Fathead Pizza "Cookies"

I was going to call these Pizza Bites; however my husband starting referring to them as cookies and the name just kind of stuck.

So now, we treat ourselves to savory pizza cookies.

This recipe came about simply because I was being lazy and wanted to make something simple.  I have made so many sweet treats, so I thought something savory would be nice, for once.  Initially, I wanted to make mini pizza pockets - that sounded so delicious to me.

However, I remembered that awhile ago I tried to make calzones and I don't know why - but I remember having so many problems with them.  The dough would shrink after rolling it out, I'd put too much fillings in them, I couldn't get the dough folded over and when I finally got all those things to work out for me, they would still somehow leak out while cooking.

Making these into bite size delights would be even more of a disaster; so I figured it just wasn't worth it.  I like my recipes to be simple and stress free!

So I thought, why not just bake everything together?  Why does the pepperoni have to be in the very center?  Why can't it just be spread throughout?

No good answers came to me - so I went ahead and did it!

If you are a veteran to the Keto diet, no doubt you have heard about Fathead Dough.  It's only of the most popular Keto pizza doughs, and I've even seen recipes using it for biscuits and breads.

If you are new to Keto - let me introduce you to your new favourite thing.  Fathead Dough.  It's literally dough made of cheese and almond flour.  This is one of the few Keto 'bread' recipes I have found that I really like.  Most others have a billion eggs in them and that's all it tastes like.  This dough, however, only calls for 1 egg and you don't taste it at all.  Instead, this recipe really uses the cheese as a binding ingredient to keep everything together.  I have no idea who came up with this, but they deserve an award or something.

The only thing I changed about this recipe was adding some baking powder to allow some rising while cooking.  I also believe the original recipe calls for mozzarella cheese - I usually use a blend of cheddar and mozzarella because that is what I normally have on hand.  You can use either and it w
ill turn out great.  And of course, mixing the pizza toppings right into the dough is the other change I made!

These little bites or "cookies" would be great for parties or appetizers.  I can guarantee you, they will be a hit.  You can also serve it with a side of marinara or alfredo sauce for dipping.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
3/4 cup almond flour
30g (2 tbsp) cream cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp pizza sauce
65g Pepperoni slices
1 tsp baking powder
Italian Seasoning, to taste
1/3 cup additional shredded cheese for topping





Directions:

1. Melt together cheese and cream cheese.  This is best done by microwaving for 30 second intervals until they can be easily mixed together.

2. Add in egg, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, baking powder and pepperoni.  Mix until thoroughly blended.

3. Add in almond flour and mix completely.  You may need to use your hands for this, depending whether your cheese mixture has started to harden.  You can also microwave the mixture for a few seconds to soften, be careful not to microwave for too long as you do not want to cook the egg.

4. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to firm dough

5. Roll dough out into balls and place on pan lined with parchment paper.  Lightly press balls down and top with remaining cheese.  These will spread out when cooking, so make sure to place 1-2 inches apart.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes

Nutritional Info:
Servings: 15
Per 1 Serving:
Calories = 103
Fat = 8.5g
Protein = 4.7g
Carbs = 2.3g
Fiber = 0.6g
Net Carbs =  1.7g


**Please note, nutritional facts will vary depending on the pizza sauce that is used,  I used Primo Pizza Sauce, with has 7 net carbs for 1/4 serving.  Therefore, it only added 3.5 net carbs to the entire recipe.  You can definitely find pizza sauce with fewer carbs or omit it completely if you want a lower carb count.

Keto Cheesecake Brownies

I posted a picture of one of these delicious brownies awhile ago on my Instagram and I have had so many people ask for the recipe!  Of course, when I had made them back then I hadn't started this blog yet, so I didn't have a recipe to give!

Well, that's about to change!

(It also gives me an excuse to make them again!)

I have to admit, I think this has been my favourite recipe so far.  I remember years ago when I was working at a retail store, there was a little coffee shop up the road.  I would often go there during my lunch breaks; they had the best cheesecake brownies ever!  This was the first place I had encountered them.  Whoever thought of mixing brownies and cheesecake together has to be some kind of genius!

Naturally, this recipe is a combination of a basic cheesecake recipe and a brownie recipe. Who would have thought?

This is a great low carb dessert that definitely satisfies!  The only problem is having the will power not to eat the whole pan in one sitting (My husband does not have this much will power).

Usually when making these brownies, I use Truvia (erythritol/stevia combination) as the only sweetener; however, someone forget to check how much was left in the container before startng to bake..  Thankfully, I also had some liquid stevia in cupboard that I was able to use.  I'm not to used to baking with stevia, so I wasn't too sure how much to add.  I tasted my way through it, though.  So just note, my recipe below includes both stevia and Truvia.  I've added how much sweetener to use, no matter which one you choose.

Also, it's good to make a note about the coconut flour used in this recipe.  If you are not too familiar with baking with coconut flour, you may think that there is not much flour used.  This is because coconut flour is very good at soaking up liquids.  In fact, you may not even need the full 1/4 cup.  It is very important to slowly add the coconut flour to prevent adding too much.  You want it to resemble a wet-brownie batter; it shouldn't be dry like cookie doughs sometimes are.  Point being, I wouldn't recommend adding more coconut flour.  If you don't think it is enough, it probably is.

This recipe comes in at only 180 calories and 2.1g net carbs and is full of chocolate and cheesecake delicious-ness!

Ingredients:
Cheesecake:
1 package (250g/8oz) Cream Cheese

1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla
15-20 drops Stevia (or 2 tbsp Truvia or 1/4 cup other sweetener)

Brownie:
2 Eggs
4 tbsp Truvia (or 1/2 cup other sweetener)
6 tbsp butter
2.5oz (70g) unsweetened Baker's Chocolate (I used Camino)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Coconut Flour

Directions:

Cheesecake:

1. Beat cream cheese until nice and whipped
2. Add egg, vanilla and stevia, beat until well mixed
3. Set aside.

Brownie:

1. Melt chocolate and butter together (I did this in the microwave in 20 second intervals). Set aside and let cool
   
   
   
2. In another bowl, beat together egg and sweetener.
   
3. Add vanilla, salt and baking powder.
4. Add chocolate in small increments (especially in still warm) and beat together until well mixed
   
5. Add coconut flour in small increments and stir together until brownie batter forms.
   
   
   

Final Steps:

1. Grease or line an 8x8 baking pan
2. Pour half the brownie mix into pan
3. Pour half the cheesecake mix on top, in globs.
   
4. Using a knife or spatula, lightly stir two layers together, to make a 'marbled look'
   
5. Repeat above 3 steps with the remaining brownie and cheesecake batters
   
6. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes 
   
   
   
7. Enjoy!

Nutrition:
Servings: 12
Per 1 Serving:
Calories= 180
Fat= 17.7g
Protein= 4.8g
Carbs= 3.7g
Fiber= 1.6g
Net Carbs= 2.1g

Keto Cheese Sauce

This has got to be my most requested recipe.  I've posted it on my Instagram many times, and each and every time I have people asking for the recipe.I mean, it's no surprise - it is cheese sauce after all.

And who doesn't love cheese?

This is my go to recipe when I am in need of extra fat in my day.  I know everyone who does keto and tracks macros has had those days when they reach dinnertime and realize that they are falling way short on the fat count.

With 20g of fat and only 1.8g net carb per serving, this cheese sauce is the perfect addition to any meal on those fat-lacking days.  And to be honest, you can definitely get away with a double serving, if needed!

I usually make a side of cheese sauce for dinner and smother it all over my meat and veggies.  Pork, chicken, beef, broccoli, cauliflower - it tastes great with all of them!  I have even taken a side of sauce with my for lunch and dipped cucumbers into it (and then ate the rest of the sauce on it's own! Shh.. don't judge!)


I will warn you on that last part though - do not take for lunch unless you have access to a microwave! As most of the ingredients used are solids at room temperature, you will not have a 'sauce' unless it is warmed up!

This is also my husband's favourite sauce.  He loves when I serve dinner and he sees that I've made it - he often asks if there is more! I've made non-keto cheese sauces it the past - you know, the ones that include flour and require you to make something fancy sounding called a roux- and I must admit there were many times I just couldn't get it to work.  This recipe, however, is no fail (so far at least!)

Before I go ahead and give the ingredients - I'm going to give a small disclaimer - I am Canadian, therefore I do list these ingredients using grams.  If you do not have a gram scale, I'm sorry (told you I was Canadian - ha), but may have to improve a little.  But I will let you know that 30g is approximately 2 tablespoons - you just may have a bit of trouble measuring it out.

Ingredients:
30g shredded cheese
30g cream cheese
30g heavy cream
15g butter
water, as needed

Directions:
Mix all ingredients (except water) in saucepan.

Heat on medium heat until everything melts and blends together.

Add water as needed to thin sauce out to desired consistency.

Nutrition:
Servings 2
Per Serving:
Calories =192
Fat =19.9g
Protein =5.4g
Carbs =1.8g
Fiber =0g
Net Carbs =1.8g

Simple Keto Peanut Butter Cookies

I can guarantee you that this will be the easiest cookie recipe you will ever make (maybe..)


Keto.
Simple.
Delicious.
5 ingredients

I mean, how can you go wrong?

I mean, not only are these sugar free, they are gluten free, flour free, soy free and dairy free!  You could even substitute the peanut butter for almond butter and make it peanut free!

If you have young children, this would be a great recipe to make with them - super easy, and quick.  They don't even need much of an attention span to stay interested.

I altered a standard recipe that I used to make when I was younger.  I believe most people would have made this; in fact, I think I found it on a peanut butter label way back in the day (maybe it's still on there!).

Basically, I just used a sugar substitute for the sugar, so I can't take credit for this recipe, but I think everyone should be aware of it.  It's a great keto snack, especially when you have those sugar/cookie cravings (which we all do!)

These are one of my favourite go to cookies.  I usually freeze them and grab them as a snack as needed (unless my husband gets to them first - then they don't make it to the freezer!)

On that note, I must admit these cookies are definitely better the next day when cooled.  I find that the first day, the cookies are softer and drier than they are once completely cooled.  I'm assuming this is because of the peanut butter and the fact that it is much softer and liquid-ier (is that a word?) when warmer, compared to when cooled.

Ingredients:
2 cups peanut butter (use the natural stuff!)
3 tbsp truvia**
2 eggs
2tsp vanilla
2tsp baking powder

**If using another sweetener, you will need more - probably about 1/3 cup, but adjust to taste!

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl, until well combined (I use an electric beater)

Roll dough into small balls and place on baking sheet (I made 24!)

Use a fork to press dough down and make those classic peanut butter cookie criss-crosses

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts

Makes 24 cookies

Per 1 cookie

Calories = 126

Protein = 5.9g

Fat = 9.7g

Carbs = 4.1g

Fiber = 1.3g

Net Carbs = 2.8g 

Chocolate Peanut Butter KETO Muffins

Who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate together? 

I've been having craving for some Reese's Peanut Butter Squares lately, especially after the Easter Holiday.  By the way, Easter without all the yummy Easter candies and chocolates is not fun!  Oh, how I wanted some Creme Eggs and a chocolate bunny!

I did supplement my Easter candies with the Russell Stover No Sugar Added Peanut Butter Cups, which, by the way, were delicious! However, I did eat the whole bag in one sitting, which probably wasn't the best decision...

Anyways, I was trying to decide how else I could add this peanut butter/ chocolate combination into my snacks.  I know you can always grab a piece of low carb dark chocolate and spoon some peanut butter on it (also delicious), but I wanted something that could be baked - something that seemed more 'carby'.  You know, those treats that treat you into thinking you are eating loads of carbohydrates, but your really not.

So my idea was chocolate peanut butter muffins.  My initial plan was to make this as a kind of lava cake type snack, however I realized that, with this recipe anyways, it just wasn't going to work.  This is for a very straight forward reason - natural peanut butter is harder and thicker, especially when cooled.  Therefore, its not just going to ooze out when you cut the muffin open.  One thing that I did not try, though, was warming the muffin up before eating it.  Maybe you could try that and see if you get a lava effect.

If you haven't figured it out yet, these are chocolate muffins with a peanut butter center.  This recipe is based off of the Cinnamon Keto Muffins that I made not too long ago.  I omitted the cinnamon powder and added cacao powder to make these 'chocolatey', however if you are big on chocolate, you may want to try melting some low carb chocolate and adding it to the batter.  I might do this next time.  Note, that you will probably have to up the amount of almond flour if you decide to try this out.

However, I do think these turned out delicious as is.  In fact, my husband said they were one of the best low carb treats that I have made so far.  He went as far as eating his with jam to add some extra flavour.

Oh, one more addition you may want to make to this recipe - if you have a sweet tooth, you may want to add a little bit of sweetener to the peanut butter filling. Additionally, if you have patience - which I did not have - it will be easier to separate the peanut butter into 1 tbsp balls and freeze.  This will keep the peanut butter in the center of the muffin and it will not leak out the sides will cooking (like it did for me!).

And of course, always make sure that you are using Natural Peanut Butter - just peanuts and nothing else added!

Okay, time for the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups Almond Flour

2 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 tbsp Truvia**

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tbsp cacao powder

1/4 cup melted butter

12 tbsp of natural peanut butter (3/4 cup) 

**Please note, if using another low carb sweetener, such as Swerve, you will have to increase the amount - probably about 1/3 cup would work. I taste the batter to determine if enough sweetener was used!

Directions:

Firstly, beat eggs, cream, Truvia, and melted butter together until well mixed.

Next, mix in almond flour, cacao powder and baking powder.

Pour half the batter into muffin cups. Then scoop 1 tbsp peanut butter on top.  

Pour the rest of the batter on top of the peanut butter and bake for around 22-25 minutes, until golden brown on the top at 350 degrees.

Nutrition Facts:
Servings = 12 muffins
Nutrition per 1 muffin:

Calories = 305
Fat = 27.8g
Protein = 9.7g
Carbs = 7.8g
Fiber = 3.5g

Net Carbs = 4.3g