Category: Dessert

Cookies, Dessert, Level 1, Low Carb, Recipe

Cheesecake Cookies (nut and coconut free?) – Updated

brendanolen
REALLY old picture!!!!!!

I originally made this recipe in … 2012? I am in the process of fixing all of the broken links and duplicate pages that come with merging three (at least) websites into one. The link for this recipe was broken and no matter how much searching I did online, I could not find the recipe anywhere. So, since I actually wrote this recipe in my notebook way back when, now it’s mine. 🙂 I will make these again, taking better pictures. For now, here is the recipe.

UPDATE: I made this recipe again to take better pictures and parchment paper makes the sticking worse! Use a non-stick baking pan and spray and LET COOL. These cookies are very wet! I tried 2 variations (a little almond flour and a little coconut flour). If you were to add 2 Tablespoons of coconut flour (possibly 1/4 cup), these retain their shape much better, are not as wet, and hide the coconut flavor perfectly (I really do not like coconut flour).

Cheesecake Cookies

Nut, Coconut, and Sugar-free soft cheesecake cookies
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Course Dessert
Servings 60 Cookies

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cream cheese one block
  • 1 egg large
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup sweetener powdered
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup coconut flour optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper on baking sheet.
  • In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese until it is smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.
  • Either use a 1-inch cookie scoop or drop by teaspoons onto lined baking sheets, leaving a little room, since they spread.
  • Bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.
  • Let sit on the baking pan until the tops wrinkle, then move to cooling racks.
  • As noted above: for a less wet cookie, add some coconut flour.
Keyword cake, carb, cheese, cheesecake, coconut, cookie, cream, free, keto, low, nut
Cake, Dessert, Food Storage, Recipe

Old-Fashioned Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

brendanolen

So, do you have canned carrots (or you could use older fresh carrots) that turned to mush and you don’t know what to do with them?  How about make a carrot cake!  I’m also thinking this may be good with canned pumpkin and/or canned sweet potato.

Update: I just made this (muffins instead of cake … baked for 15 to 20 minutes) and they are amazing!  They aren’t spike-your-blood-sugar sweet and so flavorful!  This recipe is a keeper.  I made some changes that I will note here:

  1. Replaced 1/2 cup of the flour with almond flour
  2. Replaced the remaining flour (1 cup) with 1/3 cup of wheat germ (Why?  Because I had some)
  3. Reduced the milk to 1/4 cup due to the excess liquid in my carrots
  4. Reduced the total added sweetener by half (so, 3/4 cup total), then replaced 1/4 cup of the brown sugar with Splenda
  5. Substituted all-spice for the nutmeg (Why?  Because I didn’t have any nutmeg)

Note: I had one quart of thickly cut home canned carrots and ended up with about 1 1/2 cups of mashed carrots.  I adjusted the recipe accordingly.

I may or may not make the frosting but if I do, it will be with mostly Splenda with a bit of powdered sugar (I have come to the conclusion that Splenda tends to get bitter if using a lot … mostly because I kept trying to slip some in hubby’s coffee and he immediately noticed).

http://www.daringgourmet.com/2014/02/18/old-fashioned-carrot-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/

For Cake:
½ cup walnuts
1 cup pureed carrots (boil just under a pound of carrots until soft; drain and cool, then puree in a food processor.)
1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (be careful to avoid the white pith of the orange, it’s bitter)
½ cup raisins

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Dessert, Pumpkin, Recipe

Old-Fashioned Pumpkin Nut Loaf Bread

brendanolen

I know this is a bit late (should have posted this around Thanksgiving when all the canned pumpkin was on sale) but this looks like the best Pumpkin Bread recipe out there (like on my mom’s friend used to make).

http://www.food.com/recipe/old-fashioned-pumpkin-nut-loaf-bread-184460

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup fat-free evaporated milk
  • 1 large egg 1 large egg white
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped nuts
  • Now, if you don’t have evaporated milk, here’s a substitute: To produce 1 cup of evaporated milk, simmer 2 1/4 cups of regular milk down until it becomes 1 cup. In many recipes, evaporated milk may also be replaced with a combination of whole milk and half-and-half. For 1 cup of evaporated milk, use 3/4 cup whole milk and 1/4 cup half-and-half. And: Mix 2/3 cup non-fat dry milk with 3/4 cup water.
Dessert, Recipe

Cranberry Mousse – Debesmanna

brendanolen

HA!  Something to do with Cream of Wheat aside from eating it “as is” for breakfast!

cranberrymousse

https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Debesmanna-Cranberry-Mousse/

Farina undergoes an unexpected transformation from hot cereal to airy pudding in this tart-sweet Latvian dessert, which is typically served with milk poured on top. This recipe first appeared in our May 2011 issue, with the article Riga Revisited. Yield: serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 cups unsweetened cranberry juice
  • 1⁄2 cup sugar
  • 1⁄2 cup farina or cream of wheat
  • Milk, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. Bring juice and sugar to a boil in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in farina, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, and process on medium-high until thick and doubled in volume, about 12 minutes. Serve in bowls with milk poured over top, if desired.
Bread, Cake, Cookies, Dessert, Dough, Kefir, Recipe, Sourdough

Sourdough Sunday

brendanolen

Today was my day to deal with my sourdough starter. It had been sitting in the refrigerator for what feels like 6 months being ignored. I stored it in a gallon mason jar, and needed the room, so three days ago I took it out. I poured it all into a bowl, added 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. I mixed it well, let it sit, and it was still alive! I’m telling you, I love this starter!

After my starter resurrected, I began my search for recipes. I have made bread and pancakes but knew there had to be more out there for me to do with sourdough starter. In addition to these first two recipes, I made two loaves of bread, except one I kneaded 2 teaspoons of minced garlic into the dough just before the final rise.

The best website I have found for anything sourdough is King Arthur Flour. They have the largest variety of recipes (with commercial yeast and without).

Well, this is what I came up with:

The big hit of the day was this Cherry Sourdough Coffee Cake from Better Homes and Gardens “New Cook Book”:

Cherry Filling

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Notes

Cherry Filling (or use a can of cherry pie filling)
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened pitted tart red cherries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Water to cover
Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used about half white and half wheat flour)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup Sourdough Starter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter
For Filling
Bring cherries to boil; reduce heat. cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice. Combine sugar and cornstarch; add to cherry mixture. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Cool completely.
For dough:
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix Sourdough Starter, egg, and vanilla; add to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spread half of the batter into greased 9X9X2-inch baking pan. Spread Cherry Filling on top. Drop remaining batter in small mounds over filling.
For topping:
Mix oats, brown sugar, nuts and flour. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over batter. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden. Serves 9.

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Next is the Sourdough Chocolate Cake. Now, I will share a recipe with you but it’s not the one I cooked. The one I cooked was not chocolate-y enough. So I searched and found this one. I won’t make it tonight…have to find someone who will eat the first one (I might have my husband take it to work…they eat anything! LOL!):

Sweet Sorrow Sourdough Chocolate Cake
http://www.almostgotit.com/2007/08/19/sweet-sorrow-sourdough-chocolate-cake/

Sweet Sorrow Sourdough Chocolate Cake

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Notes

Sweet Sorrow Sourdough Chocolate Cake
2/3 cup shortening
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sourdough starter
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sweet ground chocolate or cocoa
½ tsp. baking powder
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
Cream shortening and sugar; beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in the starter. Sift flour, measure, and sift again with other dry ingredients. Add to shortening mixture alternating with water and vanilla. Mix at low speed. Bake 350 degrees (for two 9” layers, bake 35 minutes; for one 9” square, bake 60 minutes)

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Now, for the recipes I will try. Looking around online I found some wonderful recipes. These are the ones I am dying to try, once I am finished with my baking frenzy today.

https://gnowfglins.com/food-preparation/recipes/nut-butter-sourdough-cookies/

This one I will make once I have a supply of homemade candied fruits and peels:

Alaskan Russian Sourdough Fruit Cake

Banana Sourdough Bread

Figure 3 Ranch Cowboy Morning Sourdough Biscuits

Mendenhall Sourdough Gingerbread

Old West Sourdough Biscuits

Streusel-Filled Sourdough Cake

Strawberry Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Sugar Cookies

Sourdough Sticky Buns

Sourdough Squash Brownies

Sourdough Spice Cookies with Maple Frosting

Sourdough Sopapillas

Sourdough Peanut Butter Cookies

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Sourdough Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce

Sourdough Fresh Fruit Cobbler

Sourdough Cornbread

Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls

And

Sourdough Potato Bread

This page has so many recipes, I’m not sure you want me to list them all (but I will):

SOURDOUGH RECIPES from Richard Packham:

EVERYDAY SOURDOUGH BREAD (for five loaves)
SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD
HAMBURGER BUNS
SOURDOUGH MUFFINS
SOURDOUGH BISCUITS
SOURDOUGH BAGELS
SOURDOUGH PIZZA
SOURDOUGH CINNAMON ROLLS
SOURDOUGH DEEP-FRY BATTER
SOURDOUGH PANCAKES
SOURDOUGH BELGIAN WAFFLES
MIKE’S QUICK BLENDER WAFFLES
SOURDOUGH CARROT CAKE
SOURDOUGH GINGERBREAD CAKE
SOURDOUGH CROISSANTS (makes one dozen)
SOURDOUGH PUMPERNICKEL BREAD
SOURDOUGH PASTRY (PIE CRUST)