DIY Keto and LC - SugarFree - Make up mixes to keep on hand for last minute desserts, less work, and impulse cravings

 

 

 

We have been low carb and sugar free off and on now for almost 18 years.   One of the ways to stay on task and not give into a craving that has more carbs or even sugar grams is to make sure I have options on hand and readily available.  When I fail to do this, I often will grab a non-lc item because frankly, I'm hungry, I'm getting irritable and like everyone else, when you are hungry, you're hungry!  I don't care for desserts too much - my downfall is probably breads - but even so, once in a great while I not only want a cupcake (sugar free and low carb of course) but pancakes or waffles with sugar free syrup and sometimes even (oddly for me) a brownie.

One thing I always have on hand and I don't think I've blogged about is how I keep 'mixes' in the pantry.  I may have different options at different times - sometimes cake mixes, coffee cake mixes, a cupcake or muffin mix... but I always have pancake/waffle mixes on hand.  

Nothing fancy-dancy - just an old 'mixed nuts' container with a screw on lid that I've lined with a ziplock and filled with the dry mix for a random waffle/pancake mix along with the ingredients and instructions for mixing them up.

My 'always in the pantry' pancake and waffle container

Another thing I try to keep up on is a mixture of sweeteners.

Most all keto and low carb bakers/cooks know you'll get the best flavor if you mix at least 2 sweeteners together.  There are a few recipes that are persnickety but for the most part, a mixture of 2-3 is the best.  I buy what I like or use what I have on hand (shopping sales and deals is important for us as the low carb sweeteners are so darn expensive).

Having 2-3 premixed in my 'sugar' container saves me time when baking.

This particular mixture has some golden color to it because I used a golden Lakanto along with 2 other sweeteners.

 

People that don't eat low carb or sugarfree often make their cakes and cupcakes from the cheap store mixes at the grocery.   The ease of use is awesome, I get that.  So mixing up some muffin and cake mixes for my own pantry using my own dry ingredients makes it easier to whip up than dragging out the bags and boxes and bottles and starting completely from scratch each time.

I do this on a random afternoon when I have about an hour free. 

You don't need cute labels - and I don't always add those either - it all depends.  Sometimes I just scribble on the top or a piece of tape and attach it.  

For your own DIY mixes, use your personal favorite recipe.

Layer all the dry ingredients like your almond flour, coconut flour, natural sweeteners, salt, etc. into a glass Mason jar or other airtight container.

Make sure to note the name of the recipe on the container or an attached piece of paper.

Scribble down or type the additional ingredients needed or the page and cookbook where you can find the rest of the recipe (adding it all to the jar is quickest and easiest when you are making them though!).

 

For little additions you can put a small ziplock or tiny little jar of whatever it is inside the larger jar with the mix.

Here you can see my Keto Funfetti Cupcakes use colored sugarfree sprinkles.  

Not only does including them in this tiny jar inside the larger jar with the dry ingredients make it easy to use them at the time of mixing, but I did this especially because those little sprinkles have to be ordered online, are expensive, are something I don't always have on hand and I knew I'd been disappointed if I wanted to make these cupcakes and found at the time that I was OUT of the funfetti sprinkles!

This way I know I will have them on hand when I make the cupcakes because they are already with the mix!

 

Although these are the ones I have in my pantry right now (I just pulled everything out to snap a quick picture and then they are going back in) I do plan to mix up a chocolate cake mix and a brownie mix this week as my husband loves chocolate and sugarfree, keto brownies are always a huge hit here.  

Use your favorite recipes; put the DRY ingredients into a jar/container.  Pop it into your cupboard or pantry and use it as you would a 'regular' cake mix or muffin mix before you were low carb and sugarfree!

 

 

Dessert! Keto Lemon Loaf Cake

Reposting because it's just. that. good.

If you saw my Instagram tonight then you saw we had an amazingly yummy seafood dinner with mussels, scallops and shrimp in a garlic sauce along with riced cauliflower.  I served this lemony cake for dessert and... yum.  

 
Lemon Loaf Cake with Lemon Glaze

1 1/2 c almond flour
1 c sour cream (not low fat, obviously)
3/4 c Lakanto or other erythritol based sweetener
1/2 c coconut flour  (good quality)
1/2 c real butter, soft
3 eggs
3 T lemon juice
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t dried lemon zest
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t xanthan gum
dash of salt

glaze:
3/4 c powdered erythritol with monk fruit - or a mixture of your favorite sweeteners
1/4 c lemon juice
*a little bit of water if needed to thin it down

Heat oven to 350.  Grease a bundt pan with butter.  Place all the ingredients in a blender and blend smooth, scraping down sides a couple times.  Spoon it into your prepared pan.  Bake for 55 minutes or until the center is firm and done.  Let it cool about 30 minutes before removing from the pan, and turning out to cool completely.  Mix up the glaze ingredients and pour or spread over the cake.  The texture is even better after chilling overnight.

Sugarfree and Low Carb Country Chocolate Pie (A fudge like chocolate pie with coconut and pecans in an almond flour crust)

 

 

This recipe is one many people might know of it it's original great-grandma version:  chocolate chips, coconuts, nuts and lots of sugar... in an old fashioned wheat flour pie crust.  That's not happening here so this is my take on it that I made up this week and it's a keeper.

 I LOVE pecans and walnuts but my husband does not.  So I used chopped pecans in the pie filling but I eat mine with extra pecans on the side that I scoop up and basically use like a spoon or fork for the fudge filling!

 

Country Chocolate Pie

1 c unsweetened, shredded coconut 

1 c chopped pecan pieces (or use whole and chop them yourself) 

1 c unsweetened chocolate chips (I used Lily's brand - milk chocolate but you can use semi-sweet or dark if that's more you) 

3/4 c real butter 

4 eggs 

1 t vanilla 

1 1/2 c sweetener alternative to sugar (I used an Allulose with Monk Fruit blend and Eyrithritol mixture - always use 2/3 sweeteners for best flavor) 

1 pie crust

(I made a simple almond flour pie crust using 1 1/4 almond flour, 1/4 c zero carb vanilla whey protein powder, 1/4 t salt, 1/3 c sweetener and about 1/4 plus 1 T melted butter; mix in bowl until it comes together and press into a glass or non-stick pie tin) 

 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you mix up the pie.

Melt butter and chocolate chips together in a bowl in the microwave.  

Beat the eggs, add the coconut, sweetener, vanilla and nuts.  

Pour the butter/chocolate mixture in and mix.  Pour into your crust and bake about 40 minutes until done.  The edge will be rather firm but the center will still be jiggly.

Let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator to chill.  This step is what will make your chocolate set up.  Best if chilled overnight.  Slice and serve.

 

 

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Tiny thin slices if you are keto depending on how many carbs you can handle, but it's still low carb and sugar free for anyone just avoiding flour and sugar.  (You can use a site like FitDay to input your brand of ingredients to see what your exact carb counts will be.)

 

Another note is the level of sweetness is going to change with the brands you use and what sweeteners you use.  I have a container in the pantry where I mix 3 sweeteners and then use like sugar.  Mixing at least 2-3 sweeteners gives the best flavor in keto baking (I and many think so anyway).  Depending on what you use, you may want less or more sweetener;  you can start with 1 cup and taste the batter if you want, or use the full 1 1/2 cups this time and adjust next time, yada yada.  It's your food, play with it as you wish!  :)

 

The edge is really dark and firm but the center is still jiggly.  It will set up completely once it's been cooled and chilled.

Right before I ate it.

With extra pecans.

Homemade Keto Bread - Testing 2 more (King Arthur Keto Flour and Lonjevity Fiber Flour talked about and used as well)

Yesterday I wanted to make keto bread... always a disappointment in some ways no matter how good it is because face it, keto bread will never be real, wheat bread.  And I love homemade real wheat bread! 

Note:  I made the same recipe twice (at the same time) yesterday but used about 2-3 tablespoons more fiber ingredients in one than the other.  The results were crazy different!  The one with the extra fiber added (psyillium husk powder) was a nicer dough verses the batter but it didn't raise hardly at all and stayed literally that shape even after baking.  It baked fine, it was done just fine and tasted fine but the texture of the other one was so much nicer as it raised quickly and beautifully!

Second note:  The thinner the baking pan the better!  I have 5 bread 'loaf' pans, some are very good and expensive quality ($25 for a pan), others are middle of the road (Rachel Ray version) 2 more are nice average pans and one is a cheap dollar store version bread loaf pan.  

I've found for almond bread based low carb breads, the cheaper, thinner pans are awesome!  They bake the bottoms and centers so much nicer than the more expensive pans!  

So to take it one step further, I baked one in a cheap disposable aluminum foil pan and BINGO!  BEAUTIFUL.  It was rising quick and perfect and baked just as well.  I had grabbed the round pie plate style on a whim but I have bread loaf shaped in the pantry so from now on, all my keto bread will be baked in the disposable bread pans.  I'm smitten with the crusty loaf I get verses the soggy or dense/wet version in more expensive or regular bread pans.

Homemade Keto Bread

1 c almond flour
1 1/4 c keto flour 
4 t active yeast
3/4 c warm water to activate the yeast (not too hot)
2 t sugar to activate and feed the yeast
1/4 c butter, softened just to melted but not hot
3/4 t apple cider vinegar
2 eggs
1 T baking powder
1 t salt

In a small bowl, place the yeast, sugar and warm water.  Let set to activate (and get foamy) while you place in a larger bowl, the dry ingredients:  almond flour, Lonjevity Fiber Flour, baking powder and salt.  Whisk to mix.

Add the 2 eggs, yeast/water mixer, vinegar  and butter to the dry flour mix.  Stir just until moist, don't over stir.  If it's dry and more of a sticky dough because your measuring cup or your scooping methods added a little more of the fiber flour mixture, then add a little more water to the mixture by tablespoon  and gently stir just to incorporate. You want more of a batter than a dough (SEE THE ROUND BAKING PAN IN THE PHOTO BELOW).  Place it into a well greased pan to cover lightly and let raise.

I found the wetter dough raised and baked perfectly while the drier version in the bread pan stayed the shape it was and wouldn't raise hardly at all (as most almond flour based low carb breads tend to do).  

Let it raise until you are happy with the height (about 35-60 minutes depending on how warm your house is, where you are letting it raise at and how wet the batter dough was).  During the last 10 minutes of the rise, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Bake about 35-50 minutes until it's nice and golden dark brown, dry on top and done in the center.

Again (if you skipped my notes above - the cheaper, thinner loaf pans bake it perfectly while the more expensive, and thicker loaf pans make for a soggier or wetter loaf) and you may have to add 10-20 minutes longer on your bread in order to get the center done.

Let cool in the pan or out depending on how well your loaf baked and how sturdy it is.  Both mine in the photos below came out of the pan within a minute to cool completely.  I used the dense loaf pan version to slice and make garlic cheese bread that evening to eat with keto lasagna.  The round version (my favorite of the two) is being ate as is because frankly, I can't help it.  Butter or peanut butter smeared... Mmmm.

The yeast is foamy and beautiful... if your yeast isn't foamy than it's dead.  It's either too old, you didn't use a sugar or honey to feed it, or you used water that was too hot and it killed it.  Try again.

The wet batter dough in a thin disposable pan worked the best and was beautiful.

The dough that was a little dryer with psyllium powder stayed in this shape, didn't raise hardly at all and baked in the same shape.  It tastes fine but is more crumbly, and obviously not a nice tall bread - more like biscotti in the shape when you slice it.  I used it to make garlic cheese bread that night for dinner with lasagna, which was fine for the size and shape!

The two side by side.  A wetter dough was much better for rising and baking and finished texture.

Hot from the oven because I couldn't resist.  The texture dries a little and improves when it's allowed to cool down a bit.  But... homemade bread of any kind, I can't resist.

 

Homemade Sugar Free Almond Joy Bites

Originally posted in 2012 - repost for 2020

 

My husband teases me that I'm the only person on the planet that likes Almond Joys.  I know that isn't true because I only buy Almond Joy candies at Halloween in one mini-bite sized bag and I know that one purchase isn't keeping them in business!

Right now I'm cutting out all sugar and ironically, even though I never crave sugar or chocolate - knowing I can't have it just makes me want it.  I don't like chocolate.  I can go six months and not even think about it.  But... decide to go completely sugar free and my brain starts to crave it just because I can't have it.  Silly brain.

So today I whipped up some Almond Joy Bites.  Sugar Free and quite easy.  It's funny though, after I mixed them up and made 8 bite sized candies to set on foil, I scraped the last of the chocolate mixture out of the bowl (about a half teaspoon), ate it....  and had no craving for any more.  See?  It's all mental.  :)

Sugar Free Almond Joy Bites

1/3 c Hershey's Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
1/4 c Shredded Coconut  (Unsweetened)
1 t Torani Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
1/4 c Almonds, Unroasted & Unsalted 

Amounts are up to you.  This is approximately what I used and it made 8 little inch rounds or bites.  If you added a bit more or less coconut or almonds or even vanilla syrup, you can adjust it to your personal taste.

Chop the almonds either by the edge of a rolling pin in a ziploc or with a chopper.  Place all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and microwave 1 minute, stir.  If it's not quite melted, give it another 15 seconds.  Stir again.  Drop by spoonfuls onto foil.  You can leave them free form or shape them a bit with your fingers to make them round.  Let them set to harden for about an hour or put them in the refrigerator for a quick set.  I got 8 rounds from this amount.



*If you don't care about sugar; just use regular chocolate chips.  Enjoy!