Apricot Almond Dreams – A New Keto Thumbprint Cookie

On January 24, 2021January 18, 2021 By celestelindIn RecipesLeave a comment

I’ve created a new cookie y’all! I’m so excited, and I think you’re gonna love it! These cookies are just a little ray of sunshine!

The taste and texture of this cookie will amaze you – you won’t believe it’s actually low carb and low calorie!

In theory this should make about 40 dreamy little cookies, but it all depends on how big you make the cookie balls.

Start off with a basic butter cookie recipe, altered for keto:

1/2 cup Land O Lakes real margarine
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco or Coconut Oil
One large EB egg
1/2 cup Zen Sweet Monkfruit
1/2 cup Confectioners (XXX) sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup All Purpose Flour
2 cups Almond Flour
2 tsp Almond Extract
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Smuckers Sugar Free Apricot jam
Almond slices

It’s a little bit fiddly, as I don’t roll the cookie in almond slices, but rather, I arrange them around the jam.

Cream the margarine & shortening & egg. Add sweeteners, salt and blend in well. Add in the AP flour and the extracts, mix about a minute, and then gradually mix in the 2 cups of Almond Flour. Roll into small balls about 2” diameter, and place on a well greased cookie sheet. Then take something about the size of a large marble, to press into the center of each cookie to make a well (yes, like thumbprint cookies!). Now add about 1-1/2 tsp of the sugar-free Apricot jam to each well, and then gently press almond slices around the edges of each cookie. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350°, or until the bottom edges of the cookies are golden. Let them cool 10-15 minutes before removing to a plate.

As you get more and more comfortable with the taste, frankly, you can eliminate any AP flour, and use 100% Almond Flour, and you could even drop the amount of Confectioners Sugar to perhaps 1/4 cup, and increase the Monkfruit to 3/4 cup – but remember Confectioners Sugar is already 1/2 the carbs of granulated sugar.

You will have 3-5 grams of carbohydrates per cookies, depending on how large your cookie is, if you follow the recipe exactly.

Enjoy!!

This Card is so Extra!

On January 20, 2021 By celestelindIn CraftingLeave a comment

Using a mix of papers from Heartfelt Creations, I’ve created a very special card, for a very special someone. This card has tags, and room for a Special photo, (or two) as well!

These little birdies are just so stinkin’ cute!! Also I’m in love with all the decorative Lacey dies, and you can see I incorporated several in this card. Here is a little video for you to see.

Shabby Chic cards

On January 13, 2021January 7, 2021 By celestelindIn CraftingLeave a comment

Just a couple of designs, mixing it up, and trying for the Shabby chic look.

I used several doily type die cuts, gossamer ribbon, and Vellum flowers on one of them, the other has a standard paper flowers in the center and vellum for the others, all handmade, using the Heartfelt Creations dies, of course!

I even used vellum for the butterflies!

Paper is some Tim Holz I found at Tuesday Morning, it’s about 5”x 8” and has a fabric feel to it – very interesting and fun to work with.

Keto Peanut Butter Candy

On January 10, 2021May 16, 2021 By celestelindIn RecipesLeave a comment

Let’s not presume that keto is low calorie – lest we forget that FAT has 9kcal/gm, while protein and carbohydrates have only 4kcal/gm. Nonetheless the fat in peanut butter is generally considered a healthy fat.

My boys love “Buckeyes” at Christmas time, which is basically a peanut butter ball dipped in chocolate.

I thought it would be a nice twist to see if I could make it a little bit lower carb, and thus closer to my keto lifestyle – no sense feeling deprived at Christmas time!

Just a few ingredients:
3 cups chunky Peanut Butter (regular Peter Pan, NOT Honey Roasted)
2 cups Lakanto Monk Fruit
1/2 cup real Land O Lakes Margarine
Mix well, by hand or in the mixer.

Optional add in: 1 cup Rice Krispies, or Oatmeal, or even Almond Flour – I don’t add any of these

Make your peanut butter balls about 3” diameter, and set on wax paper.

Melt 2 packages of Hershey’s Sugarfree Chocolate Chips (20 oz) – I do it in the microwave at 50% power one minute at a time. If you would like you can also melt some Gulf wax, just a bit, to thin your chocolate and give it a glossy shine – 1/4 of a bar is all you need. Once everything is well incorporated glossy and smooth, roll your Peanut Butter balls a wee bit on the wax paper to smooth out the edges, and then dip into your melted chocolate lifting them out with a fork. Tap off the excess chocolate. And place the Peanut Butter candy ball back into the wax paper to dry. You can eat these in about 15 minutes, but the chocolate really takes a few hours to set back up again.

Enjoy!

Pro tip here: put some wax paper in a mold, (or use a nifty little silicon one if you have one) and put your leftover chocolate in it. Add nuts from your pantry (I chose cashews) mix them into the chocolate, and then melt in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Let it set, then remove from the mold, Voila! MORE keto candy!