Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies

Sweet sugar free chocolate ganache sandwiched between two crisp gluten free hazelnut cookies. My low carb version of Trader Joe’s chocolate hazelnut cookies. 

Author: alldayidreamaboutfood.com

Yield: 18 Sandwich Cookies

Serving Size: 1 cookie

Ingredients

Cookies:

♦2 cups Hazelnut Meal

♦1 tsp baking powder

♦1/8 tsp salt

♦1/4 cup butter

♦1/4 cup hazelnut oil

♦1/2 cup granulated Swerve Sweetener

♦1 large egg

♦1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache Filling:

♦3 & 1/2 tbsp butter

♦1 & 1/2 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, chopped

♦3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener

♦1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Cookies:

►Preheat oven to 325F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

►In a medium bowl, whisk together hazelnut meal, baking powder and salt.

►In a large bowl, beat butter and hazelnut oil with granulated sweetener until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

►Beat in hazelnut meal mixture until dough comes together.

►Roll dough into scant 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet (you should get about 36 balls). Press balls down to 1/4 inch thickness with the heel of your hand.

►Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until just beginning to brown around the edges and just barely firm to the touch.

►Remove and let cool on pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (they will continue to crisp up as they cool).

Chocolate Ganache Filling:

►In a microwaveable safe bowl, combine butter and chopped chocolate. Heat in 20 second increments, stirring in between, until melted.

►Stir in powdered sweetener and vanilla extract until smooth. Let sit about 10 minutes to thicken.

►Spread about 1 tsp ganache on the bottom of one cookie and then top with another cookie, bottom-side in.

►Repeat with remaining cookies and remaining ganache.

Notes

Serves 18. Each serving has 3 g of carbs and 1 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2 g.

164 Calories; 17g Fat (85.8% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 3g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 25mg Cholesterol; 95mg Sodium.

Healthy Nutella Fudge Protein Bars

The healthiest protein bars in the world -- sugar free, low fat and all natural… no corn syrup or trans fats whatsoever. And the best part? They taste like candy bars!

Author: dessertswithbenefits.com

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 10 protein bars

Serving Size: 1 protein bar

Calories per serving: 130 calories (vs. 500 in original recipe)

Fat per serving: 4.5g (vs. 21g in original recipe)

Ingredients

♦130g (1/2 cup) Healthy Homemade Nutella

♦1 cup + 2 tbs Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or milk of choice)

♦1 tsp Vanilla-Flavored Stevia Extract

♦1/8 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt

♦189g (9 scoops) Chocolate Brown Rice Protein Powder (I used SunWarrior)

♦60g (1/2 cup) Oat Flour (can increase this to 2/3 for a firmer bar)

Instructions

►Line an 8" brownie pan with parchment paper both ways.

►In a stand mixer bowl with beater attachment, add the nutella, milk, stevia and salt. Mix on low.

►In a small bowl, stir together the protein powder and oat flour. 

►Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing stand mixer. 

►Mix until mixture is even (it should look like cookie dough). 

►Scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.

►Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and press/flatten. 

►Cover and refrigerate overnight.

►Slice the next day and serve! 

►Store covered in the fridge.

Notes

When I wanted to bring these protein bars with me to class I put them in a sandwich bag and froze them for a couple hours before leaving. This way they held their shape and didn't get smushed in my purse!

This recipe is: no bake, gluten free, vegan, sugar free, low fat, high fiber and high protein!

Toasted Coconut and Brown Sugar Sorbet With Cardamom

A creamy coconut milk-based sorbet with toasted coconut pieces and warm spicy cardamom.

Author: ediblevegetable.com

Serves: 10 (2 scoops each)

Ingredients

♦5 cups thick coconut milk

♦1 cup water

♦2 cups brown sugar

♦¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted

♦½ tsp cardamom

♦optional: 3 strands saffron

♦optional: toasted salted pistachios for topping

Directions

►Prepare your ice-cream maker in advance. If it needs to be frozen a day in advance, make sure it's ready for when you make the sorbet batter.

►Place the coconut milk and water (and saffron) in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk together well so that the coconut milk is completely combined (it sometimes separates in the can). Stir regularly as the liquid warms to make sure you don't scorch it.

►After the liquid is warm, add in the sugar and cardamom. Continue to whisk the liquid as the sugar dissolves.

►When the sugar is completely dissolved in the liquid, add in the toasted coconut pieces.

►Place the sorbet batter in the refrigerator and allow it to chill completely, at least three to four hours, or overnight.

►When the batter is completely chilled, set up your ice cream maker according to its instructions.

►Turn on the ice cream maker and allow it to begin mixing.Pour in the sorbet batter slowly. Allow the ice cream maker to mix for 20 - 30 minutes, depending on the consistency of the sorbet.

►At the end of 30 minutes, if the sorbet is still slushy, place it in a shallow lidded dish and place in the freezer until solid, about two to three hours more.

►Serve scooped in bowls with the pistachios sprinkled on top.

Notes

If your coconut is raw, simply spread it on a baking sheet and toast it at 350 degrees in the oven until somewhat golden brown (10-12 minutes).

My ice cream maker is the Kitchen Aid brand freezable bowl that attaches to a stand mixer. It brings ice creams and sorbets to a soft-serve consistency, but never much harder, so I usually freeze my ice creams and sorbets further in the freezer, per the recommendation in the instructions for that bowl. I imagine that the process is simpler for the old-fashioned ice cream makers with salt and ice, since you can keep them cold and mixing for much longer than 30 minutes.

After the sorbet has been in the freezer for a while, it will get very hard. To serve it at perfect consistency, place the sorbet in its storage dish in the microwave for about 30 - 45 seconds. This should not melt the sorbet at all, but make it very workable with a good ice cream scoop. Make sure you use a good ice cream scoop with a release lever for the perfect looking scoops when you serve it.

Nutrition information

Serving size: 2 scoops Calories: 335 Fat: 20.5g - 32% Saturated fat: 18.6g - 93% Trans fat: 0g Carbohydrates: 33.1g - 11% Sugar: 31.3g Sodium: 48 mg - 2% Fiber: .8g - 3% Protein: 1.9g Cholesterol: 0mg

Salted Caramel Cake Pops

Sweet gluten-free chocolate pound cake and low carb salted caramel in a delicious Starbucks copycat recipe. These Low Carb Salted Caramel Cake Pops will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Author: alldayidreamaboutfood.com

Yield: About 36 Cake Pops or truffles

Serving Size: 2 cake pops

Ingredients

Salted Caramel Sauce:

♦1/4 cup butter

♦6 tbsp Swerve Sweetener

♦2 tbsp coconut sugar (or two additional tbsp Swerve)

♦1/2 cup heavy cream

♦1/4 tsp xanthan gum

♦1/2 tsp kosher salt

♦2 tbsp water

Cake Pops:

♦1 recipe Low Carb Chocolate Pound Cake, baked and cooled

♦1/2 tsp caramel flavour (optional)

♦4 ounces high cacao or Sugar-Free Dark Chocolate such as Lily's, chopped

♦30 to 40 lollipop sticks

♦Large piece of styrofoam for keeping cake pops upright

♦1 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener

♦Coarsely ground sea salt for sprinkling

Instructions

Salted Caramel:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, Swerve, and coconut sugar. Bring to a boil and cook 3 to 5 minutes (be careful not to burn it).

Remove from heat and add cream. Mixture will bubble vigorously.

Sprinkle with xanthan gum and whisk vigorously to combine. Add kosher salt.

Return mixture to heat and boil 1 more minute. Let cool to lukewarm and stir in water until well combined.

Cake Pops:

►Line a large baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper.

►In a large bowl, break up cooled chocolate pound cake with your hands into crumbs.

►Reserve about 2 tbsp of caramel sauce for garnishing cake pops and set aside. Stir remaining caramel sauce and caramel flavour to crumbled cake. Combine well.

►Use your hands to squeeze dough together and roll into 1-inch balls. Your dough should be moist enough to hold together very well when squeezed. If not, add a few tbsp of water, one at a time, to the mixture and stir to combine. 

►Place balls on prepared baking sheet and freeze at least one hour.

►When cake balls are frozen, melt chocolate in a bowl set above barely simmering water (bottom of bowl should not touch water), stirring until smooth.

►Dip the tip of a lollipop stick into chocolate and press into the centre of a frozen cake ball, then dip the cake pop into the chocolate, turning to coat.

►Tap lollipop stick gently against side of bowl to remove excess chocolate. Turn pop a few times above bowl of chocolate to catch any stray drips.

►Push tip of lollipop stick into styrofoam and let set. Repeat with remaining cake balls and sticks.

►If cake balls start to soften too much, return them to the freezer (they are easier to work with and chocolate coating adheres better and hardens faster when they are frozen).

►When pops are all set, combine reserved caramel sauce and powdered Swerve in a small bowl until smooth (if your caramel has hardened, warm it gently in the microwave).

►Cut the very tiniest tip off the corner of a ziploc bag. Spoon caramel mixture into ziploc and pipe over cake pops.

►Sprinkle each with a few grains of sea salt.

►To make cake truffles instead of pops, simply dip frozen balls in chocolate with a fork, tapping off excess. Return to parchment or waxed lined baking sheet and let set, then continue with remaining directions.

Notes

Serves 18. Each serving has 10 g of carbs and 4 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6 g.

238 Calories; 20g Fat (72.8% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 77mg Cholesterol; 310mg Sodium

Healthy Strawberry Cake with Strawberries and Cream Frosting

Super Moist Gluten-Free Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Frosting -- soft, sweet and flavorful, you’d never know it’s healthy!

Author: Dessertswithbenefits.com

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: three 6 inch cakes

Calories per serving: 230

Fat per serving: 3g

Ingredients

Cake:

•120g (3/4 cup) Brown Rice Flour

•64g (1/2 cup) Sweet White Sorghum Flour

•60g (1/2 cup) Oat Flour

•40g (1/4 cup) Corn Starch (preferably non-GMO)

•1 tbs Baking Powder

•1/3 tsp Salt

•1 cup Fresh Strawberry Puree (*see instructions)

•3/4 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or milk of choice)

•3/4 cup Egg Whites, fresh

•96g (1/2 cup) Homemade Vanilla Sugar (or dry sweetener of choice)

•2 tbs Natural Red Food Coloring (India Tree will also work)

•14 (1 tbs) Grapeseed Oil (or any other neutral oil)

•2 tsp Stevia Extract

•2 tsp Strawberry Extract

•1 tsp Vanilla Paste (I used homemade!)

•1 tbs White Vinegar

Frosting:

•400g (1+3/4 cups) Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt

•41g (3 tbs) Fresh Strawberry Puree

•2 tsp Butter Extract

•1 tsp Stevia Extract

•50g (5 tbs) Strawberry Powder (or freeze-dried strawberries pulverized in a food processor)

Instructions

►Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spray three 6 inch cake pans with cooking spray.

►In a small bowl, whisk together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, oat flour, starch, baking powder and salt.

*Chop the greens off of the strawberries and place in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Measure 1 cup and place in a stand mixer bowl with whisk attachment.

►Add the milk, egg whites, vanilla sugar, food coloring, oil, extracts and vanilla paste to the stand mixer bowl with the strawberry puree. Mix on medium speed.

►Add the vinegar to the mixing stand mixer.

►Slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixing stand mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again for ~20 seconds.

►Pour the batter into the 3 prepared pans and bake for ~30 minutes, or until the surface springs back when tapped. Let cool in the pan for ~20 minutes, then flip onto wire cooling racks and let cool completely.

Frosting:

►In a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, strawberry puree and extracts.

►Whisk in the strawberry powder and mix until smooth. Frost the completely cooled cakes and refrigerate for ~30 minutes.

►Slice and serve!

Notes

This recipe is: sugar free, low fat, high fiber, high protein and gluten free!