes.  Now add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir well to form a smooth dough.   If your dough is too dry or stiff, add an extra egg, as coconut flours can vary widely from brand to brand.  Roll into 1″ balls and place them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Press balls down slightly flat and pop pan into preheated 350º oven.  Bake for about 7 minutes.  Do not overbrown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool on the pan a few minutes before attempting to remove, as they are delicate when hot, but firm up nicely when they cool down. Store in an airtight container or int he freezer.  They can be eaten right from the freezer for a chewier cookie.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 30 cookies, each contains:

99.23 calories

8.5 g  fat

4.49 g  carbs, 1.97 g  fiber, 2.52 g  NET CARBS

2.40 g  protein

451 mg sodium

20.7 mg potassium

IMITATION HONEY:  This is basically Birgit Kerr’s recipe over on Birgitkerr.blogspot.com, with slight modification, as I don’t use xylitol or SweetOne.  Boil for 2-3 minutes ¼ c. erythritol, 1 tsp. real honey, 2 T. imitation honey and 1 packet stevia (she uses SweetOne, an acesulfame potassium product).  Remove and store in an airtight jar.  Makes about 1/3 c. or 5 T.  Each tablespoon has 12.6 calories, 1.24 g carbs, .1 g fiber and 1.14 g net carbs.

Almond Butter Cookies

Made my hubby some delicious cookies this afternoon.  They came out kind of chewy and are still like that after they cooled off.  I got this base batter idea from the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Honeyvillegrain Blanched Almond flour bag.  I made some drastic changes to their basic dough, however.  They used all almond flour in their recipe and I’ve added some ingredients I find improve low-carb baked goods.  I’m very pleased with the chewy texture of these and will likely use this cookie dough for many variations in the future.  So far I have done variations with fresh cherry, pineapple and pecan, dried prune , currant-spice, pumpkin, and chia-chai .  All have been delicious.  If you’re tired of cake-y or dry/brittle cookies and and seek a low carb cookie that is moist and chewy cookie, this one you really need to try!  They really deliver!  They also freeze well and are even chewier when eaten right out of the freezer!!  These are not suitable until the nuts and seeds rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

DO NOT SUBSTITUTE OTHER SWEETENERS FOR THE SUGAR-FREE HONEY IN THESE OR THEY WILL NOT COME OUT CHEWY!  Real honey will work but will also jack up the carbs considerably!

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. almond flour

½ c. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber (substitute gluten-free oat flour for gluten-free version)

1 tsp. glucomannan powder (konjac powder)

1/8 tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

½ c. coconut oil (or softened butter)

2 T. almond butter

1 T. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda

1 T. erythritol

1 egg, beaten

¼ c. sugar-free imitation honey (no substitutions, unless it’s REAL honey)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In a large mixing bowl stir the almond butter and oil together until smooth.  Beat in the egg, vanilla and imitation honey.    Measure in all dry ingredients on top and stir well to form a smooth dough.   If your dough seems very dry or stiff (coconut flours vary), add in ½ beaten egg. Roll dough into 1″ balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheet.  Leave 1″ space between cookies.  Press balls down slightly flat and pop pan into preheated oven.  Top with chopped, sliced almonds if desired, but this really doesn’t impact flavor, just the look.  Bake for about 7 minutes.  Do not over brown these cookies or texture will be drier and less chewy.  Remove from oven and cool on the pan a few minutes before removing with a spatula.  These are delicate while hot but “firm up” nicely when they cool. Store in an airtight container.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 28 cookies, each contains:

105.5 cals, 9.1g fat, 4.12g carbs, 2.07g fiber, 2.05g NET CARBS, 2g protein, 48.2 mg sodium

HOMEMADE IMITATION HONEY: If you really don’t feel like runing to the store for ready-made sugar-free honey, but also don’t want to use all real honey because of the carbs, I have a homemade recipe you might want to try.  Boil for 2-3 minutes: ¼ c. erythritol, 2 T. + 1 tsp. real honey and 1 pkt. stevia (or Splenda).  Cool (thickens as it cools) and put in airtight jar.  Added note:  If it crystalizes over time, just soften in the microwave on DEFROST for 1  minute or plunge into a pot of slow simmering warm water a minute or so before stirring and using.

Gingerbread

These are moist, delicious and by far my husband’s favorite low-carb dessert to date.  A holiday must, for sure, but we make them year round at our house.  I need to make him some more of these soon.  I went about making a few changes to my flatter bar cookie version to get to this cake-ier version.  The changes have improved moistness level and flavor, more like real gingerbread.  These are not suitable for the Induction Phase of Atkins.  If you’re at or near maintenance, and can afford the extra carbs, 1-2 T. molasses added to these would make them even better!

INGREDIENTS

2/3 c. oat flour (for gluten-free, be sure to grind from 100% certified gluten-free oats)

1 c. unsweetened, unflavored whey protein powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. glucomannan (konjac) powder

¼ tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. each allspice & nutmeg

1 tsp. ginger

1 T. molasses

1 T. coconut oil

3/4 c. granular Splenda (or equivalent liquid sweetener)

¼ c. granular erythritol

1 T. oat fiber(omit for gluten-free version)

1 T. flax meal

4 egg whites (I use carton whites)

2   4-oz. jars baby food carrots

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Grease bottom and sides of a medium baking pan (I used 7″x 12″ ceramic) or line bottom with parchment paper and grease the sides only.

Measure out dry ingredients into medium mixing bowl.  Stir well.  Beat in the egg whites and pureed carrots, blending well.  Baby food carrots can vary with brand on water content.  If your batter is stiff, add 1 T. water.  I don’t have to do this with Gerber brand of carrots; I do with other brands.  Batter is thin if you use carton egg whites, but it will all cook up just fine.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350º for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center comes out dry and clean.  Remove from oven, cool and cut into 16 equal pieces.  Delicious topped with fresh whipped cream.   Larger pans will yield thinner bars; smaller will yield a taller, cake-like bar.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 16 bars, each contains:

58 calories, 1.82 g fat, 7.0 g carbs, 1.24 g fiber, 5.77 g net carbs, 4.8 g protein, 118 mg sodium

Refrigerator Sugar Cookies

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I am really enjoying this latest cookie dough creation.  It lends itself to a wide variety of presentations, with the addition of chopped dried fruits, nuts, frosting and holiday decorations.   The cookies are a little fragile for large cut-out cookies, but in rounds, I have been able enjoy them without them crumbling apart.  They can be served in a number of different ways.  I’ve made a cranberry version:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/cranberry-freezer-cookies/ and a Pistachio-Rosewater version:  https://buttoni.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/pistachio-rosewater-cookies/ .  Above I tried them with cherry (almond extract) cream cheese frosting and a rich chocolate frosting I keep made up in my refrigerator:  http://www.healthyindulgences.net/2009/05/healthy-chocolate-cake-with-secret.html .  I particularly like that I can just freeze the dough in waxed paper, take it out and slice off in ¼” slices and just bake the number I want to have.  Less temptation that way, which is a good thing, in my opinion.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

1 large egg, beaten

¼ tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda (or liquid equivalent for an even lower carb count than shown below)

¼ c. granular erythritol (powdered in a food processor or blender a bit)

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2008/08/bake-mix-substitutions-to-customize-to.html

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

Kevin’s Bake Mix Recipe (slightly modified):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, sweeteners and vanilla.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Spoon onto a piece of waxed paper, shaping into a log about 12″ long and 1½” in diameter.  Roll the log up snugly, closing ends of waxed paper and chill (or freeze) in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to slice.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Sprinkle with a pinch of granular erythritol if desired, but I do not. Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Cookies are fragile when hot, so be sure to completely cool them on pans before attempting to remove or frost.  From frozen state, these take closer to 14-15 minutes to get done.  Roll any unused dough in waxed paper and store in refrigerator or freeze if you prefer.  If freezing, slightly defrost dough a quarter or half hour before attempting to slice or the cookie will likely “break” under the knife pressure.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48  (if cut ¼” thick ) cookies, each contains:

57 calories

5.13 g  fat

1.78 g  carbs, .99 g  fiber, .79 g  NET CARBS

1.62 g  protein

17 mg sodium

Cranberry Refrigerator Cookies

I created a tasty refrigerator cookie recently.  My Pistachio Rosewater Cookies) were my inspiration.  These are delicious and so easy to make!  My mother loved refrigerator cookies you just slice off and bake like these.  A little dessicated coconut (maybe 1/4 c.) would transform them yet again.  Those changes would require you add the numbers to the nutritional info provided below.  It’s nice to be able to freeze this dough and just slice off the number of cookies you want to bake.  Lowers the chance for constant temptation.  I bake a little pan of 6 refrigerator cookies at a time.  This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of the OWL phase of Atkins.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

1 large egg, beaten

¼ tsp. salt

2/3 c. fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped (I pulsed in processor 4-5 times)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

½ c. granular Splenda

¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

VARIATIONS:   Add ½ c. unsweetened coconut or orange zest (or both) to the batter.

Kevin’s Bake Mix (slightly modified):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, sweeteners and vanilla.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Add chopped cranberries and gently fold in to get berries evenly distributed in the batter.  Shape into a log about 12″ long and 1½” in diameter on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly, closing ends of waxed paper and chill in refrigerator for about 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to slice.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Roll any unused dough in waxed paper and store in refrigerator or freeze if you prefer.  If freezing, slightly defrost dough a half hour before attempting to slice or the cookie will likely “break” under the knife pressure.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48  (¼” cut ) cookies, each contains:

58 cals, 5.13 g fat, 1.94 g carbs, 1.05 g fiber, 0.89 g NET CARBS, 1.6g protein, 17 mg sodium

Peanut Butter & Jelly Cookies

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Peanut butter cookies have never been one of my favorite cookies, as I have always found them somewhat dry.  But I love PBJ sandwiches, so I decided to try some low-carb PBJ cookies this week and see if I could make one I find more moist.  Have made 3 small batches now (ate way too many sampling, all in the name of kitchen experimenting, right!) and this version is the one I think I like the best.  Very nice flavor day 1; even better day 2 right out of the refrigerator!  For these, I used several low-carb flour substitutes in combination with a bit of polydextrose to add moisture and bulk.  These are fairly firm, somewhat chewy and to me, they really taste like a PBJ.  Very tasty!  Flavors mellow on day two. Dry and crumbly I definitely avoided with this recipe.  If you prefer drier more crumbly cookies, I’d omit the polydextrose and increase almond or coconut flour 1-2 tablespoons.  These are technically not suitable until the grains rung of OWL due to the oat fiber, a baked goods flavor/texture enhancer.   That said, oat fiber is virtually pure fiber (96% for my brand) and therefore a virtual wash on net carbs.  So if you try it one time and don’t have carb cravings start up again, you can probably have oat fiber and be able to enjoy these cookies as early as the nuts rung of the Atkins OWL ladder.  I’m hoping to experiment with this recipe for a bar cookie one day as well.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. peanut butter (I used smooth and nutritional numbers reflect that)

2 eggs, beaten

2 T. almond flour

2 T. flax meal

1 T. oat fiber

2 T. coconut flour

1 T. polydextrose (optional, but improves texture)

½ tsp. vanilla extract

¼ c. erythritol + 12 drops liquid Splenda  (or ½ c. sugar equivalent of your choice)

3 T. sugar free grape jelly (I use Smuckers)

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  In medium mixing bowl, blend the peanut butter and beaten eggs well.  Add vanilla.  Stir in all dry ingredients.  Your batter should be reasonably thick, but not really dry and roll-able, as most PBJ batter is.  Spoon batter onto greased, parchment or silicone covered cookie pan into 12 equal mounds.   Make a small depression or “well” in each with the tip of a small spoon.  Spoon 1/4 tsp. sugar-free jelly into each depression.  Pop cookies into preheated 350º oven for about 15 minutes.  Remove and let cool before removing from pan.  Store in gallon ziploc bag.  On day 2, mine are keeping just fine out of the refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 12 cookies, each contains:

104.7 calories (I know kinda high, but peanut butter is high!)

7.45 g  fat

5.85 g  carbs, 2.74 g  fiber, 3.11 g  NET CARBS

4.43 g  protein

55.25 mg sodium

21 mg potassium

Ambrosia Cookies

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I got the idea for these cookies from a recipe I saw some time ago on the Civilized Caveman Cooking website called Apple Banana Cookies.  That Paleo recipe has, of course, no flour substitutes or grain and used egg alone to bind the ingredients together.  I have added in several dry ingredients to give these babies a little more body, changed the oil, cut way back on cinnamon and used a totally different extract to create this soft, cake-like Ambrosia Cookie.

Everyone’s sweetness preference is different.  The first half of these I cooked, with erythritol only, were not sweet enough for me.  Adding in some stevia on the second batch that went into the oven really helped, in my opinion.  So I’ve incorporated that into my recipe.  If you don’t like a very sweet cookie you may not want to add the stevia I show below.  Due to the real banana, these are not acceptable until the OTHER FRUITS rung of the  OWL ladder of Atkins.  Note:  Most of my unusual ingredients I order from Netrition.com.

INGREDIENTS:

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

1 T. pineapple extract (ordered direct from Superior Products or use 2 tsp. regular pineapple extract)

1 medium (7″) banana, mashed

1 c. coconut, unsweetened

4 eggs

¼ c. flax meal

2 T. coconut flour

1 T. oat fiber

1 T. polydextrose

½ c. erythritol

3-4 pkts. stevia

¼ tsp. cinnamon

Dash salt

1 c. each walnuts and almonds, coarsely ground

DIRECTIONS:  Process or chop almonds and walnuts until coarse and place in large mixing bowl.  Process or grate coconut and add to the bowl.  Beat in the eggs, mashed banana and all other wet ingredients.  Next measure all dry ingredients into the bowl.  Stir to blend batter well.  Chill 15 minutes while oven preheats.    Preheat oven to 350º.  You can either use ungreased non-stick cookie sheets, parchment-lined or one lined with silicone.  Either using a 1¼” cookie scoop  or a spoon, make 1¼” balls of dough spaced fairly close together on your pans (these don’t spread much).  Slightly press each ball a couple times with a fork to slightly flatten them, but not too much.  Bake at 350º for 18-22 minutes (ovens will vary, but mine took 22 min) until just browned ever so slightly around the edges.    Cool a couple minutes and remove from pans to a cloth, board or rack to cool and make the remainder of the cookies in a similar manner.  These should freeze well, but as with all baked goods, they should be eaten within a month.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 40 cookies.  Each cookie contains:

68.75 calories

5.86 g  fat

3.01 g  carbs, 1.61 g  fiber, 1.4 NET CARBS

2.15 g  protein

12.6 mg sodium

70 mg potassium

12.5% RDA copper and 14% manganese

Refrigerator Pistachio-Rosewater Cookies

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My family lived in Teheran, Iran when I was 10 years old and I just loved the wonderful pastries and baked goods in the Iranian and German bakeries there.  Rosewater is a commonly used flavoring in the Middle East.  One sugar-type cookie we used to get there, made with pistachio nuts, was one of my favorites.  I decided today I would try my hand at a basic refrigerator sugar cookie recipe, using alternate flour ingredients and artificial sweeteners, of course.  The result was quite nice.  As the roll of dough will keep for a long time in the refrigerator or freezer, you can slice off and bake just as many as you like.  The total recipe of dough will make about 4 dozen cookies, if they are sliced about ¼” thick.   This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of OWL.  This basic dough, minus the pistachios, would make an excellent plain refrigerator cookie, using 1½ tsp. vanilla for the flavoring instead of rosewater.

This is my first experiment using the bake mix of a former member of Low Carb Friends forums, KevinPa.  Sadly, Kevin passed away this year and his baking expertise is sorely missed by folks like me who greatly admired his culinary prowess.  The various bake mixes and flour substitutes called for in this recipe can be varied with likely the same good result.  So if you don’t have the ingredients for Kevin’s bake mix, you could just use all Jennifer’s mix and get about the same result.

This roll of batter can also be frozen.  Just remember to thaw a short amount of time so slicing is possible.

INGREDIENTS:

2 sticks butter, unsalted, softened

2 small or 1 large egg

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¼ tsp. salt

2 oz. pistachios, coarsely chopped

1 T. + 1 tsp. Rosewater (I use Sadaf brand, from Middle Eastern grocers or on-line suppliers)

½ c. granular Splenda¼ c. erythritol

1 c. KevinPa’s Bake Mix, Peggy’s Version (see below)

½ almond flour

½ c. Jennifer Eloff’s Splendid LowCarb Bake Mix: http://low-carb-news.blogspot.com/2008/08/bake-mix-substitutions-to-customize-to.html

2 T. Carbquik Bake Mix

1 T. oat fiber

DIRECTIONS:  In a medium bowl, soften the butter and beat the egg into it well.  Add the salt, nuts, sweeteners and rosewater.  Measure and mix in each of the bake mixes.  Mix well and shape into a log on waxed paper.  Roll the log up snugly and chill for about 2 hours.  Preheat oven to 350º.  Slice off in ¼” slices and place on silicone or parchment lined baking sheet (these don’t spread much during cooking.   Bake for 10-12 minutes (don’t let get too brown) and remove to cool.  Ice with your favorite cream cheese frosting with 1/2 tsp. rosewater added and sprinkle with some finely chopped pistachios, if desired.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes about 48 cookies, each contains (does not include icing or nut garnish):

63.63 calories

5.68 g  fat

2.10 g  carbs, 1.10 g  fiber, 1.0 NET CARBS

1.83 g  protein

19.9 mg sodium

13.7 mg potassium

Kevin’s Bake Mix (MY version of it):

½ c. Carbalose flour

¼ c. wheat protein isolate 5000

1 T.  wheat protein isolate 8000

1½ T. almond flour

1½ T. resistant WHEAT starch (Kevin used resistant corn starch)

1¼ tsp. Splenda

½ tsp. xanthan gum (Kevin used Not/Sugar)

Peach Cranberry Bars

Peach Cranberry Bars

I bought two of the largest, prettiest peaches this week I have ever seen in my life (see below).  It only took 1 of them to make this pan of wonderful bar cookies, as each one weighed a full POUND!

Click to gawk at this   15.75 oz. peach!

These came out quite tasty and I will be making these again for sure!  I didn’t find them too sweet and they sure did satisfy my craving for a bit of fruit and nuts today.  These would be lovely with a cup of coffee at breakfast, for a dessert or just as a snack. These are not suitable until the grains rung of the Atkins Phase 2 OWL carb reintroduction ladder.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. low-carb bake mix. I used Jen Eloff’s Splendid Low-Carb Bake Mix

½ c. unsweetened coconut

1 T. coconut flour

2/3 c. chopped pecans

1/3 c. chopped fresh cranberries

½ c. + 2 T. erythritol

Dash salt

6 drops liquid stevia (or 4 drops liquid sucralose)

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1¼ c. fresh peach, peeled and finely chopped (about 2 medium)

6 T. melted butter TOTAL  (1 T. to grease pan, 5 T. for recipe)

1 beaten egg

3/4 tsp. almond extract

1/2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Peel and finely chop the peaches (or pulse until coarsely chopped in processor).  Melt butter in an 8×8 or 9×9 square pan.  Tilt pan and grease sides and bottom of pan well with butter.  Pour the remaining butter into the chopped peaches.  Now beat in the egg and extracts.  Chop cranberries coarsely and add to the peach mixture. Set the wet ingredients aside for now.

In a medium bowl, mix all remaining ingredients.   Spoon the wet ingredients into the dry and stir to moisten all into a smooth, thick batter.  Spoon evenly into the greased baking pan and level with a spatula or fork.  Bake in preheated 350º oven for about 40 minutes or until dry to the touch in the center.  These do not rise very much.  When totally cool, cut into 16 squares (4×4) and serve or store in an air-tight container in refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:  Makes 16 bars, each contains:

123 calories, 10.26 g  fat, 5.64 g  carbs, 3.04 g  fiber, 2.6 g  NET CARBS, 2.87 g  protein, 25 mg sodium

Prune Protein Bars

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I was shopping last month and found the coolest silicone baking pans on sale at my local Tuesday Morning store.  They only had two of them and they were framed with steel, so they will support themselves and have something to grab onto that supports them when picking up to place/remove from the oven.  The compartments are approximately 4″x 1¼”x 1¼”, which is perfect for individual bar cookies, brownies, protein bars, mini cakes, or making little petit fours.  Here’s what it looks like:  But of course, you can press this dough into a pan and cut into squares with a knife as well.  This specialty pan isn’t essential for making these, just fun!  🙂

This recipe was inspired by a gluten-free granola bar recipe I saw over on Joyfulabode.com.  I decided to sweeten it up more as well as add some protein powder, DaVinci caramel syrup, and dried prunes.  The final result was very, VERY good.  And best of all, no cooking to speak of, so no heating up the kitchen.  These were so easy to make, I’ll be making variations on this recipe, I’m sure!  Plus these are stable/safe to store at room temperature, but I think they are less fragile if kept chilled.  In other words, they are not well-suited for back pack jostling. 🙂  They will tend to break apart if handled roughly.  For anyone interested, I froze a few and they froze just fine.  They did not get sticky on the surface or soggy in any way after defrosting.    This recipe is not suitable until the higher carb fruit rung of Atkins OWL Phase.

INGREDIENTS:

½ c. each almonds, walnuts, and pecans

¼ c. each roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds

1½ c. coconut, unsweetened

½ c. erythritol (or preferred ½ c. sugar equivalent sweetener)

1 scoop (¼ c.) whey protein powder, unflavored, unsweetened (I use NOW for 1 net carb per scoop)

½ tsp. cinnamon

5 dried prunes, chopped

¼ c. sugar-free honey (I buy at Walmart)

¼ c. DaVinci caramel sugar-free syrup

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ c. coconut oil

¼ tsp. salt (omit if seeds above are salted)

DIRECTIONS:  Place the first 7 ingredients into the bowl of a food processor (or blender) and pulse 2-3 times to a medium grind.  You don’t want it too coarse; you don’t want it too fine.  🙂  In a small saucepan, bring the last 5 ingredients to a bubble over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and pour over the dry mix and stir well to moisten all ingredients.  If you have suitable silicone muffin cups, press into 18 patties or bars, making them as level as you can with your fingers.  I found each one took about ¼ c. dough.  If you don’t want round patties, just press dough onto a 9×13 non-stick or parchment-lined pan.  Chill for 1 hour and cut into 18 bars.  Store extras covered in the bottom of your refrigerator or in your freezer.  I actually prefer to just freeze them and eat them right from the freezer, as they never really get hard, hard in the freezer.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:   Makes 18 bars, each contains:

187 calories

16.88 g  fat

5.72 g  carbs, 2.86 g fiber, 2.86 g. NET CARBS

5.1 g  protein

57 mg sodium

159 mg potassium

12% RDA Vitamin E, 34% copper, 17% iron, 18% magnesium, 39% manganese, 113 % Thiamin, 13.3 % zinc

Gingerbread Bars #1

 

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Got a hankering for the taste of gingerbread today and thought I’d give it the low-carb conversion stab in the kitchen.  I combined two recipes to come up with these, actually,  a low-carb graham cracker recipe and a conventional sugar-based gingerbread cookie recipe.  I’m quite pleased with the result, too!  I detest rolling out dough and cutting into shapes, so I opted to press this dough into a sheet pan and cut into squares.  Ever so much easier! 🙂  I wanted so badly to substitute 2 T. molasses for 2 T. of the imitation honey, so I could get the rich taste molasses gives gingerbread…….but at 16 carbs per T., that would have boosted the net carbs per cookie from 2.2 to 6.5!!  😦  I did the numbers to be sure first!  So no molasses went into these, folks.   But flavor was still good without it.  🙂  I froze some of these and think they are better out of the freezer than thawed!  Freezing makes them more like the Marranitos (Ginger Pigs) one sees at Mexican bakeries!   Mmmmm!  I’d like to increase moisture a bit in these and am modifying recipe to have 4 T. glycerine.  May add a little cream cheese if this doesn’t do the trick.   Will update recipe as appropriate.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. coconut flour

½ c. whey protein, unflavored, unsweetened (I use NOW brand at <1 carb per 1/4 c.)

½ c. almond flour

¼ c. dark flax meal

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger

1½ tsp. ground cloves

¼ c. granular Splenda + ¼ c. granular erythritol

¾ c. unsalted butter, softened and creamed

¼ c. imitation honey with xylitol

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 T. vegetable glycerine (optional, but helps retain moisture and adds a touch of sweetness)

3 eggs, beaten

2 tsp. white vinegar

DIRECTIONS:  Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix all dry ingredients in one large bowl.  In another bowl, cream softened butter and using a whisk, beat in the eggs one at a time.  Add honey, vanilla, glycerine and vinegar.  Now pour dry ingredients slowly into the wet and stir well with a rubber spatula until batter is well-blended.  Wearing plastic gloves or baggie “gloves”, press dough into 11×17 parchment lined sheet pan.  Try to maintain even dough thickness throughout, smoothing the surface as much as possible with the palm of your hand.  You can chill this dough to stiffen it up, roll out 1/4″ thick on floured board and cut out shapes, if you’re of a mind.  I just hate doing that, personally, as my shapes get messed up more than not transferring cutouts to pans.  Pop into 35oº oven for about 10 minutes or until enter is done to the touch.  Do not overcook edges!  Cut into 32 squares (4×8) when cooled.   Store leftovers in ziploc bag in refrigerator.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:   Makes 32 bars, each contains:

101 calories

7.29 g  fat

5.39 g  carbs, 3.18 g  fiber, 2.21 g  NET CARBS

3.67 g protein

111 mg sodium

Brownies

Brownies

This is the Miracle Brownie recipe some of you have seen, but I have modified it quite a bit.  I have baked the regular Miracle Brownie recipe as written on two occasions and I frankly found both times it had too much flax in it.  By day two, the brownies almost seemed gritty & grainy with flax and erythritol recrystalization.  So I reduced flax and erythritol and substituted other ingredients and like the final result much better! For fun, I baked these in a new square muffin top pan I acquired.  This is still the best low-carb brownie recipe I’ve found to date, but I consider it a work in progress.   These are not acceptable until 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 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:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 c. powdered erythritol

1 c. Splenda

4 pkts. stevia

1 tsp. vanilla

4 beaten eggs

1/3 c. heavy cream

2/3 c. strong coffee (or water)

4 oz. melted chocolate, unsweetened

1 c. flax meal (I used dark)

2 T. oat fiber

1 tsp. glucomannan powder

¼ c. whey protein, unflavored, unsweetened (I use NOW brand for 1 carb per 1/3 c.)

3/4 tsp. salt (only ½ tsp. if using salted butter above)

1 T. baking powder

½ c. cocoa powder

1 c. chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º.  In large bowl, melt unsweetened chocolate in microwave.  Add the softened butter, erythritol, vanilla, eggs, cream and coffee.  Beat well with electric/hand mixer or whisk until smooth.  In another bowl, mix all dry ingredients and add to batter, along with chopped walnuts and stir well.   Grease 9×13 baking pan and pour batter into pan, spreading evenly.  Bake at 350º for about 30 minutes or until center is done using toothpick test.  When cool, cut into 24 brownies.  If using muffin top pans, fill greased cups 3/4 full (makes 24) and bake only 20 minutes.  Do not over brown.  The pan I used (pictured below) has ¾” deep cups that are 2.5″ square:

Square Muffin Top Pan

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 24 brownies, each containing:

118 calories

9.8 g  fat

6.89 g  carbs

3.85 g  fiber

3.04 g  NET CARBS

4.79 g  protein

64 mg sodium

Cranberry Coconut Cookies

Cranberry-Coconut Cookies

This experiment came out quite good.  Not at all like the crisp sugar cookie basic dough they were made from.  These came out soft, moist and fruity.  We both LOVED them.  It’s the moisture of the cranberries that moistens these cookies right up.  These are not acceptable until you get to Atkins Phase 2 OWL but are suitable for other Ketogenic diets.  They would not be acceptable for Primal-Paleo unless you sub in a plan-acceptable sweetener like honey (to taste).

If you like a crunchier cookie, you might prefer my Refrigerator Cranberry Cookies 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 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

INGREDIENTS:

1 recipe my Sugar Cookie dough

1 c. chopped fresh cranberries

6-12 drops liquid sucralose to taste (needed to offset tart cranberries]

¼ c. unsweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS: Make sugar cookies as instructed in that recipe, adding the additional liquid stevia to the creamed butter and Splenda.  When all ingredients are blended well, add in chopped cranberries and coconut.  Fold the fruit in until it is uniformly distributed.   Dough will make 18 small balls of dough.  Place balls of dough onto parchment lined cookie sheet.  Press down with fingers or the back of a fork to flatten a bit. These spread little during cooking, so if careful, you can get all 18 on one pan.  🙂  Bake at 350º for 15-18 minutes until just browned on the edges.  Cool on the pan before removing.  Do not cover until completely cooled off.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 18 cookies, each contains:

97.3 calories, 9.2 g  fat, 4.2 g  carbs, 2.29 g  fiber, 1.94 g  NET CARBS, 1.8 g protein, 8 mg sodium

Sugar Cookies

I modified a recipe, adding oat fiber and changing up the sweetener, to come up with these tasty gems.  I suspect they’ll be good iced for holiday cookies. Next time I’m going to press them a little flatter, but otherwise, they had a nice texture and flavor.  These are not acceptable until the nut rung of the OWL ladder.    Place in lidded container.  If these lose their crispness due to humidity, pop them on a cookie sheet and place into a 300º oven for 10 minutes.  They crisp right up!  Don’t know if icing them will tend to diminish crispness or not, but suspect it will.  So I don’t think I will ice more than will likely be immediately consumed.  I don’t think this batter is suitable for rolling and making cut-out cookies.  Too soft to handle that way.

 INGREDIENTS:

1 stick softened butter, unsalted

¾ c. granular Splenda

2 T. granular or powdered erythritol

1 beaten egg

1 tsp. vanilla (almond extract is good, too)

1 c. fine almond flour

1/4 c. oat fiber (or ¼ c. more almond flour for a gluten-free version)

DIRECTIONS: Cream butter and sweeteners until smooth.  Add beaten egg, vanilla and stir well.  Add all dry ingredients, blend well and chill batter at least 1 hour.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Spoon up and roll a ball of dough about 1″  round and place onto parchment.   These don’t spread out much during baking so ½” between them on the pan is fine.  I usually get 20  2½” round cookies out of this batter.  Slightly press the ball of dough down flat with fingers.  You can sprinkle with cinnamon/Splenda or unsweetened coconut before pressing flatter if you want to change this recipe up a bit.  But any topping is NOT figured into the nutritional info below.  Bake at 350º for about 18 minutes.  Do not over brown or they will be dry.   Allow to cool before attempting to remove from the pan.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Entire recipe has 1589.4 calories, 152.64 g  fat, 64.26 g  carbs, 35.46 g  fiber, 28.80 g  net carbs, 31.32 g  protein and 140 mg sodium.   I get 20  2½” round cookies from this recipe, therefore each cookie would have:

79.5 calories, 7.63 g fat, 3.21 g  carbs, 1.77 g  fiber, 1.44 g NET CARBS, 1.57 g protein, 7 mg sodium