This was the first time I had used one of those precut fold out cards that has the curvy edges. They are very cute, but a little bit of work, as you have to cover both sides of each little “page”. All in all, if you do it right, you could simply use two 12 x 12” pieces of decorative paper for your base papers, but I wanted to make things difficult for myself!
This is a Hodgepodge of 3-4 different collections. For starters, I always use Heartfelt Creations dies for my flowers & lace, that’s basically all I have! But some of this paper is from Stamperia “Microcosms”, some from G45 “Flutter”, and there may even be some scraps from a Mintay collection. Mad at myself, because of flower placement (once it’s Hot-Glued down, there it stays, lol!) I couldn’t flip the front piece to prop it like a pedestal, hurumph! Live and learn I guess, I thought I had it all planned out so perfectly! Hahaha! No. I guess not. 😕
This was a pretty card using my water colors to do the bluebird and the butterfly.
I added a little lace to the side at the last moment, and I really like it, although it does make for a rather large card.
The bird cage is made with shiny silver cardstock, and the flowers are open wisteria, or so the Heartfelt Creations people have named it! The background paper comes from the “Butterfly Dreams collection. I just thought that birds and butterflies belonged together!
Here is the inside, with another butterfly that I watercolored. Having a lot of fun with those Zig Clear Color brush markers!
So this was a bad idea, a very very very bad idea! I was actually surprised by my restraint, in that I only ate two straight away!
I actually wasn’t sure that I could modify the recipe enough to make it work, but like most recipes with cocoa powder, it just requires a little bit more oil. Theoretically this makes 6 muffins. Personally I’d prefer to say just 4, but that would up my carb intake a bit, lol!
As with all keto baked goods, these taste best, pretty quick out of the oven — 20-30 minutes or so. But you could probably suffer, and have any left over, the next day, (and just microwave them for 10-15 seconds). One thing I know for sure, if there are more than 2-3 people in the house, there won’t be any left to eat tomorrow!
Take a look at the texture!
Here is the recipe:
4 EB XL eggs
3/4 cup almond flour & 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup Monk Fruit
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 tsp Xanthen Gum
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp real vanilla extract, about 1/2 cup sugarfree chocolate chips
Mix the dry ingredients together while the eggs come to room temperature, add in the coconut oil and eggs all at once, and blend in well – the dough will seem gummy or extra sticky, this is normal. Now add in the vanilla & mix again. Finally with a large spoon gently stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon into 12 regular cup cake wells, or 6 extra large ones (my preference, as I plan on eating 2 regular size ones anyway!). Bake 25 -30 minutes at 350.
These beauties only have 11 grams of carbohydrates for each regular size muffin, or 22 grams for the large one I’m going to eat. YUM!
Enjoy!
It’s Apple season!! Applesauce, Waldorf Salad, Apple Cake, Caramel Apples! Love love apples! Only problem is how to enjoy them in all the many ways without getting “too big for my britches”! Aren’t we all trying to watch our carbohydrates or calories? I think everyone is worried about their diet, in one way or another.
I personally just want to fit into my clothes, look good in my Speedo, and avoid gas pains. Yes, gas pain from wheat consumption! Who knew, that by eliminating wheat, or at least seriously cutting back on it, that I could resolve my lifelong issues with abdominal pain?! I’ve already cut out cabbage & legumes (beans specifically, as I’ve never been a fan of split peas, lentils or chick peas), but cutting back on my wheat has really made a difference.
Today, I’m going to share with you my modified recipe for “Cream Cheese Apple Crumb Cake”. Basically, I’ve just substituted Lakantos Monkfruit for the sugar, and replaced half of the flour with almond flour. NO xanthan gum required. You can also make this with raspberries or blueberries to mix it up.
This recipe is so well loved, and made so often at my house, I almost have it memorized. You will need:
a 9″ springform pan
Filling:
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp Lakanto Monkfruit
8 oz Philly Cream Cheese
One EB egg white
2-3 peeled and diced granny smith apples (microwave them for about one minute, to soften them somewhat)
Cake:
3/4 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Almond Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Lakanto Monkfruit
3/4 cup of Sour Cream (I generally use Breakstones, or Publix brand)
6 Tbsp Land O’Lakes butter or margarine (softened)
One EB egg, and the yolk from the egg used in the filling
One tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp Lakanto Monkfruit
1/4 cup King Arthur All-Purpose Flour
1/4 cup Almond Flour
3 Tbsp cold butter or margarine
Mix your filling first. In a separate bowl, make the cake batter, starting with the wet ingredients, and blending until smooth, and then adding in the sweeteners, and finally the flours. Pour 1/2 of it into a greased 9″ springform pan. Take half of your prepared apples, and sprinkle them evenly over the cake batter. Pour the rest of the batter over the apples, and now pour and smooth the filling over the top layer of cake batter. Spread the rest of your apple pieces over the filling.
Cut your butter/margarine into the flour and sweeteners for the topping, and then crumble it over the top of your apples.
Bake for about 45 minutes at 350° F. It will appear a big gooey due to the cream cheese, but it will set-up nicely in about 30-40 minutes. You should be able to get at least 8 generous slices. Enjoy!
My Celestial Creations 