Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes

It’s the holiday season.  The perfect time to enjoy holiday sweets without added sugar!  Tempted by sugar-filled cupcakes you see at your local store?  Try making these instead to satisfy your sweet tooth without the ups and downs of sugar.  Sugar free candy canes can be found online but in this recipe I have used starlight mints which can be found more easily in a lot of drug stores or some grocery stores in the diabetic section.

Chocolate Candy Cane Cupcakes
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 6
  • Serving size: 1
  • Calories: 287
  • Fat: 25.8g
  • Carbohydrates: 30.2g
  • Fiber: 27.3g
  • Protein: 4.8g
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • Cupcakes
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbsp coconut milk
  • ¼ cup erythritol
  • Pinch of stevia
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup coconut flour
  • 2 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
  • ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Frosting
  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup erythritol, powder 1st
  • ¼ cup xylitol, powder 1st
  • Pinch pure powdered stevia
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tbsp coconut milk
  • Pinch of salt or to taste
  • 10 sugar free starlight mints
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare a muffin tin with 6 paper liners. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the coconut milk, erythritol, stevia, vanilla, and melted coconut oil. Set aside.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the coconut flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Add to egg mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
  4. Divide into baking cups and bake for 15-18 minutes or until fully set in the center. Remove from oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack.
  5. Make Frosting: Powder the xylitol and erythritol in a blender until very fine, then measure and add to a bowl with the butter beating with an electric mixer for several minutes until creamy and the sweeteners are no longer grainy.
  6. Add the coconut milk and vanilla beating until smooth and well combined. Add additional coconut milk if a lighter consistency is desired. Adjust for sweetness by adding a pinch of stevia if desired. Also a drop of peppermint essential oil can be used to flavor the frosting. Frost the cupcakes using a piping bag or by hand. Crush the mints in a plastic bag and pour into a bowl. Dip the cupcakes frosting side down into the crushed mints or sprinkle them on top.
Notes
Net Carbs: 2.8g
SugarOH: 24g
 

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Bark

Do you shop at Trader Joe’s?  Do you find it annoying that everything looks and sounds so appealing… but you are watching out for added sugars and trying to be healthier about your choices.  Welcome to my world.  BUT I saw this pumpkin granola bark on the shelf there and thought to myself… I need to make this today.  So I did.  I hope you love it as much as I do.  No guilt, no worries, easy and so so worth it!

Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Bark
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 10
  • Serving size: 1 piece
  • Calories: 111
  • Fat: 10.1g
  • Carbohydrates: 14.4g
  • Fiber: 11.2g
  • Protein: 2.3g
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl at 30 second intervals.
  2. Spread chocolate onto the bottom of an 8x8-inch pan using an offset spatula.
  3. Sprinkle granola over the melted chocolate and gently press it in so that it adheres to the chocolate. Set aside for an hour or place in the refrigerator to quickly cool and harden.
  4. Once hardened score into 10 pieces and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Do not freeze.
Notes
Net Carbs = 3.2g
SugarOH = 5g
 

Pumpkin Pie Granola

Pumpkin Pie Granola!  Just what the doctor ordered for your next pie topping.  What?  What I mean is that this versatile granola is not only delicious on it’s own as part of your morning go to healthy breakfast (served with Coconut Yogurt perhaps) but it also makes a fantastic crumble for an apple pie or even as the base of a pumpkin pie or cheesecake.  But the ultimate way to use it is with chocolate!

Pumpkin Pie Granola
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 4 cups
  • Serving size: ½ cup
  • Calories: 268
  • Fat: 24.7g
  • Carbohydrates: 14.8g
  • Fiber: 11.3g
  • Protein: 5.7g
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Ingredients
  • ¼ cupSpiced Pumpkin Butter (or pumpkin puree)
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 4 tbsp Lakanto® sweetener https://www.lakanto.com/
  • 1 Pinch pure stevia powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp ground allspice
  • ⅛ tsp ground cloves
  • ¼ cup flax seeds
  • 1 cup flaked unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped
  • ½ cup pumpkin seeds
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicon mat.
  2. In a medium bowl whisk together the Spiced Pumpkin Butter, coconut oil, eggy white and vanilla. Add the sweeteners salt and spices and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  3. Place the flax seeds in a food processor and pulse a few times. Then add the coconut, pecans, and pumpkins seeds and pumpkin butter mixture. Pulse 5-7 times until completely blended and mixture is medium coarse in texture. If you prefer a chunkier granola pulse less.
  4. Spread mixture evenly on the parchment paper or silicon mat and bake for 15 minutes. Stir using a spatula, flipping over larger pieces and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until fragrant and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. If you find your mixture is not quite dry. Heat oven again to 300°F then turn off and set the granola back in the oven and close the door allowing the granola to continue to dry out but at a much lower temperature as the oven cools. Makes 4 cups, each serving is ½ cup.
Notes
Net Carbs = 3.5g
SugarOH = 6g
 

Pumpkin Cheesecake Donuts

Pumpkin Cheesecake Donuts
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 6
  • Serving size: 1 donut
  • Calories: 270
  • Fat: 22.4g
  • Carbohydrates: 15.7g
  • Fiber: 10.6g
  • Protein: 8.3g
National Filled Donut Day! Temptations abound when the fall season hits. These pumpkin donuts filled with rich cheesecake are no exception. It doesn't take an expert to make these at home, you can squeeze them out in no time! See the directions for how to easily squeeze these into your morning routine.
Ingredients
  • Donuts:
  • 2 eggs
  • ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 Tbsp erythritol, powdered
  • 1 Tbsp xylitol, powdered
  • 1 pinch pure powdered stevia
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 3 Tbsp coconut flour
  • 1 tsp powdered psyllium husk
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ¾ tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp all spice
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • ¾ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • Filling:
  • 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
  • 2 pinches stevia
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • 2-3 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 6-well donut pan and set aside. Powder the erythritol, xylitol and 1 pinch of stevia in a blender, pulsing until fine.
  2. Whisk the eggs and pumpkin puree together. Whisk in the powdered sweeteners, coconut milk, butter and vanilla until thoroughly combined.
  3. Add the almond meal, coconut flour, psyllium husk powder (optional; it helps to keep the donuts from falling apart after baking), spices, baking powder and salt mixing until fully incorporated and thick. Set aside.
  4. In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the cream cheese until slightly warm and whisk until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, stevia, lemon juice, lemon zest and essential oil if using (tangerine is also delicious in this recipe). Whisk until creamy then add to a zip top bag, cut the corner about ¼-inch and set aside.
  5. Fill each donut well about ⅓ full and spread evenly with a spatula. To do this easily, fill a zip top bag with the batter and cut off one corner (about ½ inch). Squeeze about ½ of the batter into the wells and spread out with a spatula. Now add the cream cheese filling placing it in the center of the batter around the ring (so there is batter on all sides). Pipe the remaining batter over each cheesecake ribbon and using a spatula or finger tips be sure that all the cream cheese is covered with batter without disturbing it too much. You shouldn’t see any cheese peeking through anywhere.
  6. Bake for 22-25 minutes until the donuts are puffed and golden. Remove from the oven and allow the donuts to sit in the pan for 10 minutes to cool. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Makes 6 donuts.
Notes
NC: 5.1g
SugarOH: 6g
 

Coffee and Cardamom Ice Cream

Cardamom and coffee are old pals.  Cardamom is a is a spice known to have a strong, pungent flavor with hints of lemon, mint, and smoke.  It is traditional in the Middle East to add it to coffee.  If you haven’t tried the combination it is absolutely a must, and with this ice cream recipe the sweetness and coconut milk flavor adds just the right amount of pop!  My favorite way to enjoy this ice cream is as a floater to cold brew iced coffee.  It’s like having a treat in the morning without the sugar and all the flavor.

Coffee and Cardamom Ice Cream
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 6 servings
  • Calories: 157
  • Fat: 12.2g
  • Carbohydrates: 13.4g
  • Fiber: 10.6g
  • Protein: 1.5g
Ingredients
  • 13.5 oz canned coconut milk or cream
  • ⅓ cup xylitol, divided
  • Pinch pure powdered stevia
  • 1 tbsp instant coffee
  • 3 large egg yolks
  • ½ - 1 tsp freshly ground cardamom
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Combine the coconut milk, all but 1 tbsp of the xylitol, stevia, instant coffee and cardamom in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium-high heat. Heat until bubbles just start to form around the edge of the pan. Take off the heat and set aside.
  2. While the milk is heating, whisk together the egg yolks, 1 tbsp xylitol and salt. Slowly whisk in the hot cream mixture and then return it to the sauce pan and set it back over medium heat stirring constantly until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon; about 5 minutes (do not allow it to boil). Stir in the vanilla and transfer to a small bowl set over an ice water bath. Allow to sit and cool stirring every 5 minutes until chilled. Cover surface of the custard with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight to intensify flavors and chill properly.
  3. Once chilled, place into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions to make ice cream. Serve immediately or put into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to one month. Makes about 3 cups. Each serving is ½ cup.
Notes
NC: 2.8g
SugarOH: 10.7g