Tag: dessert

Flourless Chocolate Cake {THM:XO} -w/ S option

I’ve been working on creating some dairy free (as in not even any butter!) recipes for one of my older sisters who is not able to handle ANY dairy at this point in her life. She also is unable to handle any sweeteners except honey, coconut sugar, & pure stevia.

Nothing makes me happier than to have a challenge like that and come up with a recipe that brings joy to the person who has to deal with those challenges. I was able to take my regular recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake and transform it into a delicious dairy free dessert for her 18th wedding anniversary dinner. Even my brother in law said it was delicious, except for the coffee flavor. 🙂 You definitely don’t need to add the espresso/coffee, but I find it brings out SUCH a depth of flavor that I don’t like to leave it out

Now, as general rule coconut sugar & honey are not recommended sweeteners on THM, except for children and those who don’t feel the need (or don’t happen to have a sweet tooth the size of Texas like me!) to consume desserts, except on the rare occasion, like my sister.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy a piece when I made it. How could you resist a piece of beauty like this!

I haven’t tested it, but you may substitute an equivalent on plan sweetener for the coconut sugar, following the same directions as with the coconut sugar.

Print Recipe

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Course: Dessert
Keyword: birthday dessert, chocolate, dairy free, gluten free, keto, THM
Servings: 8

Ingredients

CAKE

  • 4 large eggs, cold
  • ¾ cup coconut sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces 100% unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup butter flavored coconut oil (like this one.)
  • 2 Tablespoons espresso or strong coffee, optional

GLAZE

  • 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1-5.4 ounce can unsweetened coconut cream
  • 2 Tablespoons butter flavored coconut oil
  • ¼ cup coconut sugar

Instructions

CAKE

  • Preheat oven to 325°. Line a round 6 inch pan with parchment paper, grease pan and dust with unsweetened cocoa powder. Place in a 13×9 pan and set aside. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
  • Using a hand mixer on high speed, beat eggs, coconut sugar, vanilla, and salt until foamy, increased in volume, and lightened in color, about 5 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt unsweetened chocolate, butter flavored coconut oil, and espresso (if using) until smooth and very warm, stirring once or twice.
  • Using a large rubber spatula, fold ⅓ of egg mixture into melted chocolate mixture until only a few streaks of egg are visible. Fold in ½ of remaining foam, then last of remaining foam until mixture is completely mixed with no streaks of egg foam remaining.
  • Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top with rubber spatula.
  • Set 13 x 9 pan on oven rack and pour enough boiling water into pan to come about ½ way up side of pan. Bake until cake has risen just slightly, edges are just beginning to set, and instant read thermometer inserted in center of cake register 140°, about 18-20 minutes.
  • Remove cake from water and set on wire rack to cool to room temperature. (Run thin knife between edge of cake and cake pan to loosen.)
  • Remove from pan and place on desired serving tray. Glaze and garnish as desired.

GLAZE

  • Place unsweetened chocolate in a small bowl.
  • Combine remaining glaze ingredients in a small pan and bring to a boil. Boil until coconut sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Pour coconut milk mixture over chopped chocolate and whisk until smooth.
  • Pour over cooled cake and garnish with fresh fruit, mint leaves and grated chocolate as desired.

Notes

You will have leftover glaze, as I wasn’t about to use 1/2 a can of coconut cream! 🙂 You may use it as glaze for another baked good, stir it into coffee for a mocha or just eat it!
Recipe may be doubled to make a 9 inch cake. However, the glaze recipe will not need to be.
If using a springform pan, tightly wrap in foil to create a waterproof wrap for the pan.
If doubling recipe, place the 9 inch pan in a large roasting pan. 
To make cake look super professional, place baked cake on cake pad of same size, set on cooling rack placed on sheet pan or over news/parchment paper and then glaze. Once glaze is set, place on desired serving dish, garnish and serve.

Blackberry Yogurt Snack Cake {THM:S}

I’ve brought you 2 frosting recipes…now I present to you……CAKE!

This recipe is my little sisters ABSOLUTE FAVORITE cake. If you were to ask her if she could choose just ONE dessert to have for the rest of her life her response would be this cake!

I came across the recipe for this in a Bon Appetit magazine several years ago. I would make it several times a summer with fresh picked, sun-ripened wild blackberries. So delicious. So refreshing and terribly hard to beat in the dog days of summer. (Which coincidentally, is when my little sisters birthday is!) So yes, this is the birthday cake of her choice EVERY year!

This is the first cake recipe I trimmified, just a few months after I started THM. I shared the recipe and everything on the groups…a few months later, after I had learned more about trimmifying recipes, I was ABSOLUTELY horrified to discover that I had used the SAME AMOUNT of gentle sweet as the sugar the recipe called for! I immediately went and found the posts where I’d shared the recipe and PROMPTLY fixed it!! I sure hope nobody made that recipe and I also have no idea how I didn’t think it was horrifyingly sweet!

The faint hint of citrus from the orange zest & the tangy sweetness from the yogurt and blackberries makes this a PERFECT accompaniment to your afternoon coffee. (Or tea, I love both but tend to drink tea in the afternoon and keep my coffee for the morning!) What’s your preference? Any favorite way to have your afternoon tea/coffee?

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Print Recipe

Blackberry Yogurt Snack Cake

Course: Dessert, Snack
Keyword: dessert
Servings: 18 pieces

Ingredients

  • 10 oz. fresh blackberries (2½ cups)
  • ⅓ cup erythritol (This is essential. It makes for a crispy, crunchy fruit top!)
  • 1 ¼ cups THM Baking Blend
  • ½ cup oat fiber
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup butter, melted
  • ¾ cup Gentle Sweet (or equivalent of other approved on plan sweetener)
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 12 drops orange essential oil (or 1 ½ teaspoons orange extract) see note below
  • 1½ teaspoons fresh orange zest (use the zest from 1 large orange. Peel orange and use for a nice E snack!)
  • 1 ⅓ cups nonfat plain greek yogurt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Grease a 13×9 rectangular pan or a 10 inch round cake pan. Line with parchment paper, grease parchment paper and dust pan with oat fiber.
  • Arrange berries in single layer in bottom of pan. Sprinkle evenly with erythritol.
  • Whisk baking blend, oat fiber, baking powder, baking soda, & salt. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer on high, beat melted butter, gentle sweet, vanilla extract, and orange essential oil together until lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
  • Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, scraping down as necessary.
  • Add half of dry ingredients and mix well. Add yogurt and orange zest. Mix well. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix together on high speed for 1 minute, scraping bowl down as necessary.
  • Spread batter evenly over prepared berries in pan, making sure to smooth out top.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached.
  • Place cutting board or desired serving dish immediately over top of cake and flip over. Immediately remove parchment paper, so bottom of cake doesn’t get soggy.
  • Let cool, and then serve!

Notes

Note: I have researched and am comfortable with using essential oils in my baking and cooking. Please do your own research and do what you’re comfortable with.
For extra flair you may lightly sprinkle with an on plan powdered sweetener or serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Puppy Chow {THM:XO}

This also happens to be another recipe that came about after a discussion with a coworker, which seems to be where 75% of my ideas for recipes come from!

 Now, I know there are THM approved, single fuel recipes for Puppy Chow made with pork rinds or nuts and/or coconut flakes, but when I was brainstorming this recipe I was wanting something lighter, as nuts sometimes are a bit heavy for me…..Rice Cakes were the answer!

I know this is an XO, and since I’m still in weight loss mode I try to limit my XO’s. I do make an exception for this since I only make it a few times a year. It is seriously dangerous to have around. I have to scoop out a serving size or else I could eat the whole batch. (I’m not joking. I seriously have to put my self control to work when I make this!)

So, go ahead and make at your own risk! I know you won’t be disappointed!

My sister, Abby would be happy to have a constant supply of this around. She one of those who can eat 90% XO’s and not gain an OUNCE. A bit  lot of envy/jealousy  there on my part! (Don’t worry, I’ve worked through it!) Love you sis!!

Print Recipe

Puppy Chow

Ingredients

  • 1- 8.5 oz. pkg. brown rice cakes, salted or unsalted (I use the Lundberg brown rice cakes) Find them here or at your local health food store.
  • ½ cup butter, or coconut oil if desiring dairy free
  • 1 ¼ cup sugar free chocolate chips (or 9 oz. 85% or darker chocolate, chopped)
  • 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (decrease to ⅛ teaspoon if using salted rice cakes)
  • 1 bag swerve confectioners style sugar (approximately)

Instructions

  • Break rice cakes into 1/2-1 in. pieces into a large bowl. Set aside.
  • Melt butter and chocolate together over low heat, stirring constantly.
  • Stir in peanut butter, vanilla, & salt. Mix until smooth.
  • Pour over broken up rice cakes & stir until evenly coated.
  • Scrape mixture into large paper bag & toss with desired amount of swerve confectioners style sugar (I use the whole bag.) until evenly coated.
  • Spread out on newspaper or paper bags until dry.
  • Try not to devour the whole thing in one sitting!

Notes

You may use any other on plan powdered sweetener to toss this in, just don’t use Super Sweet. It’d be WAY to potent for this recipe!

Aunt Mary Jo’s Sour Cream Cookies {THM:S}

The Sour Cream Cookie recipe this is based off of, is probably the first cookie I REALLY remember helping to make. My favorite part was running my finger under the cooling rack and picking up all the glaze that had landed on the newspaper underneath it. Ahhh……I probably didn’t even NEED to eat a cookie by the time I was done doing that! At least now I can do that without getting a major blood sugar spike-and-crash. 🙂

This recipe was inspired by a good old classic family favorite recipe, given to my mom by one of my aunts. The original was misplaced, and we made a few variations through the years, never finding the original, stained, & much-loved index card of the original recipe. I did finally come across one that was just as good as hers, so I’ve stuck with that one…until now!

I’ve trimmified this favorite family recipe and named it in honor of my aunt, because without her, I wouldn’t have this recipe to share with you all!

It really is a family favorite, because once upon a time several years ago, I made a triple batch, I believe of these cookie (white flour & sugar filled ones!) which yielded about 12 dozen LARGE cookies….they were GONE within 2 days.

Print Recipe

Aunt Mary Jo’s Sour Cream Cookies

Course: Dessert
Keyword: cookies, family favorite
Servings: 60 cookies

Ingredients

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 1 ½ cups THM baking blend
  • ½ cup Oat Fiber (the THM brand is the best one I've used.)
  • 1½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 12 grates whole nutmeg (grated using a microplane zester) or 1/2 t. ground nutmeg

WET INGREDIENTS & SWEETENER

  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup Gentle Sweet (or other approved on-plan sweetener)
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream or greek yogurt

GLAZE, Optional

  • 1 ⅔ cups Swerve confectioners style sugar (or other approved on plan sweetener, powdered in blender or coffee grinder)
  • ½ cup water
  • ¾ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch salt

CINNAMON "SUGAR", Optional

  • 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • ⅔ cup Gentle Sweet (or other approved, on plan sweetener)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease well using butter or grease of your choice.
  • Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside.
  • Melt butter. Add remaining ingredients.
  • Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat mixture on medium speed for 1 minute.
    Add dry ingredients and mix for 1 minute, scraping bowl down as needed.
  • Using a #30 cookie scoop (or a 1 Tablespoon measuring spoon), scoop dough onto parchment lined sheet pans, 15 to a sheet.
  • If using cinnamon "sugar", sprinkle over tops of cookies before baking. If using glaze, proceed to the next step.
  • Bake for 11 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time.
  • Remove from sheet pan to cooling rack and let cool.

If using Glaze option:

  • Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth.
  • Once cookies are completely cool, dip top of cookies in glaze, and place back on cooling rack (with parchment paper or newspaper placed under rack to catch the drip of glaze), until glaze is dried.
  • Once dry, place in container and store covered.

If using Cinnamon "Sugar" option:

  • Whisk together ground cinnamon & gentle sweet. Sprinkle over tops of cookies BEFORE baking.

Notes

You may add food coloring to your glaze if you’re wanting a colored glaze. I use India Tree food coloring, it had no artificial coloring in it. I find it at my local health food store.
A hand mixer works well for this recipe too, just use it on high speed (5 on mine), for both mixing steps.
 

Raspberry Cheesecake {THM:S}

I somehow, over the last 10 years, have become the unoffical “offical” dessert maker in my family. Actually, not just family…Church. Work. Friends. And pretty much everything/everybody else!! The question always is: “SO what dessert are you making/did you bring?”  In all honesty, I don’t mind. I love making desserts for the simple joy of seeing people enjoy it!

And yes, my job consists of making desserts. All day. Every day! I’m guesstimating I’ve made somewhere in the neighborhood of 3000 cheesecakes in my life, so cheesecake kind of is my specialty. (Amongst other things such as cream pie, cupcakes,etc.!)

So, when I asked my mom what dessert she wanted for her birthday and “Cheesecake!” was her response, I inwardly thought ” Oh. man! I was hoping for a challenge!” But I”ll do anything to make my momma happy! 🙂

So now, I bring to you a tried and true recipe which I have Trimmified. It’s
perfectly creamy, sweet, & fruity. And 100% not complicated! 🙂

As far as crust options go..I’ve done it 2 ways.

Classic Graham Cracker Style: For this one, mix up a 1/2 batch of this graham cracker crumb recipe from THM Coach Becky at A Better Life. Just mix up a 1/2 batch of the recipe and press it FIRMLY into your pan and bake for 10 minutes at 350°. Cool completely before filling.

Shortbread-ish style: Use the crust recipe from my Lemon Cheesecake Crumb Bars, once again mixing up a 1/2 batch and pressing it FIRMLY into the bottom and partway up the sides of your cheesecake pan and bake for 8 minutes 350°.

Print Recipe

Raspberry Cheesecake

Course: Dessert
Keyword: birthday dessert, cheesecake, Low carb, raspberry, sugar free, THM-S
Servings: 10

Ingredients

Cheesecake

  • 3 8 oz. pkgs. neufchâtel or cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup gentle sweet,
  • 2 doonks stevia (1/16 teaspoon)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 3 eggs

Raspberry Topping

  • 1 10 oz package frozen raspberries
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 T. lemon juice
  • 3 T. gentle sweet,
  • 1/8 tsp. glucomannan

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING, optional

  • 2 oz. neufchâtel or cream cheese, softened
  • 3 Tablespoons swerve confectioners style sweetener, or equivalent of other on plan powdered sweetener
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

CRUST

  • Preheat oven to 350° Bake desired crust in a 8 or 9 in cheesecake or springform pan for 8 minutes.
    Remove from oven and let cool while mixing batter

CHEESECAKE

  • Blend neufchâtel cheese and gentle sweet together until smooth, using either a food processor or a stand mixer on low speed. Scrape down sides of bowl VERY well to ensure there are no lumps of neufchâtel cheese.
  • Add sour cream and vanilla. Mix until combined. Scrape down bowl again.
  • Add eggs slowly, mixing just until completely mixed in.
  • Scrape into prepared crust.

Place in oven and turn down to 250°. (Yes, 250° degrees is correct!)

  • Bake 1 hour or until thermometer inserted into center reads 160 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer, if a quarter size in the center is still jiggly, it’s done.
  • Let cool for an hour on the counter and then refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours or overnight.

RASPBERRY TOPPING

  • Combine raspberries, salt, gentle sweet, & lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until saucy and then bring to a boil.
  • Whisk in glucomannan and bring back to a boil, whisking constantly. Once it starts to thicken, remove from heat and refrigerate until needed.

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING

  • Using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, beat neufchâtel cheese, vanilla extract & sweetener together until smooth and completely lump free, scraping down bowl as needed.
  • Add heavy cream slowly, mixing constantly. Scrape down bowl and then whip on medium speed until medium peaks form.

ASSEMBLY

  • Remove cheesecake from pan. Spread raspberry filling evenly on top. If you're using the whipped cream topping, leave a 1/2 -1 inch border. It not, just spread topping to the edges. Pipe a border of whipped cream around edges. Top with fresh raspberries if desired.
  • Keep refrigerated.

Notes

To remove cheesecake from pan: Warm pan up slightly by dipping in a bowl of hot water for about 20 seconds. Run thin knife between the cheesecake and the pan to loosen. 
You may also warm it up by placing on a LOW flame for 30 seconds or a warm hot plate. 
The VERY BEST stevia powder I’ve found is the THM brand. It’s the first stevia powder that I have ever liked. Find it in their online store here or check at your local health food store. (Sadly mine doesn’t carry it, so I do have to buy it online!)

Making THM my own.

I believe one of the best things about THM is the ability to MAKE IT YOUR OWN! Don’t like sweet peppers in your soup? Just swap it out for another FP veggie. Don’t like quinoa in your soup? Just substitute another approved E grain! Versatility, mamas!

I’m going to share a few things I’ve made my own, and I’d love to see yours! These are all recipe that I’ve tweaked to become my all time favorite flavor (and MAJOR weakness!), Salted Caramel.

Seriously, if I ever come across something that’s Salted Caramel I HAVE to try it. There’s just something about that perfectly sweet/salty/creamy combo!

#1 Sweet Dreams Cookie Bowl Oatmeal (FP), THM cookbook, page 249. I don’t have any pictures for this one.

Now, I LOVE the combo of PB and Chocolate, but sometimes…I just need a change of pace.

I follow the recipe directions but do these tweaks to make it my own:

1. Omit the cocoa powder & pressed peanut flour, replacing with an equal amount of powdered almond butter. (I use this one.)

2. Double the salt.

3. Add butter & caramel flavoring & vanilla extract to taste. (I haven’t measured, but I’m guessing 1/8 tsp. each, with a little more caramel than butter & vanilla.)

4. Use the lesser amount of sweetener, I do sometimes use even less, since without the cocoa powder you don’t have that extra bitterness.

I do enjoy my oatmeal better warm, so I make it ahead of time in glass storage containers, and just pop it into the oven to heat it up. By the time I’m ready for the day it’s at a perfect eating temperature.

#2 Mouthwatering Meringues (Ultra FP). THM cookbook, page 317 (follow mixing and baking instructions in recipe.)

1. Replace the banana flavoring with 1 1/2 teaspoon caramel flavor & 1/2 teaspoon butter flavor.

2. Add 1/4 t. salt along with the sweetener.

3. Increased the sweetener slightly since I have a sweet(er) tooth!

One recipe yielded 1 1/2 gallon jar. I used a large open star piping tip & a pastry bag top pipe these onto the parchment paper.

I love these because they’re an Ultra-FP, so they can be paired with ANYTHING!

#3 Ultimate E Bars, Trim Healthy Table, page 432 (follow recipe directions.)

1. Omit cocoa powder, replacing with an equal amount of powdered almond butter.

2. Replace pecan extract with an equal amount of butter flavoring

3. Decrease vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon.

4. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons caramel extract in place of the remaining vanilla.

5. Increase salt to 3/4 teaspoon, or to taste.

That concludes my first post of tweaks for making Trim Healthy Mama my own! I hope to do a few more posts like this in the coming months.

For the caramel & butter flavorings, the best I’ve come across are THM’s Natural Burst brand.

I buy the powdered almond butter & vanilla at my local health food store, but they can be found online.