Category Archives: Baked Goods

Baked Goods, Low Carb Diet, Recipes

Keto Soul Muffins with Sesame or Parmesan

\Net carbs. About 3 per muffin   Prep time: 10 minutes,  Cooking time: 30 minutes. I did not invent the idea of using whey protein powder as a substitute for flour: Low carber Gloria Koch did, and her invention has since spawned a flood of recipes from sweet to savory. (Search for “Low Carb Soul Bread” on Google or Facebook to get started.)

This variation, in muffin tins, works as a biscuit, a muffin, or even as a substitute (though not an exact match) for Yorkshire pudding. It works well as the biscuit part of biscuits and sausage gravy.  It can be made in a variety of sizes (Larger sizes need more cooking time) and shapes. Regardless, it needs a mold because the mixture itself is too liquid to hold a shape. Hence, muffin tins, muffin top pans, brownie pans, bread loaf pans,  are all worth exploring

INGREDIENTS

  • 8 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 3 Tbsp melted butter
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp avocado or olive oil
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp whipping or heavy cream
  • 2 eggs + 1 egg white
  • 1 cup plus 3 Tbsp unflavored whey protein powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Sesame seeds or grated Parmesan cheese to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 325F.
  2. Grease a muffin pan (or other baking pan)
  3. In a large bowl, mix  wet ingredients (cream cheese, butter, oil, cream, eggs, and egg white).
  4. In another bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (protein powder, baking powder, xanthan gum, garlic powder, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar).
  5. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and lightly whisk or blend until just combined.
  6. Fill each muffin mold about 3/4 full. You’ll probably get about 9 muffins, so fill the other cavities with about 1/4 inche of water
  7. Sprinkle tops with toasted sesame seeds and/or Parmesan cheese.
  8. Bake 30 minutes, golden brown on top and firm to the touch. Remove and let cool in pan 15 minutes, then flip out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Note that cooking times vary according to size of the mold. Thinner portions need less time.

Carb Count

Serves 9  (average muffin size).  About 3 net carbs per muffin.

Baked Goods, Recipes

Low-Carb Flaxseed and Parmesan Crackers

Net carbs. 4.2 per serving of 5 crackers.  Prep time: 10 minutes,  Cooking time: 20-ish minutes. 

I’d been on keto for more than a year when I discovered flaxseed, and, more to the point, flaxseed crackers.  And unlike some substitutions, these are better than what I was eating before.

Crackers and cheese have never tasted better.

I was always picky about crackers. To me, most varieties tasted like gluey cardboard —  useful only as a cheese delivery device. I stuck to the few brands that I liked.

When I went on keto, one of the treats I missed most was cheese and crackers. To me, a specialty European cheese with crackers and wine is one of the best treats on earth.  Having discovered flaxseed (I know, I sound like a commercial — but there are no affiliate links here!),  not only can I have my treat back, but the crackers are better than anything I ever bought in a store.

Flaxseed crackers

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flax seed meal (golden or brown)
  • 1⁄3  cup grated Parmesan cheese. (I use a combination of the processed imitation stuff plus some real grated Parmesan.)
  • 1  Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1⁄2  tsp salt
  • 1⁄2  cup water

Vegans: Leaving out the Parmesan cheese still yields  a tasty cracker

Experiment with spices and amounts; you can add your selection of any or all of the following (I usually use them all):

  • 1 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 Tbsp or more (up to 2 Tbs) sesame seeds
  • 1 Tbsp caraway seeds
  • 1 Tbsp gomashio (sesame salt)
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
 Directions
  • Pre-heat oven to 400°F.
  • Mix all dry ingredients, then add water.
  • Form into a ball of dough and place on a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
  • Press down to form a rectangle, then cover with a second piece of parchment paper or saran wrap. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough.
  • Make sure the rectangle is evenly thin (about 1/8 of an inch) and straighten the edges: I fold the parchments paper over the dough, and press the dough into the straight crease  of the paper to form an edge. Make sure the edges are the same thickness as the rest of the rectangle.
  • Use a spatula to score the crackers into cracker sized pieces.  I usually get about 30 crackers out this recipe.
  • Bake until the crackers are no longer soft, about 15 minutes.  Then flip the whole rectangle and bake on the other side for about another 5 or 10 minutes.  (Your oven may vary so check carefully). Then I turn off the oven and, if the crackers look like they need more crisping, I let them cool and dry inside the oven.

Carb Count

Baked Goods, Low Carb Diet, Recipes

Keto Dinner Rolls

Approximately 3.4 g net carbs. About 10 minutes prep time and 50 – 60 minutes bake time. 

Too good to be true?

Will they turn out well or won’t they?

Skepticism. That’s my usual response to keto recipes substituting for favorite non-keto baked goods. A fair number of recipes I’ve tried have been a bit disappointing — quite frankly, they taste just close enough to the real thing to remind me how much I used to like it. But some substitutes hit the mark. This is one of those.

Here’s the original recipe, found on one of my favorite keto sites. As usual, I changed it up a bit to try to solve some problems other testers had with it: I add coconut flour and I use whole eggs, not just egg whites. And I used salt and caraway seed as a topping rather than sesame seed, but toppings are a free-for-all zone, so follow your taste buds.

These rolls have the texture, density and taste of a whole grain bread. I’m not a big fan of the taste of psyllium husk, but the small amount here doesn’t overwhelm the flavor. These rolls can be used as burger buns (although you’d have to divide the dough into only six portions rather than eight for them to be big enough). You can also make them long and thin so they’ll work as hot dog buns, in which case, I’d probably take 5 minutes off the cooking time.

Slippery slope alert: The buns are low in net carbs, but they do have quite a bit of fiber (see nutrition information, below). So if you count whole carbs, having one of these means the rest of your daily intake has to be super strict. I count net carbs, and the approach that works for me is to treat foods with high amounts of fiber and sugar alcohols as special treats and limit them. So on a day when I’d have this bread, I’d  avoid other treat foods like fruit or big portions of higher-carb veggies or anything with sugar alcohols.

Ingredients

  • 1¼ cups almond flour
  • 5 Tbsp ground psyllium husk powder. Note: some people report that psyllium husk powders can have an unpleasant purple color. I used Now Healthy Foods brand, and there was no weird color.
  • 2 Tbsp coconut flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1¼ cups boiling water
  • 3 eggs
  • Your choice of sesame seed, caraway seed, course sea salt, or rosemary to taste: 1 – 2 tablespoons

Next time, I am going to try these with some other additions such as fine-chopped olives.  And, OMG, garlic bread can be back on the menu!

Directions

      1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
      2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
      3. In another bowl, beat the eggs and add the vinegar.
      4. Bring the water to a boil and add it to the dry ingredients while mixing with a hand-held electric mixer.
      5. Add the eggs and vinegar and continue mixing, about 30 seconds in all, just enough to ensure a good even mix.
      6. With wet hands, shape the dough into the desired form. This recipe makes 4 =- 8 buns, depending on the size needed. Dividing into 8 makes ideal dinner rolls.
      7. Put the rolls on greased parchment paper on a baking dish.
      8. If you are adding toppings (salt, caraway seed, etc) sprinkle them onto the rolls and press gently so they stay on.
      9. Bake on a lower rack in oven for 50 minute–60 minutes (shorter time for small or narrow shapes; longer time for bigger, thicker buns).  When they are ready, they will look nicely brown and will feel firm when tapped. I divided into 8 rolls and baked for 50 minutes.
      10. Serve with butter or garlic butter.
      11. Store leftovers in the fridge or freezer.

       

      The answer was a resounding “YES!”

      Carb Count