Low Carb Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cookies...who doesn’t love them? On a sugar free, low carb diet, sometimes we may feel deprived because we can’t just go into a bakery or store and buy what’s in the display case or on the shelf. When it comes to cookies, they’re so easy to make and take such minimal effort, you can enjoy them whenever you have the desire! These flavorful cookies can be baked and eaten right away or made into a tube of “slice-and-bake” dough, which can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer so you can bake the cookies one or two at a time. These are just as delicious and much more nutritious than any store-bought cookie, so enjoy!

Low Carb Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 22 cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated erythritol*

1 large egg

1-3/4 cup almond flour

2 tablespoons coconut flour

1 tablespoon arrowroot starch (optional, see notes)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 drops caramel flavoring, or to taste (I used Capella brand)

1/3 cup toasted, chopped pecans

1/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips (I used Lily’s brand)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, baking powder, nutmeg and salt. Whisk with a fork until no lumps remain; set aside.

2. Place the softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat with the erythritol until well combined and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla extract and caramel flavoring and beat for about 15 seconds.

3. Add the almond flour mixture in three additions, beating briefly between each addition. Beat well on medium speed until the ingredients are well combined. With a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped pecans and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

4. With a cookie scoop or with rounded tablespoonfuls, make about 22 balls and place them on a parchment paper or silicone lined cookie sheet. With your fingers or the back of a spatula, flatten each ball to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. (To make “slice-and-bake” cookies, form the dough into a tube shape wrapped with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.To hasten the firming process, place dough into the freezer for about 15 minutes. Slice into disks of even 1/4-inch thickness and place on a prepared cookie sheet.)

5. Bake cookies for about 13-15 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will crisp up as they cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Notes: *You can use classic white granulated erythritol or, even better, use Lakanto Golden Monkfruit sweetener for more of a brown sugar, caramel flavor. The arrowroot starch is optional, but helps to keep the cookies crispy after baking. It adds a very small amount of carb (0.35 g) per cookie.

Nutritional Information per cookie: 118 calories, 6.1 g carbohydrate (2.3 g dietary fiber, 0.5 g sugars, 6.2 g sugar alcohols), 10.9 g total fat (3.1 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 24 mg cholesterol, 93 mg sodium, 29 mg calcium, 74 mg potassium, 14 mg Vit A, 2.7 g protein. Net carbs per cookie: 3.8 grams

Recipe and photos by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2018

All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission.

Low Carb Taco Salad in a Grilled Cheese Bowl

There are many variations of similar recipes online, but this salad is so much fun to make and eat, I had to share my own experience. I’ve seen other intriguing posts describing how to make taco shells with cheese, so I had to try it for myself. I prefer a taco salad in a bowl because it’s less messy to eat. This is an easy, foolproof, stovetop method that takes less than 10 minutes start to finish! Fill it with whatever taco salad fixings you like and, I think you’ll discover as I did, that the delicious, crispy grilled cheese bowl adds a lot of flavor to this festive salad!

Grilled Cheese Bowl

Makes 1 edible bowl

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, or a blend (I used a Mexican blend)

1. Evenly spread 1/2 cup of shredded cheese into an 8-inch non-stick skillet.

2. Heat over medium heat until the cheese is bubbly and turns a dark golden brown. (Do not stir or disturb the cheese during the cooking process.) Watch carefully so the cheese doesn’t burn, but you’re looking for a dark golden color that indicates it’s well done and will be crispy when cooled.

3. Meanwhile, place an inverted 8 ounce bowl onto a plate.

4. Remove skillet from the heat and allow the bubbling cheese to cool slightly, but not harden. Drape the still warm and flexible cheese disk over the inverted bowl and gently press down the sides to create a bowl shape.

5. Allow to cool for a few minutes until the cheese hardens. Remove the cheese bowl from your mold, fill and enjoy!

        

Low Carb Taco Salad in a Grilled Cheese Bowl

Makes 1 serving

1 Grilled Cheese Bowl (see above)

1 cup of chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce

3 ounces of cooked ground beef seasoned with 3/4 teaspoon of taco seasoning

1/4 avocado, cut into cubes

4 grape tomatoes, chopped

1-2 teaspoons of chopped red onion

1-2 teaspoons of chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1 teaspoon shredded cheddar cheese

2 tablespoonfuls of sour cream

Place all of the salad ingredients into the Grilled Cheese Bowl and enjoy!

Nutritional Information per salad in cheese bowl: 534 calories, 12.9 g carbohydrate (4.7 g dietary fiber, 3.8 g sugars), 41.2 g total fat (20.8 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 128 mg cholesterol, 588 mg sodium, 473.4 mg calcium, 661 mg potassium, 2 mg iron, 3345 mg Vit A, 20 mg Vit C, 30.3 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 8.2 grams

Recipe and photos by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2018

All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission. 

Chocolate Turtle Pecans

These toasted buttered pecans have just a hint of caramel and are lightly glazed with sugar free chocolate to give them the taste of old-fashioned Chocolate Turtle Candies. The nice part is that they’re quick and easy! No messy or tricky caramel to make, just toast the pecans in a skillet, bake in the oven to crisp up and stir in chocolate chips...that’s it! You’ll want to have this low carb treat on hand for snacking or as a simple dessert anytime.

Chocolate Turtle Pecans

Makes 12 servings (1/4 cup each)

3 cups pecan halves (or you can use 1/2 walnuts and 1/2 pecans)

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon granulated erythritol (I used Golden LaKanto Monkfruit sweetener)

3-4 drops caramel flavoring, or to taste (I used Capella, see photo below)

1/4 cup sugar free chocolate chips (I used Lily’s)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In an oven-proof or cast iron skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the nuts. Stir to coat. Sprinkle with the salt, erythritol sweetener and caramel flavoring. Stir to coat the nuts evenly. Taste and adjust sweetness and flavorings, if desired. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until fragrant.

2. Place the skillet with the nuts into the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. Cook until lightly toasted, but not burned.

3. Remove from the oven and spoon the hot nuts into a large bowl. Immediately add the chocolate chips and stir. When the nuts are nicely coated with the melted chocolate, spread the nuts in a single layer onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet to cool completely. To hasten the process, you can refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes. 

4. Once cooled and the chocolate has set, store the nuts in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. The nuts are most flavorful when served at room temperature. 

Nutritional Information per 1/4 cup serving: 213 calories, 5.5 g carbohydrate (3 g dietary fiber, 1 g sugar, 1 g sugar alcohols), 22 g total fat (4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 7.5 mg cholesterol, 122 mg sodium, 111 mg potassium, 35.2 mg magnesium, 3.1 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.5 grams

Recipe and photos by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2018

All rights reserved. Please do not duplicate without the author’s permission.