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Best Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 00:20:49 +0000

This Keto Chocolate Pumpkin Bread is moist, rich, and loaded with cozy fall flavor — yet it’s sugar-free, low carb, gluten-free, grain-free, and nut-free! Perfect for pumpkin season and anyone following a keto diet, low carb diet or simply wanting to enjoy a healthy, easy recipe that satisfies without the sugar crash.

Why You’ll Love This Keto Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

When pumpkin meets chocolate, it’s magic — especially in a tender-crumb, quick bread that’s full of flavor and not dense or dry.

The pumpkin puree gives just enough moisture and natural sweetness while adding that perfect texture you expect from the best low carb pumpkin bread (think banana bread, but better!).

This loaf is:

Nut-free – made with coconut flour and flaxseed meal, no almond flour needed.
Refined sugar-free – sweetened with my favorite monk fruit allulose blend for the right texture and taste.
Perfect for fall – full of pumpkin spice, chocolate, and cozy comfort.
Kid-approved – even my youngest son (the coconut flavor detective!) loves this bread and can’t tell it’s low carb.

Whether you’re toasting a slice with butter, adding a smear of cream cheese, or sprinkling on sugar-free chocolate chips, this bread makes the perfect breakfast, snack, or dessert all season long.

Grain-Free & Nut-Free Pumpkin Bread

Creating a grain-free, almond flour-free pumpkin bread with the right texture was no easy feat! I tested this recipe six times to get the balance of coconut flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener just right.

Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture, so the ratio of wet to dry ingredients really matters. The result? A perfectly moist, tender crumb without any grittiness or dry texture.

If you’re new to coconut flour, don’t worry — it doesn’t overpower this bread. The pumpkin flavor and chocolate shine through beautifully. For those with nut allergies, this is the ultimate nut-free keto pumpkin bread recipe you’ll make again and again.

Super moist and full of chocolate and pumpkin flavor. My youngest son who has the tree nut allergy is not a fan of anything flavor of coconut. He is also the greatest detector of coconut in my recipes and a tough critic.

He loved this chocolate chip pumpkin bread and could not taste any coconut flavor. The other ingredients are the star in this hearty and dense bread.

Serving Ideas

Toast a slice and top with coconut butter or sugar-free whipped cream.
Spread with cream cheese for breakfast.
Make mini loaves for holiday gifts!

This great recipe for keto pumpkin chocolate chip bread fits perfectly into your low carb lifestyle — with only 4g net carbs per slice.

Brenda’s Notes

Keep leftovers wrapped in paper towels inside an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to a week.

I’ve tested this recipe multiple times to get the right texture — moist, not too dense, and full of flavor.

Coconut oil or avocado oil can be swapped for butter if you prefer dairy-free.

Do not substitute cups of almond flour — it’s not a 1:1 swap for coconut flour and will drastically change the texture.

Looking for more Pumpkin Recipes?

Storage Tips

This keto chocolate pumpkin bread keeps beautifully if stored properly so you can enjoy a slice (or two!) all week long.

Freezer: Wrap individual slices in parchment paper, then store in a zip bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or pop in the toaster oven straight from frozen.

Room Temperature: Store covered with paper towels inside an airtight container for up to 2 days to keep the top from getting too moist.

Refrigerator: For longer freshness, refrigerate up to 7 days. Let slices come to room temp before serving, or toast gently for the perfect warm bite with a little butter.

Sugar-Free Low Carb Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

Best Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Chocolate Pumpkin Bread

This Keto Chocolate Pumpkin Bread was originally posted in 2016 and updated in 2018 with a video — and now refreshed again for pumpkin season! It remains one of my most popular keto recipes for fall. Try it once, and it’ll become your go-to sugar-free chocolate pumpkin bread every year.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 20

Servings slices

Calories 152kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

1 cup Coconut Flour
1/2 cup Flaxseed Meal
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup Monk Fruit Allulose granulated sweetener
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs
12 ounces pumpkin puree canned, not pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup butter softened
1 tsp maple extract
1 tsp chocolate liquid monk fruit

Optional toppings

raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
sugar-free chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Whisk all dry ingredients (first eight listed) in a large mixing bowl.
In a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer), blend the eggs and the 1.5 cup of pumpkin puree until smooth.
Add butter, extracts, and sweetener and mix again.
Gradually add dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan.
Pour batter into a parchment lined 9 by 5 loaf pan.
Top with optional sugar-free chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds, if desired.
Bake 50–60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool 15 minutes, then lift from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Tip: You can also make these as chocolate pumpkin muffins — just reduce the bake time to about 30–35 minutes.
Storage info right above this printable recipe card.

Video

Notes

4 g net carbs

Nutrition

The post Best Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Chocolate Pumpkin Bread appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Perfect Gluten Free Low Carb Apple Dump Cake Recipe

Brenda Bennett — Sun, 19 Oct 2025 11:37:02 +0000

This Keto Low Carb Apple Dump Cake is an easy, one-bowl dessert that’s grain free, gluten free, and sugar free — now updated to be even softer and moister thanks to my latest test using sunflower seed meal and Greek yogurt. It’s the perfect fall dessert recipe made with fresh apples (or zucchini for keto) and delivers the comforting flavor of apple pie filling with only 5 g net carbs per serving (or just 1 g net carb using zucchini).

Are Apples Keto Friendly?

No foods are technically “keto.” Ketosis is a metabolic state your body enters when carbs are very low.

One small apple (149 g) has about 20 g total carbs, which could use up an entire day’s carb limit for strict keto followers.

Some people following a keto diet will only allow themselves 20 grams of carb intake for the entire day so eating one small apple would not be helpful for them and may kick them out of ketosis.

However, using a small amount of apple in a recipe that makes many servings can absolutely fit into both a low-carb and midlife-macro-balanced lifestyle.

Carbs in Regular Apple Dump Cake vs. This Low Carb Version

Traditional dump cake recipes made with boxed yellow cake mix, sugar, and canned apple pie filling can easily top 55 to 65 grams of total carbs per slice, with more than 35 grams of added sugar.

In this updated Sugar-Free Mom version, a serving made with fresh apples has 9 grams total carbs and 6 grams net carbs, and the fully keto version made with zucchini and apple pie extract drops to just 6 total and 4 g net carb per serving — all with zero added sugar. You still get that cozy, apple-pie-style comfort, just without the carb crash that usually follows.

A Simple Fall Favorite

We moved from the city to the countryside a few years ago, and it felt fitting to post this apple recipe after finding a gorgeous apple tree in our new backyard.

Like our family’s slower pace, this recipe reminds me that the best things in life are simple — just a few basic ingredients mixed in a baking dish and baked to cozy perfection.

How to Make Low Carb Apple Cake

I love easy dump cake recipes because you literally just throw all the simple ingredients together in a baking dish and bake it! Boom! Done!

This is one of our favorites at this time of year and the easiest dessert for a family.

This apple dump cake makes me happy and peaceful just looking at it. It reminds me that life can be simple, just like simple recipes, and it’s ok. Because as long as you have your family and some essentials you can do anything.

We use fresh apples but below you will find an adaption to lower the carbs to help you fit this into your ketogenic diet.

Ingredients

To view exact amounts, see nutrition info and print recipe, please scroll to the bottom of this post to view the printable recipe card.

Coconut flour

Sunflower seed meal — nut-free, grain-free, and keeps the cake moist

Monk Fruit Allulose granular sweetener

Ground Cinnamon

Baking powder

Large eggs

Melted Butter

Plain lactose-free Greek yogurt – I use the FAGE 5.3 oz cup for added protein and moisture

Cinnamon liquid stevia (or vanilla stevia)

Fresh apples, peeled and chopped (or zucchini for keto)

Directions (Updated Method)

Cool 10–15 minutes covered before slicing.

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together coconut flour, sunflower seed meal, sweetener, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter, and Greek yogurt until smooth. Add stevia drops if desired.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.

Fold in the apple mixture (or zucchini).

Spread evenly into the prepared dish.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.

Remove foil (leave center slightly exposed) and continue baking for 15-20 minutes at 350 °F, until edges are golden and the center is just set.

Enjoy hot out of the oven or room temperature with some sugar free whipped cream or add a scoop of ice cream!

How to Make this a Keto Dump Cake

To lower carbs even more:

Add ½ tsp apple pie extract to mimic baked apple flavor.This swap reduces total carbs from 10 g to 6 g and net carbs to 1 g per serving — all the comfort of apple pie without the sugar.

Replace the apples with peeled, sliced zucchini.

While it might not be the prettiest of cakes, it is a super easy dessert! Topped with a little sugar-free whipped cream, or keto vanilla ice cream, you’ve got comfort on a plate.

No need for fancy anything at this country home we are in, just as this cake needs nothing fancy to make it spectacular.

With minimal effort on your part, this apple dump cake is a reminder that the simple things in life always make for the best recipe.

Low-Carb Apple Desserts

Keto Sugar Free Apple Cake

Apple Pie Dutch Baby Pancake

Apple Cheesecake Bars

Apple Cider Donuts

Apple Poke Cake

Keto Apple Muffins with cream cheese

Baking Tips

If the center jiggles too much at 35 minutes, raise temp to 350 °F and bake 10–15 min longer, tenting edges with foil if needed.
The cake will continue to set as it cools.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat slices briefly in the microwave or oven to restore that just-baked texture.

Brenda’s Notes:

I use an apple corer-peeler tool to make prep quick and even.

If you don’t have Monk Fruit Allulose, check my Sweetener Conversion Chart to adjust another sugar-free sweetener.

The Greek yogurt keeps the cake moist and adds protein — no need for heavy cream in this version.

For a fall twist, sprinkle the top with a little sugar-free cinnamon “crumble” before baking..

UPDATED October 2025: This recipe originally used 1 cup coconut flour and 1/2 cup butter. I decided to perfect it since many commenters were saying it was dry. I added Greek yogurt to increase the protein and reduced the butter, below you have options to make it keto using zucchini instead.

Gluten Free Low Carb Apple Dump Cake

Keto Low Carb Apple Dump Cake

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

Servings servings

Calories 153kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup sunflower seed meal or almond flour
1/2 cup Monk fruit Allulose brown sweetener
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp apple pie spice
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
pinch salt
6 eggs beaten
5.3 ounce plain Greek yogurt
6 tbsp butter melted, cooled
1 teaspoon cinnamon liquid stevia or see notes above
4 cups apples Gala or Fuji, peeled, cored, sliced or zucchini see notes in post above
1/2 tsp apple pie extract optional if using zucchini

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease a 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together coconut flour, sunflower seed meal, sweetener, cinnamon, apple pie spice, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk eggs, melted butter, and Greek yogurt until smooth. Add stevia drops if desired. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.
Fold in the apple mixture (or zucchini).
Spread evenly into the prepared dish.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes.
Remove foil (leave center slightly exposed) and continue baking for 15-20 minutes at 350 °F, until edges are golden and the center is just set.
Cool 10–15 minutes covered before slicing.
Enjoy with some sugar free whipped cream!

Notes

This recipe was first published in Nov. 2015. Midlife Macro Method™ Approved!

6 grams net carbs using apples

For Keto, swap apples with zucchini;

Calories: 141

Carbs: 6 g

Protein: 6 g

Fat: 11 g

Fiber: 2 g

Net Carbs: 4 g

Nutrition

The post Perfect Gluten Free Low Carb Apple Dump Cake Recipe appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Best Sugar-Free Low Carb Keto Tiramisu Cake Roll

Brenda Bennett — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:32:17 +0000

You’d never know this Chocolate Keto Tiramisu recipe for a Cake Roll is actually low carb and sugar free and even nut free, just by looking at it or even tasting it! Most low carb desserts are made with almond flour, but not in this luscious keto dessert!

Keto Low Carb Tiramisu Cake Roll

When you’re looking for an impressive dessert for family and friends who might not be sugar free or low carb, this is the one that will surprise all of them!

The chocolate cake has a light and airy texture and every single bite is creamy and delicious with all the flavors of a traditional tiramisu dessert without all the trouble of one.

If you’re looking at this and have never made a chocolate cake roll before you might be a little intimidated as I was once.

I’ve had plenty of trials with this recipe, but this final version is the one that will make anyone have success.

Our low-carb tiramisu cake roll makes 12 large slices in this delicious recipe and one slice has just 7 total grams of carbs or 3 g net carbs.

All the nutritional information is on the full printable recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Classic Tiramisu

While this keto cake roll is not an authentic tiramisu classic Italian dessert, the delicious cream mascarpone mixture and keto coffee syrup resemble this classic dessert.

Obviously a low carb tiramisu recipe for a cake roll will exclude high-carb ingredients like refined wheat flour, all purpose flour and refined sugar, you can still enjoy this favorite dessert on a keto diet or low carb diet.

I can’t say it will taste exactly like the real thing, but it will be decadent, delicious dessert and a perfect show stopping recipe for special occasions.

Cake Rolls

Let’s be honest though, it takes a bit of time to assemble something like this, while the baking of the cake itself takes as little as ten minutes.

The cooling time and chilling time takes a bit more longer than a traditional recipe for a cake, but the outcome is well worth the work.

Nut Free Cake Roll

My youngest has a tree nut allergy but also really just hates anything that has coconut flavor. Hiding it has been my goal as a low carb recipe developer since I can’t use almond flour in family keto recipes.

A product you may have never heard of before that is in this recipe is psyllium husk powder. The seeds themselves are indigestible, but are processed into powder for easier consumption.

They are a wonderful source of dietary fiber, but here in this recipe, I’m using it to help the sponge cake layers itself not break when rolled, which happened 4 other times I tried making it.

Ground psyllium seed husk helps bind moisture and makes keto version breads less crumbly so after seeking advice of my friend from Low Carb So Simple I added just a little and success happened.

Sugar Free Chocolate Ganache

The detailed instructions below are quite simple really, bake the cake in 10 minutes, roll while warm, allow to cool completely, add coffee syrup and creamy filling, roll back up, chill it a while then add the sugar free chocolate ganache over the top.

Here’s a simple 3 ingredient sugar free Chocolate Ganache that doesn’t even use cold heavy cream.

The cooling and chilling are what take the longest time than anything else in this keto tiramisu dessert cake roll recipe.

I actually made this for Easter with all my extended family and it was a huge hit with all of them who are not sugar free and low carb. My kids loved it, even the littlest with the tree nut allergy. He said with a mouthful of cake, “THIS IS SO DELICIOUS MOMMY!”

I think he has no idea coconut flour was in it and I will never tell!

More Keto Tiramisu Recipes

Keto Tiramisu Mug Cake

Keto Tiramisu Ice Cream

Sugar Free Low Carb Tiramisu Cake Roll

Sugar-Free Low Carb Chocolate Tiramisu Cake Roll

Course Dessert

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings slices

Calories 148kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Cake

1 ounce 85% dark chocolate or sugar free chocolate
1/3 cup Coconut Flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp Psyllium Husk
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 eggs room temperature
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1/2 cup Monk Fruit Allulose confectioners sweetener
1 tsp chocolate liquid stevia or chocolate liquid Monk Fruit

Coffee Syrup

1/4 cup water
1 tbsp coffee strong, cooled
1/2 tsp coffee extract
1/2 tsp chocolate liquid stevia or chocolate liquid monk fruit

Mascarpone Filling

4 ounces mascarpone cheese or cream cheese
2 tbsp coffee cooled
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp chocolate liquid stevia or chocolate liquid monk fruit
1/2 tsp coffee extract or vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp coffee extract
1/2 tsp chocolate liquid stevia or chocolate liquid monk fruit

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Cake

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and grease. Set aside.
Chop the chocolate by hand or in a food processor until fine crumbs.
Add the remaining dry ingredients into the food processor and blend until combined.
In a stand mixer or large bowl using an electric mixer, add the eggs and remaining ingredients for the cake and blend until combined.
Slowly pour in the dry ingredients into the wet and blend until all incorporated.
Remove immediately and add a sprinkle of cocoa powder over the cake.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
Remove immediately and add a sprinkle of cocoa powder over the cake.
Cover with a clean linen towel. Place another baking sheet pan the same size on top and flip over.
Immediately and carefully remove the parchment paper on this side. Sprinkle with more cocoa powder and another clean towel or use more parchment.
Roll up, starting at the short side, while the cake is still warm. Let cake cool completely before proceeding.
Once cooled, unroll carefully. Set aside.

Coffee Syrup

In a small bowl, whisk together the syrup ingredients and use a pastry brush to cover the cake with the keto syrup.

Mascarpone Filling

Make the mascarpone cream filling in a stand mixer or separate bowl using a hand mixer, blend on high until smooth and spread this creamy mascarpone filling evenly over the entire cake.
Roll cake back up, cover with parchment and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Ganache

Heat the heavy cream in a sauce pan over low heat or you can use a double boiler pan, until just gently simmering, do not boil. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust sweetener if needed.
Cover cake with ganache and refrigerate. Use parchment over both rolled ends but leave the ganache on top uncovered in the fridge.
Allow to chill for 3 hours or overnight before serving.

Storage

Storage: Cover cake roll with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for up to 7 days. You can also wrap individual pieces or store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Video

Notes

Net Carbs: 3 g

If you’d like to change out the low carb sweeteners I used, please see my Sweetener Guide & Conversion chart.

This recipe was first published in April 2016 and updated with video and content April 2019.

Nutrition

The post Best Sugar-Free Low Carb Keto Tiramisu Cake Roll appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Cranberry Cream Cheese Danish

Brenda Bennett — Tue, 24 Dec 2024 11:32:50 +0000

This is Low Carb Keto Cranberry Cream Cheese Danish is sugar free, gluten free, and made with an easy fathead dough recipe that is almond flour free! This keto cranberry cheese danish recipe is perfect for the holiday season!

Sugar Free Low Carb Cranberry CREAM CHEESE DANISH

The holidays are upon us and here at SugaFreeMom.com, that means spectacular healthy, low carb recipes that make entertaining family and friends easy and enjoyable!

Every holiday not only needs fabulous desserts, but also fabulous low carb breakfasts or brunch recipes that help balance blood sugar if you’re following a keto diet or low carb diet. Today you get a two for one deal! This is delicious with a cup of coffee or tea!

Enjoy this Low Carb Keto Cranberry Cheese Danish for breakfast, brunch or as a keto dessert!

WHAT IS FATHEAD DOUGH?

FatHead dough was made famous by the the movie, Fathead.

The movie doesn’t actually mention anything about the pizza dough and really it only became popular in the low carb space after Cooky’s Creations blogged about a “Holy Grail of Low Carb Pizza Crust” recipe in 2012.

Unlike the classic Fathead dough made with almond flour, my dough is made with coconut flour and honestly I don’t want to toot my own horn, but it’s pretty perfect in the ability to make you feel like your biting into a fluffy high carb roll!

It also makes a perfect dessert for a buttery crust in our keto version of a cheese danish.

The original method for making this fathead dough combines cream cheese and mozzarella in a bowl, melts them together and then you have to work really hard combining the dry ingredients together.

The dough is pretty simple and doesn’t require any yeast or flour!

I created a quicker and easier method for making this dough, just read below for my new method.

LOW CARB SWEETENER Options

You can always sub the sweeteners for whatever you like to use, but that being said, you’ll have to take a good guess on how much to use. 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla stevia is about 1/2 cup of sugar in sweetness.

The first time I made this danish I chose Sukrin Fiber Clear Syrup to mix with the cranberries.

I don’t recommend Sukrin anymore so you could use liquid Allulose or Lakanto maple syrup.

I tried this first using frozen cranberries and mixing it was difficult. I recommend fresh instead, but if you only have frozen, just thaw first then fix with the syrup.

You can use my Sweetener Guide & Conversion chart to swap any other sweetener you like!

This danish is just one of those recipes that is perfect if you’ve got some overnight guests. Easy to make, but more special than a traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs.

CAN I SWAP THE CRANBERRIES?

If cranberries aren’t your favorite, swap them for raspberries, blueberries or blackberries which would be just as delicious. You could even use sugar free jams or keto cranberry sauce.

But if you’re looking for a Christmas breakfast this would be my choice!

My oldest son, is pretty picky and even he said, “Tastes like a traditional danish Mom, it’s super good!” I’ll take that as a win!

SUGAR FREE CREAM CHEESE ICING

The cream cheese drizzle is of course totally optional, but truly puts this over the top!

It’s so tasty you’ll be tempted to smear it all over your face, I mean……slice.

It’s very simple to make as you just add all the ingredients for the icing into your blender, that’s it!

HOW TO MAKE KETO CREAM CHEESE DANISH

Make the Nut Free Fathead Dough

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Try my New easier method for making fathead dough: Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until combined. Remove and place into a microwavable bowl and microwave for 2 minutes or double boiler to melt mixture over low heat on the stove. Stir again to combine.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out the dough to an oval shape. You can wet hands and flatten the dough or place another piece of parchment over the dough and use a rolling pin. Set aside to make filling.

Make the Cheesecake Filling

Add the cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla extract and stevia to a stand mixer and blend on high until smooth. Add cranberries to a small bowl and mix with low carb syrup.

Cut diagonal strips of dough lengthwise on each side of the oval shape and overlap the strips towards the center.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool then refrigerate.

Optional Icing

When ready to serve, add optional topping if desired. Simply place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Drizzle over the danish and enjoy!

Low Carb KETO Recipes using FATHEAD DOUGH

SUGAR FREE CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE DANISH

Keto Cranberry Cream Cheese Danish (Nut Free)

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Servings slices

Calories 265kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Dough

8 ounces mozzarella cheese part skim
3 ounces cream cheese full fat
3/4 cup coconut flour
2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan gum or glucomannan
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vanilla stevia or low carb confectioner sweetener
1/4 tsp salt

Filling

8 ounces cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla stevia
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup Lakanto Sugar Free Maple Syrup
1 teaspoon orange zest (optional) or 1/2 teaspoon orange extract

Optional Icing Topping

3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp unsweetened coconut milk
2 ounces cream cheese full fat
2 tbsp Low Carb Confectioners sweetener
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
New method: Place all ingredients into a food processor and process until combined. Remove and place into a microwavable bowl and microwave for 2 minutes or double boiler to melt mixture over low heat on the stove. Stir again to combine.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out the dough to an oval shape. You can wet hands and flatten the dough or place another piece of parchment over the dough and use a rolling pin. Set aside to make filling.
Add the cheesecake filling ingredients- cream cheese, egg yolk, vanilla extract and stevia to a stand mixer and blend on high until smooth. Add cranberries to a small bowl and mix with Sukrin syrup.
Spread the cream cheese mixture down the middle of the dough. Top cream cheese with cranberries.
Cut diagonal strips of dough lengthwise on each side of the oval shape and overlap the strips towards the center.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool then refrigerate.
When ready to serve, add optional topping if desired. Simply place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Drizzle over the danish and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Nutritional info does not include optional icing.

4 g net carbs per serving. There are 10 servings.

This recipe was first published in November 2017.

Nutrition

The post Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Cranberry Cream Cheese Danish appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Easy Slow Cooker Low Carb Keto Lemon Custard Cake

Brenda Bennett — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 21:06:28 +0000

This Slow Cooker Keto Lemon Cake is sugar free, gluten free, grain free, low carb and filled with a lemony custard and fresh blueberries! Just 1 g net carbs and perfect for either a low carb diet or keto diet!

Low Carb Custard Lemon Cake Recipe

If you love creamy custard and you love all things lemon, you will love this easy lemon cake made in the slow cooker or oven directions provided below!

This combo of custard plus cake textures will rock your boat! Lemon lovers should look no further, this is full of lemony, zesty flavor, but even if you’re not much into lemon you can easily adjust the amount used in this recipe to your liking!

If you’ve never made a dessert in a crock pot, welcome to a whole new world you will soon fall in love with! If you can accept a free form style of dessert, using the slow cooker is the way to a stress free dessert experience!

Carbs in Traditional Custard Cake

According to the Cronometer app I use, 100 grams or one serving of custard cake that uses regular sugar has 54.2 grams of carbs and 370 calories. That is a blood sugar spike instantly after eating it.

Our keto version of custard cake has 191 calories and just 3 grams of carbs for one serving plus 2 grams dietary fiber so that is just 1 g net carbs.

Much better for those of us on a keto diet or low carb diet and being careful of raising blood sugar. The full nutritional information is at the bottom of this blog post in the recipe card.

How many carbs should I eat on Keto?

Balanced blood sugar is an important part to pay attention to if you are working on weight loss.

Whether you follow a ketogenic diet or not, if you spike your blood sugar eating high carb and sugar foods, you stop your bodies ability to tap into it’s own fat stores to lose weight.

High blood sugar means fat storage.

I recommend to my coaching clients to eat no more than 40-50 total carbs per day if you are on a low carb diet and 20-30 total carbs per day on a keto diet.

How much fat should I be eating to lose weight?

Each person is different and there is no one size fits all that works for everyone. A keto diet also does not mean you need to eat a high fat diet.

If you haven’t been successful losing weight on a traditional keto diet eating 70% fat, try reducing it to 60% or 50% daily fat intake a few days a week which may help budge your weight loss.

That’s exactly what I needed to do in my own life in order to get the needle to move in the right direction.

I even created a course called Stall Busters which provides you 4 weeks of meal plans plus a weekly quiz that accesses your progress and recommends meal plans that I provide with 50%, 60% and 70% fat intake.

Slow Cooker Keto Custard Cake

Crock Pots or slow cookers, whatever you like to call them, are awesome to use for savory meals any time of the year.

But once you venture to the dessert side, you will be surprised at how quickly you will be hooked to making a slow cooked low carb dessert for friends and family.

As long as you’re not looking for a perfect looking cake, neat and tidy kind of cake and you’re more interested in delicious recipes with simple ingredients, this tasty treat is perfect for family and/or company. This is a perfect dessert in the crock pot!

Dump the cake batter, make sure it’s plugged in, cover and set! Come back in a few hours for some delicious custard cake with the perfect balance of bright lemon flavors!

Coconut is Not a Nut

My youngest child, who is quite the coconut hater, can’t tell this slow cooker cake is made with coconut, and that has been what has driven me to continue to persevere with coconut flour.

Youngest has a tree nut allergy so very often I’ve got to make low carb recipes using coconut flour as opposed to almond flour. Often he can detect it and makes complaints. But not this year folks, not this year. I am winning 5 out of 5 thus far!

I’d like to clear up this constant question get asked almost daily about whether coconut is a nut. While the US Food & drug Administration (FDA) claims that coconut is a tree nut becomes it comes from a tree, it is in fact a FRUIT. People who have tree nut allergies may be allergic to coconut as well, but being allergic to coconut is not the same as having a tree nut allergy.

My own son was diagnosed with a Peanut and Tree Nut allergy at the age of 2. He has safely eaten coconut all these years without issue and he is now 14. Coconut is a fruit, called a drupe. It’s like a peach with a pit.

The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says it well: “Coconut is not a botanical nut: it is classified as a fruit, even though the FDA recognizes coconut as a tree nut.

While allergic reactions to coconut have been documented, most people who are allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut. If you are allergic to tree nuts, talk to your allergist before adding coconut to your diet.”

I’ve made a Chocolate Tiramisu Cake Roll, Low Carb Cheddar Sausage Bagels, Tiramisu Mug Cake Low Carb Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes and now this and he’s had no idea!

Easy Slow Cooker Keto Cake

The texture of the cake is amazing!

It tastes like a custard, but it is formed like a cake! Easy to make, no oven required! Set it and forget it!

Top with some sugar free whipped cream and a few berries and call it a day!

Can I swap the sweetener used?

You can substitute the Swerve sweetener with another sugar free sweetener of choice, but often other brands are sweeter so I would either use 1/4 cup of something else or eliminate the lemon stevia.

If you don’t want to use any sweetener that contains erythritol, you could swap the Swerve sweetener I used with this Monk Fruit Sweetener that also includes Allulose in it’s blend and no erythritol.

Here’s my Sweetener Guide & Conversion Chart.

Can I swap the heavy cream?

You could even use canned coconut milk in place of the heavy cream and make it dairy free. I don’t recommend using unsweetened almond milk and it doesn’t have enough fat to make this cake custard like in texture.

Can I swap the lemon?

If you’re not a fan of lemon as much, reduce the amount of juice I used here to just 1/4 cup or you could even swap it with lime juice if you prefer.

If you’re not much of a fan of lemon than perhaps you’d like my Crock Pot Fudge.

Can I swap the coconut flour with almond?

I get asked this question almost daily and the short answer is no they can’t be swapped, at least not with the same amount. Coconut flour is dense and needs more liquids and eggs.

About 1/4 cup of coconut flour is equal to about 1 cup almond flour.

I would still recommend using coconut flour as you really will not detect a coconut flavor because the lemon is a strong flavor and takes over in this lemon cake.

Can I make this in the oven instead?

Yes if you don’t want to use the slow cooker, you could bake this in the oven instead.

I’d recommend preheating your oven to 325 degrees and greasing a 9 by 13 baking dish.

Follow the instructions and pour the batter into the greased baking dish. Baking time will vary depending on whether you have a gas or electric oven.

If you have an electric oven bake for 30 minutes or until the center is puffed and a toothpick in center comes clean. If you have a gas oven you may need to bake 5-10 minutes longer.

More Keto Lemon Desserts

Sugar Free Lemon Cream Pie

Sugar Free Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Keto Cheesecake Mousse

Low Carb Lemon Cheesecake Jars with Lemon Cookie

Keto Lemon Pound Cake

Keto Sugar Free Lemon Curd Parfaits

Magic Custard Cakes

Italian Keto Lemon Layer Cake

Lemon Cottage Cheese Fluff

Slow Cooker Keto Lemon Custard Cake Recipe

CrockPot Blueberry Lemon Custard Cake

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 15

Servings

Calories 186kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

6 eggs separated
1/2 cup Coconut Flour
2 tsp lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon juice or see notes above
1 tsp lemon liquid stevia
1/2 cup Monk Fruit Allulose confectioners sweetener or see notes above
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh blueberries optional or any fresh berries you like
optional toppings; sugar free whipped cream or sour cream, lemon zest

Instructions

Place the egg whites into a stand mixer and whip until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk the yolks and remaining ingredients together except blueberries.
Fold the egg whites a little at a time into the batter until just combined.
Grease the crock pot and pour the mixture into the pot.
Sprinkle the blueberries over the batter.
Cover and cook on low 3 hours or until a toothpick come out clean.
Allow to cool with cover off for 1 hour then place in the refrigerator to chill for 2 hours or overnight.
Serve cold with a little sugar free whipped cream if desired.
Cover with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

Net Carbs: 1 g for the custard cake only, not optional ingredients.

This recipe was first published in August 2016.

Nutrition

The post Easy Slow Cooker Low Carb Keto Lemon Custard Cake appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

Brenda Bennett — Wed, 06 Dec 2023 11:17:41 +0000

These delicious and festive Sugar Free Cranberry Pistachio Cookies are keto, gluten free and low carb!

KETO CRANBERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES

Cranberry and Pistachios are a wonderful combination for a perfect, keto shortbread like cookie for the holiday season.

Pink might not be the typical Christmas color for a cookie but does knowing it contain cranberries make it more Christmas-y for you?

I wasn’t planning on making them pink, but just felt like a little bright color was festive enough for the holiday. I’ve made these cookies 3 times now just to get them perfect with a chewy texture.

My original plan was a nut free cookies and the reason I was using coconut flour.

Have I told you about my youngest has a tree nut and peanut allergy? Also, he hates coconut.

BUT that doesn’t stop me for making things with coconut flour and disguising it enough for him to eat it.

Obviously these now have pistachios in them, otherwise they would be a pretty allergy friendly cookie; no eggs, no nut flour etc, BUT I added pistachios to these simple cookies.

Why you might ask?

He hated the flavor of the cranberries.

I made them 3 times adjusting things each time and each time he tried them, nope, not interested. One bite was all he took.

So I said, forget it. I love nuts and some Christmas cookies just needs some nuts. End of story.

These are those cookies and they are so much prettier with the nuts. Perfect treat with a cup of coffee that won’t spike blood sugar on my keto diet.

SWAPPING LOW CARB SWEETENERS

If you don’t like Swerve sweetener you can use another sugar free granulated sweetener, but you should remove the lemon stevia. Swerve is not as sweet as most sugar free substitutes.

If you don’t have lemon stevia, vanilla liquid stevia would be my next choice. You could also use low carb powdered sweetener.

Best way to work with low carb sweeteners is to always use less than recipe calls for, taste batter, and decide if it’s right for you and your tastebuds. Everyone will feel differently about sweeteners, but there are so many on the market today.

The only thing to do is keep experimenting until you find one or two that works for you on your own low carb journey.

If you prefer to use another sweetener of choice like Monk Fruit or Allulose, no problem! Please use my Sweetener Guider & Conversion chart to help you figure out the right amounts to use.

CAN COCONUT FLOUR BE SWAPPED WITH ALMOND?

Unfortunately coconut flour and almond flour are not interchangeable in these keto cranberry cookies. Coconut requires more liquids and ore eggs and a little bit less flour.

1/4 cup coconut flour is equal to about 1 cup almond flour and like I mentioned you would also need to decrease eggs and other liquids and makes a huge difference when using almond flour instead of coconut.

HOW TO MAKE KETO CRANBERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES

Ingredients

Exact measurements are at the bottom of the page on a printable recipe card, along with nutritional information.

You need some fresh cranberries, and the following dry ingredients; your favorite low carb sweetener, Swerve sweetener, lemon juice, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt, coconut flour, and pistachios or pumpkin seeds could also be used instead for nut free.

The only wet ingredients are either room temperature butter or you can use coconut oil.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the first 4 ingredients into a food processor and process until combined and cranberries are finely chopped. Set aside.

In a stand mixer or large bowl, add the coconut, Swerve, xanthan, baking powder and salt. Mix on slow to incorporate or combine by hand.

Add the remaining ingredients except the pistachios.

Since there are no eggs in this batter, please taste the batter and decide if you need more low carb sweetener.

On low speed stir in 1/4 cup pistachios.

Roll cookie dough batter into 24 small balls of dough.

Place each on a silpat lined or parchment lined baking sheet. Flatten each then roll outer edges of cookie in remaining chopped pistachios.

Bake cookies in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before removing.

CAN THESE BE MADE NUT FREE?

Yes these keto low carb cookies can be made nut free.

If you do have a child with a nut allergy, then skip the pistachios, or replace with chopped pumpkin seeds instead. That would still give them some green color for the festive aspect, right?

Right. Oh and by the way, my other two kiddies and picky hubby LOVED these and they have become our favorite cookies. Can’t win them all right?

Can I Swap Pistachios?

Yes if you’d like to swap the pistachios with walnuts they would be delicious sugar free cranberry walnut cookies! You could also swap out the pistachios with sliced almonds.

Can I use Unsweetened Dried cranberries instead of fresh?

Yes you could swap out the fresh cranberries and use an unsweetened dried cranberry recipe. My friend Carolyn from All Day I Dream About Food has a recipe for homemade unsweetened dried cranberries you might like.

More Sugar Free Cookie Recipes

Need more cookies with classic holiday combinations for the cookie exchanges this time of year? Check out all these low-carb cookie recipes;

Low Carb No Added Sugar Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Keto Peanut Butter Cookies

Keto Pecan Snowballs

Keto Classic Thumbprint cookies

Keto Sugar Free Sugar Cookies

SUGAR FREE KETO CRANBERRY PISTACHIO COOKIES

Sugar Free Low Carb Cranberry Pistachio Cookies

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 14

Total Time 34

Servings cookies

Calories 68kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Cranberries

1/2 cup fresh unsweetened cranberries
1/4 cup Monk Fruit granular sweetener
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt

Cookie Batter

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup Monk Fruit granular sweetener
1 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter room temperature, unsalted
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon liquid stevia
3/4 cup unsalted pistachios chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place the first 4 ingredients into a food processor and process until combined and you have finely chopped cranberries. Set aside.
In a stand mixer add the coconut, sweetener, xanthan, baking powder and salt. Mix on slow to incorporate.
Add the remaining ingredients except the pistachios.
Taste batter to adjust sweetener if needed.
On low speed stir in 1/4 cup pistachios.
Roll batter into 24 balls.
Place each on a silpat lined or parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Flatten each then roll outer edges of cookie in remaining chopped pistachios.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.
Storage: Place in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months or refrigerate for 7 days. You can also leave on the counter in a cool, dry place for 2-3 days.

Notes

Net Carbs: 2g for 1 cookie

This recipe was first published in December 2015.

Nutrition

The post Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Cranberry Pistachio Cookies appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 09:32:00 +0000

These Sugar Free Keto Pumpkin Cookies taste like an oatmeal cookie but can be enjoyed on a keto diet! Texture like a soft oatmeal cookie without using rolled oats!

Sugar Free Low Carb Pumpkin Cookies

The first name I thought of when I created these cookies was the Pumpkin N’Oatmeal cookie. I realize it’s a funny name and one you’ve probably never heard of, but once you taste them you will have a hard time not wanting a second one.

Perfect for pumpkin season with a combo of a soft pumpkin cookie, but with the texture of an oatmeal cookie made by using my secret ingredient.

Nut Free Keto Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In order to make these pumpkin cookies without almond flour since my youngest has a tree nut allergy, my secret ingredient of choice is sunflower seeds. Why sunflower seeds you ask?

While I have made some desserts using almond flour, since my son is allergic to nuts he can’t eat any and that makes him sad.

So I try to make everything I bake without peanut or tree nuts more often than not. I even added sugar free chocolate chips which made the kids even happier, but they are optional.

Sometimes I have to stray from the no peanut butter thing because I’ve got a hubby and daughter who will be as equally unhappy as my son, if they don’t get some love from me every now and then in the form of peanut butter.

So I’ve made them some pretty delicious Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies!

Is Pumpkin Keto?

Pumpkin isn’t one of the lowest vegetables for a keto diet, but in small amounts you can enjoy some without kicking yourself out of ketosis.

How many carbs you eat on your keto diet should and can vary because we are all individuals and one person may not have any issues with a higher amount of carbs than someone else.

1 cup of canned pumpkin puree has 19.8 grams of carbs. ½ cup canned pumpkin has 9.9 grams.

Most of my pumpkin recipes use an entire can of pumpkin which has 15 ounces, and make 12 or more servings which means very low in carbs per serving.

Pumpkin Pie Filling vs Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin pie filling has added sugar and is not keto friendly.

Canned pumpkin puree has no added sugar, nothing but pumpkin is in the ingredients listed and can be enjoyed in small portions on a keto diet or low carb diet.

Buying canned pumpkin can be tricky.

You can certainly make your own homemade pumpkin puree, but I never have time for that so I just buy canned, pure pumpkin puree. The only ingredient listed is pumpkin and nothing else.

Soft Oatmeal Keto Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I’ve made these a couple of times now. I don’t buy sunflower seed flour much except when I need the seeds very fine for a keto cake perhaps and it’s the best flour to replace almond flour evenly in keto recipes.

Mostly I grind the unsalted, raw seeds myself in my food processor.

The only thing I need to mention is that, If you grind and process the seeds too much you will NOT get that texture of an oatmeal cookie.

I learned that on my second attempt for these keto cookies and while they were still tasty, I like the texture in these as I’m sharing today, as well did my taste testers.

Other tasty recipes using sunflower seeds:

Classic Pumpkin Cookies

Not much of a pumpkin fan?

Simply leave out the spices I used in these low-carb pumpkin cookies. Just using the pumpkin puree alone will not be enough to make these cookies have an overpowering pumpkin spice flavor.

Those spices are necessary for that. You can also use store bought pumpkin pie spice all ready prepared for you. Here’s my easy homemade pumpkin pie spice recipe that takes just a few minutes to make and can be used in this delicious keto pumpkin cookie recipe.

They are delightful for pumpkin spice season and were a big hit with friends and whole family. Hope you enjoy them too!

Can I change the sugar-free sweetener?

Yes, in any of my low carb recipes you can swap out the sweetener I’ve used. It’s always a good idea to use just a small amount of your chosen sugar substitute, taste batter before adding eggs and decide if you need more sweetener before you bake pumpkin cookies.

None of the low carb sweeteners I use in my recipes will spike blood sugars.

Everyone’s palate is different and trying out different sweeteners to satisfy your sweet tooth is why I created my conversion chart for you! My chart includes Monk Fruit Sweetener, Allulose, Stevia and many other options.

HERE’S MY SWEETENER GUIDE & CONVERSION CHART!

Keto Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Waffles

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Spice English Muffin

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Cookies Recipe

Sugar Free Pumpkin N’Oatmeal Cookies {Keto, Nut Free,Grain Free, Low Carb}

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings cookies

Calories 91kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar Free Mom

Ingredients

2 eggs
3/4 cup Monk Fruit sweetener or another granulated sugar free sweetener
1/2 cup pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
1/2 cup butter softened or softened coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vanilla stevia
1/2 tsp salt
2.5 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice or use my recipe
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 1/4 cup sunflower seeds ground, which is 1 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seds
1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a stand mixer, add the eggs, Swerve, pumpkin, butter, vanilla extract and vanilla stevia until smooth.
Whisk the salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, coconut flour, flax and sunflower seed flour.
Pour the dry into the wet ingredients in the mixer. Mix until smooth.
Pour in the chocolate chips and stir on low.
Use a cookie scoop and make 24 cookies.
Place on a greased baking sheet or lined wiht parchment or silpat.
Bake 20-22 minutes.

Notes

Net Carbs for 1 cookie: 2g

This recipe was first published in October 2015.

Brenda’s Notes:

If you have no nut allergies in your family, the sunflower seeds can be subbed with almonds.
PLEASE NOTE: If you use all ready store bought ground sunflower seeds you will NOT get the texture here. You need unsalted, raw sunflower seeds and when you grind them in your food processor, just pulse a few seconds, you want to still be able to see the seeds.

Nutrition

The post Sugar Free Low Carb Keto Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread (Low Carb, Gluten Free)

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 11:04:40 +0000

This Chocolate Peanut Butter keto bread is gluten free, grain free, sugar free and low carb, and you won’t believe how fabulous the texture is! Perfect whether you’re on a keto diet or low carb diet. Just 5 total grams of carbs or 3 g net carbs.

Sugar Free Low Carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread

Chocolate and Peanut Butter. Peanut Butter and chocolate.

The classic combo never gets old and the variety of keto recipes will never end. This keto peanut butter bread with a swirl of dark chocolate over the top is a lovely low-carb treat of healthy fats that will curb your sweet tooth!

I’ve adapted some of my favorite recipes from before I started a keto lifestyle using just basic ingredients and I never feel deprived.

When you can enjoy your favorite things and still stick to your health goals, it makes this a sustainable way of life!

I hope you are as excited about this delicious low carb peanut butter bread as I was making it!

Can I Make This Peanut Free?

Yes, if you have a peanut allergy, you can easily make this peanut free using sunflower seed butter. It works perfectly and has the same texture as creamy peanut butter.

What brand of Peanut Butter should I buy?

Most grocery stores now have a lot of food and sweet treats for the ketogenic diet, but you do need to read the ingredients for sugars.

Sometimes the names of sugar are in disguise and you can mistakenly eat keto desserts that you think won’t spike your blood sugar, but actually do, and raise your insulin levels.

I recommend looking for store bought products with minimal ingredients listed. For peanut butter, simple ingredients with just peanuts and salt would be best.

I like Justin’s classic peanut butter.

The type of peanut butter does matter when making this keto bread. I would not recommend crunchy peanut butter, you need smooth for this bread.

You can also use other nut butters, if you don’t like peanut butter or sunflower seed butter. You could use an unsweetened almond butter or macadamia nut butter, or cashew butter. Just make sure they don’t include added sugar.

How can I make this Tree Nut Free?

If you have a tree nut allergy, you can easily make this tree nut free. Swap the almond milk and almond flour with sunflower seed flour and either coconut milk or whole milk or cream.

Can I swap almond flour for coconut flour?

No, you can’t evenly swap almond flour with coconut flour but if you need to make these tree nut free, you can evenly swap almond flour with sunflower seed flour.

Adapted from my Low Carb English Muffin Loaf

The texture is amazing. Almost like an English muffin with some nooks and crannies and light and airy, not dense. Add that bit of chocolate swirl over the top and it’s almost like a little bit of dessert with your breakfast!

Enjoy this bread for breakfast or as a side or as a snack, but whenever you eat this, you won’t be eating any guilt! It’s super low in carbs!

When I made my Blueberry English Muffin Loaf which I had adapted from my orginial English Muffin made in 2 minutes, another version was in the works in my head before I could have the chance to make it in the kitchen.

The first time I tested this out adapting from my orginial recipe from the Blueberry English Muffin, it was slightly oily so I did some adjustments with the almond flour and butter and it came out perfect the second time around! You can enjoy this quick bread right out of the oven, but I like toasting each slice for a little bit more crispness.

Can I use Monk Fruit sweetener instead of Stevia?

You can use any sugar substitute you prefer. I always have on hand vanilla liquid stevia and use it often in a dessert recipe, but you could swap it with what you prefer.

Use my Sweetener Guide & Conversion chart to decide how much of a different sweetener to use in place of the vanilla stevia I used in this healthy peanut butter bread.

I would recommend using a liquid Monk Fruit because it is just as sweet as stevia. If you use a granulated sweetener like erythritol in granular Swerve, it is not as sweet as either monk fruit or stevia so you will need more of it.

Check my conversion chart for help with this.

Can I replace the unsweet chocolate with sugar free low carb chocolate?

Yes, if you decide to replace the unsweetened chocolate I used, also replace the chocolate liquid stevia as that is what I used to sweeten the chocolate. You won’t need it if you are using a store bought sugar-free chocolate chips or bar, like Lily’s brand.

Got another version for me to make with this loaf? Let me know, I love a good challenge!

More Keto Peanut Butter Low-Carb Recipes

Peanut Butter Cookies

No Bake Peanut Butter Mousse Pie

Keto Peanut Butter cheesecake

Keto Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Keto Peanut Butter Mousse

Keto Low Carb Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings slices

Calories 197kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

1/2 cup natural peanut butter no sugar added
4 tbsp butter or coconut oil, avocado oil or olive oil
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
3/4 cup almond flour or 80 grams
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vanilla liquid stevia
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 eggs beaten
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate or see notes above
1-2 tsp chocolate liquid stevia or see notes above

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the peanut butter with 3 tablespoons of butter in a large bowl. Set aside 1 tablespoon of butter.
Stir in the remaining ingredients; almond milk, almond flour, vanilla extract, vanilla stevia, baking powder, salt, but do not add eggs yet. Wait to add eggs until you taste the peanut butter mixture.
Taste batter for sweetness, adjust if needed, then stir in eggs until combined.
Pour batter into a 8 by 4 loaf pan lined with parchment paper.
In a separate bowl, add the remaining tablespoon of butter with the unsweetened chocolate and melt together about 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir then add the liquid chocolate stevia then taste and adjust. Stir until smooth. Skip chocolate stevia if using sugar free chocolate chips.
Drizzle the melted chocolate into the peanut butter layer. Swirl around with a butter knife.
Bake for 45 minutes until puffed and golden brown and toothpick in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool 15 minutes before removing and slicing.
Enjoy or toast!

Notes

Net Carbs: 3g

This recipe was first published in November 2016 and updated with video in September 2019.

Nutrition

The post Keto Chocolate Peanut Butter Bread (Low Carb, Gluten Free) appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Sugar-Free Cheesecake Brownies {Low Carb, Keto, Nut Free}

Brenda Bennett — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 11:31:13 +0000

These scrumptious sugar free, low carb cheesecake brownies are quick to make and kid approved! They’re gluten free, keto, nut free and just 3 net carbs per serving!

The Best Sugar Free Cheesecake Brownies

This easy sugar free cheesecake brownie recipe is quick and ready in 30 minutes! You can make these ahead and they hold well for any party! It’s the best of both worlds, sugar free chocolate brownies topped with sugar free cheesecake! The best of both Low Carb Recipes in my opinion, the ultimate Cheesecake Brownies!

The brownies are actually flourless, nut free, gluten free, low carb and keto! The cheesecake topping is sugar free, low carb, gluten free and keto as well! It’s the perfect allergy friendly treat for everyone!

Can I leave out the Instant Espresso?

If you don’t have instant espresso you can leave it out, but it does help enhance the chocolate flavor in the brownies. Coffee is often added to many chocolate recipes to make the chocolate flavor even more pronounced.

I’ve used it in my Sugar Free Chocolate Sorbet, Chocolate Fudge Cake , and Chocolate Brownie Mousse Cake.

How to Make Sugar Free Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

For the brownies you need eggs, butter, sour cream, vanilla extract, low carb sweetener, instant espresso powder, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and sugar free chocolate chips.

For the cheesecake topping, you need cream cheese, egg, low carb sweetener, vanilla extract and an optional topping of sugar free chocolate or chips.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a stand mixer, add the first 5 ingredients and blend on high until combined well.

In another bowl whisk together the next 5 dry ingredients.

Pour this into the wet ingredients and blend on high until combined.

Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

Grease an 8 by 8 baking dish.

Pour half the brownie batter into the pan. Set aside remaining batter.

Prepare the cheesecake topping using a stand or hand held mixer to blend until smooth.

Pour half the cheesecake topping onto the brownie batter in the pan.

Pour the remaining brownie batter over the the cheesecake topping.

Finish with remaining cheesecake topping.

Use a butterknife to swirl the batter and cheesecake topping together.

Decorate with optional chocolate bar chunks or chips if desired before baking.

Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick in center comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Can these Cheesecake Brownies be made Dairy Free?

Yes you can make these cheesecake brownies dairy free. First swap out the butter in the brownie batter with coconut oil. Swap out the sour cream with coconut yogurt or canned coconut milk.

For the cheesecake topping, you could just skip the cheesecake topping as the brownies are equally as good on their own. But if you still want that cheesecake topping, swap out the cream cheese with a vegan cream cheese substitute.

Swapping Low Carb Sweeteners

You can sub the chocolate liquid stevia with vanilla liquid stevia or plain liquid stevia.

Swerve sweetener is less sweet than most erythritol sweeteners so if you were to substitute it, I would say just use 1/2 cup in the brownies and remove the chocolate stevia.

I like the brand Lily’s Sweets for sugar-free chocolate chips and that’s what I used in this recipe. You can use 85% dark chocolate instead as well.

If you don’t use Swerve or stevia in the cheesecake filling you can replace it with a sweetener of choice that equals about 1/2 cup of sugar. Here is my Sweetener Guide and Conversion chart.

Sugar Free Cheesecake Brownies (Keto, Low Carb)

Sugar-Free Cheesecake Brownies {Gluten Free and Low Carb}

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 35

Total Time 50

Servings servings

Calories 135kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

4 eggs
1/4 cup butter softened
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp chocolate liquid stevia
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp instant espresso
3/4 cup Monk Fruit Allulose sweetener
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar free chocolate chips

Cheesecake Topping

8 ounces cream cheese softened
1 egg
1/4 cup Monk fruit Allulose Confectioners sweetener
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp vanilla liquid stevia
optional topping: 2 ounces sugar free or 85% dark chocolate candy bar or chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a stand mixer, add the first 5 ingredients and blend on high until combined well.
In another bowl whisk together the next 5 dry ingredients.
Pour this into the wet ingredients and blend on high until combined.
Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
Grease an 8 by 8 baking dish.
Pour half the brownie batter into the pan. Set aside remaining batter.
Prepare the cheesecake topping using a stand or hand held mixer to blend until smooth.
Pour half the cheesecake topping onto the brownie batter in the pan.
Pour the remaining brownie batter over the the cheesecake topping.
Finish with remaining cheesecake topping.
Use a butterknife to swirl the batter and cheesecake topping together.
Decorate with optional chocolate bar chunks or chips if desired before baking.
Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Net Carbs: 3g

This recipe was first published in July 2016.

Nutrition

The post Sugar-Free Cheesecake Brownies {Low Carb, Keto, Nut Free} appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Sugar-Free Low Carb Sponge Cake (Keto, Gluten Free)

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 04 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000

This Sugar-Free Low Carb Sponge Cake is also keto, gluten free and nut free with all the traditional flavors and textures of a sponge cake.

Low Carb Sponge Cake

A sponge cake is basically just a very light and airy cake made with eggs, flour and sugar, but this recipe is low carb and just as delicious as it’s higher carb cousin!

This Low Carb Cake is a masterpiece made grain free, gluten free, nut free and just around 100 calories per slice with less than 1 gram of carbs!!!!!

Funny thing is, making this sponge cake was never my intention. I was trying to make an angel food cake. And after 4 attempts of it deflating I just gave up and adapted my recipe to include yolks and turn a failed recipe into a winning one!

Don’t you love when the unexpected happens and turns out better than you would have thought or imagined?

Yep. Some recipes are like that for me. This one is beyond good.

Better than I would have expected considering it’s made without grains and gluten and sugar.

I want to note that although the angel food cake had 4 failing attempts, the family still ate it all up. The taste was incredible. The height was another story. But I will attempt again!

So with that I set my heart on the sponge cake and of course it came easily and without any angst on my part. No height needed in this beauty. It is perfect as is. A soft, light, and airy sponge cake.

After completely cooling I added some sugar-free whipped cream and fresh berries. Since there were left overs after each of my 3 kids and hubby and I had a piece, I needed to refrigerate it. If I hadn’t added the topping I probably could have left it out on the counter.

Guess what? It tasted even better the next day.

In fact these last two pics are straight from the fridge. The chilling time made it a bit more dense but the spongey texture was still just perfect.

Tools to Make Keto Sponge Cake

Stand Mixer- Helps whip egg whites to perfect stiff peaks in no time at all!

or Electric Hand Mixer– If you don’t want to spend the money on the stand mixer, this is the next best thing to whipping up egg whites in no time!

8 inch Spring Form Cake Pan-This spring form pan is not only helpful for this cake recipe and easier removal of it than using a regular cake pan, but it works well forLow Carb Cheesecake and my Carrot Cake and just about any other dessert you want to make.

It’s an easy cake, don’t let egg white whipping scare you. This comes together without a problem and the batter is light enough to fold the egg whites into.

Wonderful idea for Mother’s Day I think!

Brenda’s Notes:

If you don’t have Swerve and are using another granulated or confectioners sugar free sweetener I would eliminate the vanilla stevia. Swerve is much less sweet than most other sugar free substitutes.
You don’t need to use a vanilla protein powder, plain is fine, that is just what I had in my cupboard.
Other Mother’s Day recipes you might like: Carrot Cake Cheesecake, Almond Ricotta Cake, Coffee Cheesecake

Sugar-Free Low Carb Sponge Cake

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 107kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar Free Mom

Ingredients

9 eggs separated
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp vanilla liquid stevia
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup coconut flour I used Bob's Red Mill
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder I used Jay Robbs, 1 scoop
1/2 cup Swerve confectioners sugar- free sweetener
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter melted and cooled
optional toppings: fresh sugar-free whipped cream and berries

Instructions

Grease an 8 inch spring form pan and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place your egg whites and cream of tartar in a stand mixer and mix until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Place your yolks in another bowl and whisk with vanilla extract, liquid stevia and lemon zest.
In another bowl whisk together the remaining dry ingredients.
Combine the yolks and dry ingredients together until smooth.
In small portions a little at a time, fold the egg whites into the yolk and flour mixture, be careful not to over mix and deflate your egg whites.
Drizzle the melted, cooled butter on the side of the bowl to slowly fold it into the batter.
Pour batter into pan and bake 30 minutes or until golden on top and a toothpick in center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely before removing and adding optional toppings.
Keep refrigerated.

Notes

Net Carbs: 0.9g

This recipe was first published in April 2016 and updated with video in May 2020.

Nutrition

The post Sugar-Free Low Carb Sponge Cake (Keto, Gluten Free) appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Keto Pumpkin Twists (Nut Free Fathead Dough)

Brenda Bennett — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 12:00:00 +0000

These Sugar-Free Low Carb Pumpkin Twists are made using my nut free Fat Head Low Carb dough recipe. They are very easy to make, gluten free, grain free and perfect for holiday parties!

Pumpkin Twists

These easy danish like pumpkin twists are perfect for holiday parties. No utensil required, just grab a napkin! Or enjoy these for a comforting brunch or breakfast on the weekend. They taste sinful and indulgent, but are healthfully made with the low carb in mind.

Nut Free Fathead Dough

I’m sure you’ve seen them around on Facebook or Pinterest, the sugar filled carb crescent roll kind. That’s in fact where I got my first idea to turn my fat head low carb pizza dough into twists. I had seen a video for traditional ones and decided to give a go at a low carb version.

And it was worth it! These are fabulous! The family was won over with these keto twists! The pumpkin pie filling is just perfect for this nut free fathead dough! If you’ve never tried my nut free fathead dough, you must give this recipe a go or try my very popular Keto Cinnamon Rolls!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my numerous pumpkin recipes this season!

Best Sugar Free Confectioners

These are lovely with a little drizzle of sugar free confectioners mixed with a little coconut milk to make a fabulous icing! The brand I love is Swerve! I have to say I have tried other sugar free erythritol products and nothing is as fine and smooth as using the Swerve confectioners. Everything else I’ve tried is grainy and I am not a fan of grainy in a frosting.

Meal Plan Membership

If you love recipes like this for yourself and family, you will love my meal planning membership. Weekly low carb and/or keto meal plan sent to your inbox every Friday with shopping list. The best part about my meal planning feature is that if you aren’t interested in one of the dinner meals you can swap it out for something else! You can even change serving sizes and the shopping list will adjust! It pretty amazing software and I hope you’ll take advantage of it. You can have a sustainable low carb/keto lifestyle when you’re well prepared and planning meals is the key! LEARN MORE TODAY!

Keto Pumpkin Twists (Nut Free Fathead Dough)

Low Carb (Fat Head) Pumpkin Twists

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings twists

Calories 132kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Dough

4 cups part skim mozzarella shredded
4 ounces cream cheese
1 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla stevia
4 eggs beaten

Filling

1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg yolk
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp pumpkin spice liquid stevia
1 tbsp sugar free maple syrup skip if you don’t have it and use more stevia to taste
Optional drizzle: 1/2 cup Swerve confectioners with 1 tbsp coconut milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Add all ingredients for the dough into the food processor, then add to a microwavable bowl and microwave for 2 minutes or until nicely melted.
Wet hands with water and spread the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
I made mine 16 x 11 inch rectangle. Set aside.
In a bowl mix the pumpkin, yolk, spice and sweeteners.
Spread this filling all over the dough.
Fold the dough over in half then slice 18 slices with an oiled pizza cutter.
Separate slices about an inch apart. You may need two baking sheets with parchment as the twists will spread slightly when baking.
Hold each end of each slice and gently twist once.
Bake 12-15 minutes.
Cool then make the optional glaze if desired before serving.

Notes

Net Carbs: 3g

Brenda’s Notes:

You can use any dough you prefer but the nutrition info below reflects using my dough linked in the recipe.
You can use any sweetener you prefer as well. Simply do not add the yolk, add the sweetener of choice first, probably just 1/4 cup to start then taste and adjust. Once you’ve got the filling to your desired sweetness add the egg yolk.
I kept these refrigerated although I don’t think it’s necessary but I prefer them chilled.
This recipe was first published in November 2016 and updated with video in November 2019.

Nutrition

The post Keto Pumpkin Twists (Nut Free Fathead Dough) appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

Keto Sugar Free Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 26 Aug 2019 11:00:00 +0000

Keto Sugar Free Chocolate Coconut Cookies made low carb, grain free, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free!

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Any chocolate lover’s reading today? I sure am! I think I know exactly one person in my life that is not a fan of chocolate. All I can say to that is, HUH? WHAT? Seriously? You’ve got to be kidding? If you’re not a fan of chocolate than this recipe is certainly not for you. But if you love a fudgey chocolate cookie than keep reading folks cause this one is a winner!

Keto Chocolate Cookies

As my life and eating habits have changed to a more low carb life style, my recipes now reflect this change. While still always sugar free there is a difference between sugar free and sugar free and low carb. I encourage you to read the post, Sugar-Free Versus Low Carb: What’s The Difference, in case you are unsure. I wrote another post about the differences between Low Carb versus Keto and my 6 week results.

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

I was recently browsing through my huge archive of recipes and found my Flourless Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies. I knew I needed a low carb version.

Now obviously you can’t make oats low in carbs, they just aren’t. BUT the replacement of oats CAN be made into a successful flourless cookie and the one you see before your eyes today.

I can tell you my kids ate these up like nobodies business! Next time I will need to make a double batch! I think they are even better than my oatmeal ones!

If you are browsing through my Recipe Index and happen to see a higher carb sugar free recipe and would love an adaption to make it low carb, please let me know!

Meal Planning

If you love recipes like this for yourself and family, you might be interested in my meal planning membership. Weekly low carb and/or keto meal plan sent to your inbox every Friday with shopping list. The best part about my meal planning feature is that if you aren’t interested in one of the dinner meals you can swap it out for something else! You can even change serving sizes and the shopping list will adjust! It pretty amazing software and I hope you’ll take advantage of it. You can have a sustainable low carb/keto lifestyle when you’re well prepared and planning meals is the key! LEARN MORE TODAY!

Naturally Keto Starter Pack Giveaway

Look at all these amazing products! Here’s what’s included, with over $200 worth of amazing products to use in my new cookbook! You’ll certainly be ready for the holiday season with all these products and my cookbook. It’s an incredible bundle of goodies! Enter this Giveaway Here!

Keto Sugar Free Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Total Time 22

Servings

Calories 140kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar Free Mom

Ingredients

2 eggs
1/4 cup avocado oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon liquid vanilla stevia
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup Swerve sweetener granulated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup sugar free chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a small bowl whisk the eggs, oil, extract and stevia together. Set aside.
In another bowl whisk the cocoa, Swerve and salt together.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.
Add in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips.
Once well combined use a cookie scoop and make 12 mounds.
Place mounds on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Enjoy!

Notes

Brenda's Notes:

If you can't find sugar free chocolate chips, use the highest grade chocolate bar you can find and melt it in or chop it up.
If you don't use stevia you can increase the Swerve to 1 cup.
Here's the link to the liquid stevia I use.
Net carbs: 2g
This recipe was first published in May 2015 and updated with video in August 2019.

Nutrition

link

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Sugar-Free No Bake Key Lime Pie Bars (Keto, Nut Free)

Brenda Bennett — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 10:25:10 +0000

Sugar-Free Key Lime Pie Bars require no baking and are keto, low carb, gluten free and tree nut free! Easy and fabulous summer dessert!

Keto Key Lime Pie

A little bit of tartness, a smidge of sweetness, a crumbly light crust and all made keto, sugar free making these key lime pie bars one of a kind! If you’re a lover of lime flavored goodness then this treat will win you over. It’s light and serves a bunch so take this to your next cookout this summer! The filling is all made in a stand mixer, I use my KitchenAid, or you can use an electric mixer. Unless you have exceptional strength in your arms, creating a smooth filling without lumps will be a challenge by hand. I want easy in the summer and a healthy dessert that can feed a crowd without heating up my kitchen is where it’s at for me, how about you?

I wouldn’t have a food blog if I didn’t love to cook, but there is something about summer that just gets me in the mood to tackle clutter in the house, clean out the kids bedrooms, and attack our to do list that never seemed to get finished during the school year. Since many of you know I homeschool as well, during the school year it’s all about school work. That’s a full day in itself not to mention the work I do for brands and my blog. So I’ve got a really long to do list of things that actually make me happy. I want to organize my kids pictures I’ve got piled up in a box.

You’ve got to know what I mean.

So just with those things on my list, family vacation trips planned this summer and camp week this week, there goes the month of July.

But you know it’s not just about all the cute pictures on the wall, no I want better matching frames to make a beautiful wall that is like an art piece. You see what’s stopping me? Perfectionism! I want it just right so I procrastinate until I can really devote the time to it. Hence, 3 years have literally flown by.

But I’m not going to stress about it because for me summer is about relaxing more and de-stressing from a busy school year. Next week is our family reunion vacation and although I will need to bring my laptop and have to work some, the house my mom chose for all of us is on a lake!! I can’t wait, I’m so excited to do some kayaking!

It will be interesting with my parents, my 3 brothers and there 5 kids between them, plus my 3 kiddies! Lots of chaos, lots of noise, but lots of time to unplug, unwind, be lazy and eat some good food. I will definitely be cooking up a storm in the house as that’s my passion. I get anxious when I can’t cook and love to make food for everyone we we’re together. Last year some of our favorite no baking recipes on our trip in New Hampshire were my Cole Slaw, and Fennel Salad.

I will be making Keto Key Lime Pie Bars before we leave so it’s already prepared and in the fridge for a cool, refreshing, light dessert!

The crust idea is adapted from my Frozen Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie. I love how crumbly it is but if you want a more solid crust just add more butter or coconut oil.

I made this specifically for my daddy who loves key lime pie! It was Father’s Day and it was devoured except 2 pieces! I’d say that’s a win!

Even if the walls don’t get painted this summer, those pictures will be going up anyway. Because really aren’t they more for a mother anyway? For us to stare at our babies through the years of memories we’ve created for them after they’re grown and leave our home? I will believe that while I’m kayaking next week instead of worrying about my summer to do list. 🙂

Sugar Free Keto Key Lime Pie Bars

Sugar-Free Key Lime Pie Bars

Course Dessert

Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 211kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Crust

2 cups coconut shredded, unsweet
1/2 cup sunflower seeds unsalted, raw
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Swerve sweetener
1/2 cup butter softened

Filling

3 limes or 1/2 cup
1.5 tsp gelatin unflavored
2 avocados ripe
4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
zest of 1 lime
1/2 teaspoon pure stevia extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon liquid stevia
optional topping: 2 cups whipped cream

Instructions

In a food processor add all crust ingredients and process until combined.
Press mixture into a greased 9 by 13 baking dish. Set aside.
In a small sauce pan add lime juice and gelatin and bring to boiling.
Reduce heat to low and stir constantly until gelatin is dissolved. Cool 2 minutes.
In a stand mixer beat avocados and cream cheese until combined well.
Add the rest of the ingredients into the stand mixer and beat on high until whipped in texture and all incorporated.
Pour in the cooled lime and gelatin mixture and beat until combined.
Pour this mixture onto the crust in the baking dish.
Refrigerate uncovered for 2-3 hours.
Add optional whipped cream if desired.
Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Notes

Net Carbs: 4g

You can certainly change out the sweetener to your choice.
If you want a less crumbly crust, add a few tablespoons more of butter or even coconut oil to the crust mixture in the food processor and process until desired.
If you don't have erythritol for the crust just eliminate and use 2 tablespoons of powdered stevia or even coconut sugar.
FUN FACT: Key limes are not actually green when ripe as the limes you see in most supermarkets. In fact they are yellow when ripe. They are more tart and bitter than typical limes. They are well known in the Florida Keys as the "key" ingredient in making Key Lime pie. But obviously if you can't find "true" key limes, regular limes will also work.
FYI: Absolutely NO avocado flavor is present in this pie, it simply makes the filling super duper creamy!
This recipe was first published in July 2014 and updated with video in August 2018.

Nutrition

The post Sugar-Free No Bake Key Lime Pie Bars (Keto, Nut Free) appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

No Bake Haystack Cookies (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

Brenda Bennett — Mon, 30 Oct 2017 11:47:22 +0000

These Easy No Bake Haystack Cookies are low carb, keto, gluten free, grain free and taste amazing!

Today’s awesome No Bake Cookie recipe comes from my friend Carolyn’s new cookbook, “The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen”. Carolyn blogs over at All Day I Dream About Food and she and I have known each other for the last 5 years! She’s a trusted friend and not only that, a trusted baker and home cook.

Her recipes are all top notch, all the time. Her recipes never fail to impress me and I am always sharing them on my Facebook page. I know that she has put her heart and soul into this cookbook and has thoroughly tested all her recipes which means they will be perfection!

Carolyn shares her story about how gestational diabetes effected her while pregnant with her third child and she had hopes it would resolve after giving birth. It didn’t and she started having to create recipes to help keep her blood sugar stable. She started the blog out of necessity but you can clearly see in all her work how much she truly loves what she gets to do for a living. She feeds her family, keeps herself healthy and fit and in the process helps others to see you don’t need to ever feel deprived when you have special dietary needs.

While browsing through the book I realized that EVERY single recipe has a PICTURE! I love cookbooks with pictures and loath those that do not have them for each recipe. I love to see the final product. I also loved reading her “everyday tips” under each recipe. The best part is nutritional information is provided as well for each recipe!

When I saw these cookies in her book and knowing how much I love no bake recipes and knowing how much I love chocolate, I thought, “What a sweet friend, she had me in mind when she made these!” And they are every bit the most delicious cookie you don’t have to work hard to make in the kitchen, super easy!

One quick note here though, I made some small changes. The orginial recipe using almond butter and pecans, but my youngest son has a tree nut allergy, so I decided to do some swaps for those ingredients you will see below. They turned out just perfect!

You can grab Carolyn’s book here on my Amazon Affiliate link and I also hope you’ll stop by her blog as well and let you know you found her through me!!

Enjoy!

No-Bake Haystack Cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 144kcal

Ingredients

1/3 cup almond butter (I used Tahini)
2 oz unsweetened chocolate chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
2/3 cup Swerve confectioners-style sweetener or another powdered sugar free sweetener
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
3/4 cup pecans (I used pumpkin seeds)

Instructions

Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or waxed paper.
In large saucepan over low heat, combine tahini, chocolate, and coconut oil. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove the pan from the heat.
Whisk in the sweetener, cocoa powder, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the coconut flakes and pumpkin seeds and stir until well combined.
Drop the mixture by rounded spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve; they will keep for up to a week.

Nutrition

The post No Bake Haystack Cookies (Low Carb and Gluten Free) appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.

No Bake Sugar-Free Peppermint Patty Bites

Brenda Bennett — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 11:00:00 +0000

These sugar-free, gluten free peppermint patty bites are grain free, low carb, no bake delights! Perfect for Christmas or New Year’s!

If you love peppermint or even loved peppermint patty cool mint candies as a child, then these little bites will be your new favorite treat to make. Call them a fat bomb, call them candy, call them whatever you like, but these should be a must make for your holiday desserts!

Best part is they are no bake, except for a little melting of chocolate for the outer coating. It’s simple, but pretty and festive for the holidays!

While traditional peppermint patties don’t have a cookie crust, I felt like these little bites needed a cookie layer rather than be completely peppermint filling. I used my base from my Nanaimo Bars. I’ve made them twice but I feel the base should be a bit thinner than you see in this picture above. I used a loaf pan so I recommend an 8 by 8 pan instead to get a thinner cookie layer.

You can also make them in some silicone candy molds which would make them a bit smaller than I have here. You would also probably get more like 48 bites rather than just the 40 I made for this recipe using an 8 by 8 pan.

Some sugar-free crushed candy canes will take these from ordinary to holiday extraordinary!

Happy Holidays!

Brenda’s Notes:

If you want to make these in a silicone candy mold, place the peppermint layer into the mold first, then press in the cookie layer so that when you pop them out of the molds the peppermint layer will be on top not on the bottom.
If you really love peppermint feel free to add in some peppermint extract into the cookie layer as well.
If you want to skip the cookie layer, you can make my orginial Peppermint Patties and top with some festive crushed candy canes for a holiday look!

No Bake Sugar-Free Peppermint Patty Bites

Prep Time 15

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 84kcal

Author Brenda Bennett | Sugar-Free Mom

Ingredients

Cookie Layer

1/2 cup 70g raw unsaltedsunflower seeds
1 cup 70g shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup 40g unsweetened cocoa powder
4 tbsp butter softened
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup 50gSwerve sweetener

Peppermint Layer

1 cup 175g softened coconut oil
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp peppermint liquid stevia
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 cup 50gSwerve sweetener(I used Confectioners)

Outer Coating

8 ounces 230g sugar free chocolate chips (I used Lily's Sweets)
1 tbsp soft coconut oil
crushed sugar-free candy canes for garnish

Instructions

Place the cookie layer ingredients into a food processor. Blend and/or pulse until combined well.
Taste the cookie layer for sweetness, add more if needed. Set aside.
Prepare the peppermint layer in a stand mixer. Place all ingredients in the mixer and blend on high until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
If you are using a candy mold, fill them half way with the peppermint batter then press in the cookie batter level with the top of each mold. Freeze for 1 hour.
If you are using an 8 by 8 pan, place parchment paper in the pan and have enough hanging over the edges to easily remove later.
Press the cookie batter onto the parchment as evenly as possible.
Spread the peppermint batter over the cookie batter. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together for 1 minute intervals in a microwavable bowl until smooth.
If using mold, remove pieces from mold and coat each in chocolate. Remove excess chocolate using a fork and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle on crushed candy canes.
If using 8 by 8 pan, remove by lifting sides of parchment paper. Cut into bite sized pieces. I made 40. Freeze pieces for 30 minutes before coating with chocolate and sprinkling with crushed candy canes.
Keep refrigerated until serving.

Notes

Net Carbs: 2.8g

Nutrition

The post No Bake Sugar-Free Peppermint Patty Bites appeared first on Sugar-Free Mom.