This is my low-carb go-to dessert.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

1 cup almond flour

4 tablespoons melted butter

Filling:

3- 8oz packages of cream cheese (room temperature)

3 eggs (room temperature)

1 cup sour cream

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/2 cup truvia

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Make Crust by mixing almond flour and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9″ springform pan.

Bake 10 minutes; remove from oven and cool.

Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix on slow then medium speed with hand mixer until smooth.

 

Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake 45 minutes.

Turn off oven; let cheesecake cool for one hour without opening door.

Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

 

 

Happy Birthday, Richard! Thanks for being one of my biggest supporters.

INGREDIENTS

Cupcakes

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup yogurt or sour cream

Icing

¾ cup butter, room temperature

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

Into a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with sour cream and beginning and ending with flour.

Pour batter into cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean 20 to 25 minutes.

Make icing. Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add vanilla.

Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, then apply icing.

 

I’m not sure how to say peanut butter in Italian, so I didn’t.

Kinda awesome, like America.

INGREDIENTS

Pastry

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Zest of half a lemon

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup ricotta

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Filling

2 cups berries

3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch of salt

Glaze

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1 heaped teaspoon turbinado or coarse sugar for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Make dough: Whisk the flour, salt, sugar and zest together in the bottom of a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal and the largest bits of butter are the size of tiny peas. Stir ricotta and 3 tablespoons water together in a small dish and pour into butter-flour mixture. Stir together with a flexible spatula as best as you can, then use your hands to knead the mixture into a rough ball. Wrap in plastic and flatten into a disc. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Assemble galette: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a large round-ish shape, about 14 to 15 inches across. Cut out a pentagon shape.

Transfer round or pentagon-shaped dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Fold dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan.

Stir together all of the filling ingredients and spread them in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. Pinch the edges.

Whisk egg yolk and water together and brush over exposed crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake galette: For 30 minutes, or golden all over. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

I got the recipe here.

 

INGREDIENTS 

3 oz egg whites (about 3 large eggs)

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

red and blue food coloring gel

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Line bake sheet with parchment.

Place egg whites in a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk and whip until stiff peaks hold and meringue does not slide out when bowl is turned upside.. Gradually add in sugar and then vanilla and vinegar. Increase speed and whip until mixture is free of sugar grit when rubbed between two fingers and the meringue holds stiff and glossy peaks.

Turn pasty bag inside out and paint stripes with food coloring onto bag, then turn pastry bag right side in and fit with a large round tip and fill with meringue. Pipe meringue 1-inch apart. Bake meringue cookies for about 90-120 minutes or until meringue easily peels away from parchment paper. Cool on a wire rack.  Add gold leaf flakes onto meringue. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

I worked with this recipe.

A delicious, adaptable, fragrant, and perfect strawberry cake that I made for my nephews. It won’t last past breakfast.

INGREDIENTS

1 stick butter melted and cooled, plus more to grease the skillet

1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

zest of 1 lemon + 2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

6 strawberries, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a seasoned cast iron skillet.

Pour sugar into a mixing bowl and add the lemon zest. Rub the sugar and zest together with your fingers, until sugar mixture becomes fragrant.

Wisk in the eggs, one at a time. Add salt and vanilla.  Stir in the flour and then fold in the butter and strawberry slices.

Pour the batter into the skillet and smooth out with a spatula. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar and drizzle with lemon juice.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cup melted butter

1 egg

 Topping:

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter and let cool. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place melted butter (room temp) in a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Everyone talks about “Date Night” and “Afternoon Delight”.  Doesn’t anyone care about the morning anymore?

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces dried pitted dates, coarsely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups firmly packed coarsely chopped dates)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup (240 ml) boiling water

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1/2 cup (113 grams) cold unsalted butter, diced

1 egg at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS

In a bowl mix the chopped dates with the baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of boiling water over the dates, stir, and leave to cool to room temperature (this takes about 30 minutes).

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Butter, or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray, a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Then line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.

Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 – 10 minutes or until lightly brown and fragrant. Let cool and then chop coarsely.

In your food processor place the flour, sugar, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and ground cinnamon. Process to combine and then add the butter. Process until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer the flour mixture to a large bowl and stir in the chopped walnuts.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the vanilla extract.

Then add the beaten egg mixture and the cooled dates (along with the water) to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Place the batter into your prepared pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Bake about 55 to 65 minutes or until the bread is golden brown and set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out just clean. Place on a wire rack to cool and then remove the bread from the pan. This bread will keep for several days at room temperature. It can also be frozen.

I worked with this recipe.

These are by no means decadent but they taste pretty damn good for something with no sugar added.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/3 cup oat flour 

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 egg

1/2 cup chopped  pitted dates

1 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2/3 fresh blueberries 

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper muffin cases.

Put oat flour, while wheat flour, almond milk, dates, egg, baking powder, and cinnamon and in food processor and blitz together to give a fairly smooth and sloppy mixture.

Transfer mixture into a large bowl and stir in the blueberries. Divide the mixture into muffin tin. Sprinkle oatmeal on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through.