Recipes: Low Carb & Low Calorie Brownies (with Walnuts)
Low Carb & Low Calorie Brownie goodness
I am super excited to share this delicious and healthy Brownie Recipe with you. It is both low carb and low calorie if you are trying to eat healthier, but occasionally want chocolate. Sometimes even while you are trying to eat healthier you just want something sweet and chocolate. This recipe includes walnuts, but they can be omitted.
A friend shared this recipe with me a couple months ago. I have made these brownies several times. They are delicious especially if you have been cutting back on sugar already! I especially like to pull them out of the freezer for a cool tasty treat during those hot days, but really they good any time.
This recipe makes 32 individual brownies. I like to make a full batch which is a 9 x 13 baking dish and store the individual brownies in the freezer for the chocolate cravings or sweet snack. Yes, these take longer than the box brownies, but they are healthier for you too. They are rich and filled with chocolate goodness that hit the spot, but it won’t set you back if you are keeping track of your calories and carbs. Once this recipe is baked and cool it has a similar texture of a real brownie, but without the extra calories and carbs in each bite. If you are looking for a healthy brown alternative try this recipe!
Low Carb & Low Calorie Brownie Recipe (with Walnuts):
- 1 stick Butter or Margarine (room temperature)
- 2 cups Erythritol (powdered is best, but works with granulated too)
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla
- 4 Eggs (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz Unsweetened Chocolate (melted)
- 2 cups Flax Seed Meal
- 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
- 1/3 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- 2/3 cup Water
- 1 cup Artificial Sweetner
- 1 cup Walnuts (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
2. Cream butter or margarine until fluffy. Add the Erythritol and cream until fluffy (want a fluffy texture). If you use the Erythritol granulated it will not turn out as fluffy, but the brownies will still taste good (I have done it both ways).
3. Add the vanilla to the butter mixture. Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time. Add salt and cocoa powder; beat well.
4. Add the melted unsweetened Chocolate and beat until fluffy.
5. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. This recipes has the walnuts added, but they are optional.
6. Pour brownie batter into 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool and cut into 32 squares.
These taste delicious fresh, cooled, or even frozen!
Total Calories: 113 Total Net Carbs: 1.19 Per Brownie (including walnuts)
Net Carbs is calculated by taking the Carbs minus the Fiber.
If you omit the walnuts the Total Calories: 88 Total Net Carbs: 0.94
The total calories and net carbs are based of the ingredients we used while cooking this recipe. It is good idea to calculate based of the specific brand and ingredients you are using in your recipe because it may vary slightly, but this will give you a good base guideline. As long as you use the ingredients listed above it should be fairly close.
Cutting the brownies into individual pieces to enjoy
Tried some for a few days then decided to see how they tasted from the freezer. They are awesome! These brownies contain walnuts, but you don’t have to add them!
Bagged and ready to go into the freezer!
2 fresh ones were eaten now the remaining 30 are bagged to be frozen!
Recipes: Homemade Apple Dumplings
Homemade Apple Dumpling Dessert
Jake made recently made this delicious fall apple recipe for dessert! Sometimes we go apple picking and other times we just enjoy the stores having some of our favorite apples on sale during this time of year. Every year we like to try different apple dishes. I am thankful for a husband who cooks and who will random surprise us with a tasty treat. The homemade apple dumplings would go very well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream too if you have some at the house!
Apple Dumpling
Homemade Apple Dumplings:
- 1 3/4 cups Water
- 1 1/4 cups Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons Butter or Maragine
- 2 1/4 cups Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 2/3 cups shortening
- 7 tablespoons Water
- 4 Apples (small to medium size)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
In a saucepan combine 1 3/4 cups water, 1 cup of sugar (save the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar for later), 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (save the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon for later), 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (save the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg for later). Mix together, simmer with it covered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter or margarine. Set the syrup mixture aside.
Combine flour and salt. Cut in the shortening until all the pieces are about the size of a black bean. Add water a little at a time and mix until all is moist. Form the dough into a ball. Roll the dough onto an approximately 16 x 12 inch rectangle, cut into four 4 inch squares.
Wash, peel, and core your 4 apples. Place an apple on each of the 4 pastry squares. Mix together the brown sugar and raisins and put a small scoop in each apple where the core was removed. Mix the remaining sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and sprinkle over the fruit. Moisten the edges of the pastry with water and fold the corners to the center on top of the fruit and pinch to seal it (see picture below). Place dumplings in a greased pan and pour the syrup mixture over the top of the dumplings.
Bake the dumplings on 375 degrees in the oven for 45 minutes or until the fruit is tender and the pastry is slightly brown. Prior to serving spoon syrup from the pan over the pastries and serve with vanilla ice cream.
The recipe is a delicious fall apple dessert! I recommend serving with ice cream or a glass of milk! Enjoy!
Ready to go into the oven!
The apple dumplings not only smelled delicious, they tasted amazing too!
Inside the apple dumplings!
Book: “Dining On A Dime” Cookbook by Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper
If you could save $10,000 a year on food without cutting coupons would you be interested? I had the privilege of receiving Tawra Kellam and Jill Cooper’s newest edition, November 2011, of their Dining On A Dime Cookbook Eat Better, Spend Less! The authors packed in more than 1200 great recipes and money saving tips in this cookbook. One of the challenges they gave is to see how much you could save in one year by cutting out just one thing. For example, by reducing the amount of meat you eat each week by 1.5 pounds you could save over $400 a year. They cover a variety of recipes and tips in their book, here are a few:
- How It Adds Up
- Basics of Frugal Cooking
- Beverages
- Breakfast
- Breads
- Soups & Sandwiches
- Vegetables, Beans, Pasta, & Rice
- Salads, Dressings, Pickles, and Dips
- Meats & Main Dishes
- Cakes, Pies, Candy, Cookies, & Desserts
- Mixes, Gift Baskets, & Jars
- Kids
- Cleaning Cents
- Pretty for Pennies
The authors challenge you to take small steps to change your life. Whether you start with planning your meals, organizing your home, or saving money it is the little steps over time that give you results. Their menu planning ideas include recipes you can make for picky eaters or quick dinners for those busy days. I like that they have sections on using up your leftovers, making your own cleaning & beauty supplies, gift baskets, and more. They use a good mix of great information and light hearted humor.
Here are a couple of quotes / tips that made me smile:
If you want to see a cup runneth over, let a child pour his own soda.
When your house looks like a bomb hit it and company calls from a block away set your vacuum by the front door and say, “Come on in! I was just cleaning”
You have two choices for dinner. Take it or leave it.
The problem – how to get 2 pounds of chocolate home in a hot car. The solution – eat it in the parking lot.
Some of the information and recipes made me laugh out loud…..”Elephant Soup” simply hilarious! One of my favorite non-food recipes was their “Recipe for a Happy Marriage” (loved that one). While they may not have convince me to try “Liver and Onions” again Tawra and Jill did a wonderful job putting together a useful and entertaining cookbook to have in your kitchen. The best part is their recipes only require a handful of ingredients and most (if not all) of the items you will find in your kitchen pantry.
At the end of the book they have separate indexes for looking up tips, leftovers, and recipes making it easy to look up what you want. I look forward to trying more of the recipes, tips, and seeing if these help our family save even more. This cookbook would be a great wedding gift or birthday gift for those who are beginning to cook or a novice. It offers practical tips, great recipes, and may even make you smile!
Please visit Dining on a Dime Cookbook’s website if you want to learn more about this book.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Family Recipe: Luscious Baked Chocolate Cheesecake
My mother in law, Kay, is a wonderful cook. I didn’t grow up making cheesecakes but have made a few since marrying into the family. Kay makes amazing cheesecakes, however, her Luscious Chocolate Cheesecake is my favorite! For those of you who enjoy chocolate and cheesecake this is a recipe you need to try, it’s delicious! Add a few fresh strawberries to the finished product and you have an awesome dessert ready for when guests arrive or to celebrate a special evening with your family.Luscious Baked Chocolate Cheesecake:
- 1/3 cup Margarine or Butter, melted
- 1/4 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 3 – 8 oz packages Cream Cheese
- 1 – 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 – 12 oz package Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, melted OR 8 – 1 oz squares of Semi-Sweet Chocolate melted
- 4 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons of Vanilla
Preheat the oven to 300°. Combine margarine, crumbs and sugar; pat firmly into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add condensed milk and beat until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until the cheesecake springs back when lightly touched. Cool to room temperature. Chill. Remove the side of the pan. Garnish as desired. Garnish Ideas – chocolate curls, syrup, fresh strawberries, white chocolate sprinkles, whipped cream, or anything that compliments the chocolate cheesecake.
Photo by CEThompson
