Low Carb Candy Corn Glazed Donuts

Fall is here! Pumpkins, potted mums and Halloween decor are already decorating the lawns and porches in my neighborhood and bags of Halloween candy line the store shelves. One autumn favorite is Candy Corn.  These donuts mimic the classic three-banded candy with its colors of yellow, orange and white glaze. These festive donuts are great fun to serve for breakfast or to bring to a party!

Low Carb Candy Corn Glazed Donuts

Makes about 12 donuts (more or less, depending on the size of your pan)

Donuts:

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut flour, lightly scooped and leveled

6 tablespoons granulated erythritol sweetener

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder (optional)

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs

1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut or almond milk

1/2 teaspoon butterscotch extract

1/4 teaspoon caramel extract

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candy Corn Glaze:

2/3 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 cup sugar free white chocolate chips

1/2 cup sugar free butterscotch baking chips (or substitute more white chocolate chips and tint with orange food coloring)

Gel Food Coloring: yellow and orange

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a donut pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease well; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, baking powder, vanilla powder (if using) and salt until no lumps remain.

3. In another bowl, beat the eggs, melted butter, coconut or almond milk and extracts. Add the wet ingredients all at once to the dry ingredients and whisk quickly and vigorously until a smooth, but thick, batter forms and all of the dry ingredients are incorporated. 

4. Fill each well of your donut pan 3/4 full and bake 16-18 minutes or until the tops are firm to the touch and the edges are just golden brown. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes in the pan, then flip them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

5. Widely space your cooled donuts on a wire rack with parchment or plastic wrap underneath to catch the drips. (It’s easier to glaze the donuts if there is a little space between them.)

6. First, heat 1/3 cup of heavy cream in a small microwaveable bowl for 30 seconds or until the cream is bubbly. (You can also heat the cream in a small saucepan on the stove.) Add the 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, allow to stand for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth and all the baking chips have melted. If desired, you can add a couple of drops of orange gel food coloring and stir. Allow the glaze to stand for 5-10 minutes until it has thickened, but is still pourable. With a spoon, drizzle the glaze in the middle and on both sides of the hole of the donut to create the middle orange band of color.

7. Next, repeat with the remaining 1/3 cup of heavy cream and 1/2 cup white chocolate chips. Once melted and smooth, pour this mixture into two small bowls, equally dividing it as best you can, and tint one with a couple of drops of yellow food coloring. Allow the glaze to stand for 5-10 minutes until thickened, but still pourable.

8. With clean spoons, drizzle the top third of each donut with white glaze and the bottom third of each donut with yellow glaze. Allow the donuts to sit until no longer dripping. Place them, while still on their wire racks, into the refrigerator for about 25 minutes to set the glaze before removing them to a serving plate. Enjoy and Happy Fall!

Nutritional Information per donut: 139 calories, 5.3 g carbohydrate (2.6 g dietary fiber, 0.7 g sugars), 12.3 g total fat (7.3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 98 mg cholesterol, 134 mg sodium,  59.4 mg calcium, 56 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 120 IU Vit A, 3.3 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.7 grams

Recipe and donut photos by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2020

Stock photo of Candy Corn candies

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

Low Carb Parmesan Radish Gratin

I dislike raw radishes, but LOVE roasted and cooked radishes! In the keto world, radishes and turnips make great substitutes for potatoes in soups and other recipes. The first time I saw a casserole recipe similar to this, it was created for potatoes and contained several high carb ingredients, such as flour and whole milk. I thought it would be worth a try to make a few ingredient substitutions and make it low carb—the result was wonderful! You can make this delicious side dish with red or daikon radishes (or maybe even turnips) and I think you’ll be quite pleased too.

Low Carb Parmesan Radish Gratin

Makes twelve 1/2 cup servings

8 oz. Parmesan cheese

2 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives

1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme (or use 1 teaspoon dried)

1/2 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary (or use 1 teaspoon dried)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

6 cups thinly sliced radishes (about 2 lbs, leaves removed)

Salt and pepper

6 tablespoons coconut or almond milk

6 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Snipped fresh rosemary and thyme for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 1.5 quart casserole dish; set aside. Using a wide vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups) or use pre-shaved Parmesan; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the crumbled bacon, green onion and chives. Stir to combine. In the prepared baking dish, arrange 1/2 of the radishes to cover the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, half of the bacon mixture and half of the herbs. Top with 1/2 of the Parmesan and dot with half of the butter cubes. Repeat layers.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut or almond milk, heavy cream and xanthan gum until the xanthan gum is incorporated and dissolved (you can use a stick blender to make this easier). Pour the cream mixture evenly over the radishes.

4. Bake, covered for 1.5 hours. (If using foil to cover, spray the underside with non-stick cooking spray.) Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake, uncovered for 15-20 minutes more or until the radishes are tender and the top is golden brown.

Nutritional Information per 1/2 cup: 168 calories, 3.7 g carbohydrates (1.3 g dietary fiber, 1.7 g sugars), 14 g total fat (8.5 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 40 mg cholesterol, 400 mg sodium,  264 mg calcium, 206 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 131 IU Vit A, 12 mg Vit C, 8.3 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.4 grams

Photos and recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2020

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

Low Carb, Low Oxalate Maple Cinnamon Granola

Granola is the easiest thing to make! Simply mix all the ingredients together, spread onto a baking sheet and bake...it’s really that simple! I have other granola recipes on my blog but, now that I have to reduce the oxalate in my diet (due to reoccurring kidney stones), the nuts most often used to make granola are extremely high in oxalates and are no longer an option (almonds are the worst!). I love sprinkling granola on my homemade yogurt, eating it as a snack or even as breakfast cereal, so I was perplexed as to how I could still have granola without the oxalates...thus this recipe was born! Macadamia nuts are moderate oxalate, but when you divide the amount called for into 12 servings, you’re really getting very little. Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and coconut are all low oxalate. The other trick is to use cinnamon extract, not ground cinnamon which is shockingly high in oxalate. The result is an excellent and delicious granola that I can feel good about eating!

Low Carb, Low Oxalate Maple Cinnamon Granola

Makes 12 servings (1/4 cup each)

1-1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/3 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

A pinch of salt

1 egg white

2-3 tablespoons granulated erythritol sweetener, to your taste

2 tablespoons sugar free maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla or pumpkin spice extract

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon extract, or to taste

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place all of the coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped and the mixture has the texture of oatmeal. Place the mixture into a large bowl and add the flaxseed meal, ginger and salt. Stir to combine.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the egg white, sweetener, sugar free maple syrup and extracts until frothy. Add the coconut oil and whisk again to combine. 

3. Add the egg white mixture to the nut/coconut mixture and stir. Mix thoroughly, making sure all of the mixture is lightly coated. 

4. Pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper for easier clean up) and spread into an even, thin layer. Bake for a total of 15-18 minutes, turning and lightly breaking up with a spatula after about 10-12 minutes. Continue baking, but watch carefully for the last 5-8 minutes because it can turn dark and burn quite quickly. It is ready when the granola is toasty brown in color. 

5. Remove from the oven and cool completely on the cookie sheet. The granola will crisp up as it cools. Break apart any larger chunks and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. 

Nutritional Information per 1/4 cup serving: 177 calories, 5.1 g carbohydrate (2.8 g dietary fiber, 0.7 g sugars), 16.5 g total fat (9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 18 mg sodium, 12 mg calcium, 70 mg potassium, 1 mg iron, 3.2 g protein. Net carbs per serving: 2.3 grams

Total Oxalate per serving is 3.71mg, Soluble oxalate is 2.03mg

Photos and recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2020

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