We are walking into the seasons where food and beverages are going to be happening. We don’t have to be scared or worried this year because we are going to have a plan. Let’s substitute!! I swear these small changes YOU make will allow you to enjoy more yummy foods like never before. Now that I am in my forties, 41 to be exact, I really try my best to cook + bake with whole food ingredients. Just to give you an idea, I substitute sugar for Stevia, regular flour for Almond, or Coconut Flour, and sometimes I use applesauce instead of oil. If you are following a KETO lifestyle you’re lucky because it calls for REAL butter (not margarine), Coconut + Avocado oils. Hard to believe but the results in your weight loss are real when you put your body in ketosis!!
Today, I am sharing three low carb dessert recipes that I love. I wish I could take all the credit for creating these tasteful treats myself but I can’t. I lean on Pinterest a lot to find the best ideas when it comes to staying on track with our low carb/keto lifestyle. The photographs are amazing which I am a huge colorful picture person. I also love how accurate the recipes are and it tells you literally step by step what to do. On occasion, I do change up some ingredients for something I have already in my pantry. Keeps me from having to make a run to the grocery store, ugh totally over the grocery store.
Recommended Baker’s Essentials
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Keto/Low Carb
Courtesy of Keto Diet App
What you are going to need:
- 1 cup pecans ground
- 1 cup almond flour
- 4 tbsp coconut flour
- 1/4 cup granulated Erythritol or Swerve
- 1/2 tbsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp sugar-free vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
Cheesecake filling:
- 2 1/2 cups cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated Erythritol or Swerve
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp sugar-free vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
Pecan pie topping:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar substitute such as Swerve or Sukrin Gold or Allulose
- 4 tbsp sugar-free maple-flavored syrup
- 1 tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan powder
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 2 cups roughly chopped pecans
Instructions:
- Adjust the rack to the middle of the oven. To make the crust, combine the crust dry ingredients in a food processor.
- Mix in the butter and vanilla extract. Pour the crust mixture into a lined 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan and press halfway up the sides using your fingers to use a flat bottomed cup to press the mixture into the bottom. Refrigerate the crust for 20 minutes. Note: It is important to press the crust up the sides of the pan also. Try to get it at least 3/4 of the way up. This will help hold the pecan pie filling once it is added to the cheesecake.
- Preheat oven to 160 °C/ 320 °F (fan assisted), or 180 °C/ 355 °F (conventional). To make the filling, in a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and sweetener with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Add heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon powder (if using), and salt. Beat until well combined. Beat in the eggs just until combined.
- Pour the cream cheese filling through a fine-mesh sieve into the base it helps remove any large clumps that might spoil the cheesecake. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly into the bottom.
- Put the cheesecake into the oven and bake in a large baking sheet filled with water (wrap outside of the pan in a double layer of foil, covering the underside and extending all the way to the top.) Bake for 40 minutes.
- Once the cheesecake goes into the oven, begin working on the topping. Combine the brown sweetener, maple syrup, xanthan gum, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until it reaches a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool while the cheesecake is baking.
- Meanwhile, whisk the eggs (used in the topping layer), salt, and cream together; set aside. Once the cheesecake has baked for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven. Slowly whisk the egg mixture with the cooled syrup until well combined. Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Gently spoon the pecan topping over the cheesecake.
- Return the cheesecake to the oven and reduce temperature to 150 °C/ 300 °F (fan assisted), or 170 °C/ 340 °F (conventional) and bake for another 40-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp. (If the edges of the pecan topping are over-browning during baking, cover with foil.)
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Cover the cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- To serve, run a sharp knife under hot water and carefully dry the blade. Make a cut in the cheesecake. Optionally, drizzle with more sugar-free maple syrup.
Pumpkin Bread
Keto/Low Carb
Courtesy of Fit to Serve
What you are going to need:
- 7 0z of canned pumpkin puree
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup of baking sugar alternative/substitute
- 1/4 cup of melted unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups of finely milled almond flour
- 1/2 cup of golden flax meal, reground
- 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 cup of finely chopped walnuts
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz of softened full-fat cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup of sugar-free confectioners sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Grease an 8×5 inch loaf pan well.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin puree, sugar substitute, melted butter, and vanilla extract until well blended.
- Next, add in the eggs one at a time making sure to beat until fully combined.
- To the wet batter add the almond flour, flax meal, baking powder, psyllium husk powder, and spices.
- Spread the batter into a greased 8-inch loaf pan. Note that batter will be thick.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow the pumpkin bread to cool 10 minutes in the pan before removing it.
- Place the pumpkin bread in a baking rack and allow it to cool an additional 20 minutes before frosting with the cream cheese frosting and slicing.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for 3 weeks.
- 1 1/4 cup fine ground almond flour
- 1/3 cup granular allulose
- 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- 1/3 cup granular allulose or granular sugar substitute
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions – Donut Batter
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and prepare a donut pan.
- In a medium-size bowl, sift almond flour, allulose baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves. Set aside.
- In a separate medium-size bowl, add the room temperature eggs, vanilla, melted butter, and pumpkin puree and blend until well combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix only until combined. Do not over mix.
- Place batter into a large pastry bag with a large opening (no tip required) and pipe the batter evenly into the donut pan cavities.
- Give the pan a few gentle taps off the countertop to release any bubbles and to even out the batter.
- You can go back with the back of a spoon to even out the batter if you need to.
- Bake for 15 minutes in a 350F oven and then gently place a loose piece of tin foil over the donuts to prevent over-browning.
- Bake for another 5-7 minutes or until the donuts are golden brown and cooked all the way through. Use a toothpick to test doneness.
- Cool the donuts in the donut pan for at least 30 minutes before removing. The donuts will be quite tender before they are completely cooled and may break if pulled from the pan too early.
Cinnamon “Sugar” Topping
- Place the cinnamon and granular allulose in a flat bottomed pan, or large plate and blend well.
- Gently place the donuts into the pile of cinnamon “sugar” and use a spoon to coat the donuts with topping.
NOTES
- In this recipe Xanthan gum is optional. The donuts turn out fine without it but the final texture is better if you include it.
- Use room temperature eggs in this recipe to prevent the butter from seizing.
- Be sure to grease your donut pan very very well.
- Don’t skip the tin foil step in the baking instructions. Almond flour has a tendency to over brown, to avoid this use the tin foil trick.
- If your donut pan is on the thin side, or if using silicone, place them on a cookie sheet before placing it into the oven. This helps to prevent over-browning from the bottom.
- I hope you enjoy fall baking this year around!! These recipes are so delicious and I am so happy I found these so I hope you’ll give them a try. Always remember that if I find something worth sharing you better believe I will not hesitate. Talk soon!
*This post includes affiliate links.
