Andersson Mariann - Low carb high fat cakes and desserts: gluten-free and sugar-free pies, pastries, and more

FOREWORD My first two baking books, Low Carb High Fat Baking and Low Carb High Fat Bread , have been lavished with high praise from many readers. Ive received comments such as, Finally some scrumptious baked goods that those of us who are gluten intolerant can enjoy and THANK YOU! Now I can keep eating LCHF for the rest of my life! Even diabetics have sent me much positive feedback about my recipesAt last, here are healthy baked goods that wont raise my blood sugar being a frequent statement. I have really come to understand the significant role my books have played in helping many people achieve health and well-being, and it is my sincerest wish that even more will discover that its not only possible, but also easy, to enjoy small coffee breaks as well as more extravagant tea parties without compromising between great taste and healthy ingredients. I find it immensely gratifying to hear people tell me theyve served low-carb cookies to their unsuspecting guests, who could not taste any difference between these cookies and regular ones. I dont think I could find a better endorsement for my recipes if I tried! For a long time now, Ive wanted to share even more delicious cookie and dessert recipes with my readers. This new book, Low Carb High Fat Cakes and Desserts , is therefore especially near and dear to my heart; its chock-full of mouthwatering recipes for cakes, pies, buns, cookies, and sponge cakesabsolutely everything you could want to have on hand for a delicious coffee get-together.

I hope you will try them all and will find among them many new favorites to add to your recipe collection! Mariann KEEP IN MIND Cookies made with artificial sweeteners dont keep as long as cookies made with regular sugar (sucrose), so store them only for a few days at room temperature, or keep them in the refrigerator or the freezer instead. Baked goods usually have better flavor if you give them time to cool down and settle after theyve come out of the oven. A perfect example is the cinnamon buns on p. 70; theyre at their loveliest a few hours after baking, orif you can bear to wait a little longerthe day after. An egg weighs approximately 2 oz (65 g). The number of servings listed for each baked good in this book is approximate.

Since my recipes contain a lot of eggs, they can be quite filling. If youre serving an assortment of cookies at one time, you might want to consider cutting down on the number of servings indicated in a recipe. To achieve a fluffier batter, whisk the eggs with a handheld electric mixer until theyre light and airy (5 minutes should do the trick) before adding in the sweetener. I always recommend using unsalted butter in my recipes. If using salted butter, however, I suggest adding just under twice the amount of sweetener indicated in the original recipe, or else the salt from the butter might come through as the dominant flavor. Let melted butter cool before adding it to eggs, in order to avoid curdling the mixture.

Whipping cream, berries, and nuts all taste slightly sweet; if you included them in a recipe, you can decrease the amount of sweetener or even forego adding sweetener altogether. These baked goods will contain slightly more carbohydrates, but not any more than other recipes that fit within LCHF guidelines. Baked goods containing cacao, or other bitter or sour ingredients, should be sweetened as directed by the recipe. If your taste buds are especially sensitive to bitter flavors, add some extra sweetener when using cacao. The recommended oven temperatures in this book apply to convection ovens. If you use a conventional oven, simply increase the temperature by about 25F.

Keep a close eye on cookies the first time you try a recipe. To check for a cakes doneness, insert a toothpick near the center of the cakeit should be dry when removed. LCHF-FRIENDLY AND NATURALLY GLUTEN-FREE FLOURS Coconut flour is made from fresh coconuts. The meat is cold-pressed to separate it from the oil and water. The meat is then washed, dried, and ground into flour. Its important to use flour made from the processed coconut fiber and not from ground coconut flakes.

I use the Aman Prana brand of coconut flour because its widely available in Sweden, as well as organic and fair-trade certified. Coconut flour contains between 4 g and 17 g of carbohydrates per 3 oz (100 g), depending on the brand. The amount of carbohydrates in baked goods stays low, even if the flour itself is a bit on the high side, because you only use a scant amount of it. Coconut flour is high in fiber and low in omega-6 fatty acids. This is a good thingomega-6 fatty acids can lead to inflammation, so we should eat as few of them as possible. cup (100 ml) coconut flour weighs approximately 2 oz (57 g).

You can purchase almond flour already ground up, but its easy to make at home. If you prefer white flour, youll need to blanch the almonds and rub off their skins (or you can purchase already blanched almonds). For chewier, earthier-tasting baked goods, or for foods that will be tinted by cacao or blueberries, you can leave the almond skins on. Almond paste should be made from blanched, skinned, and freshly ground almonds, as they will impart the finest flavor. Choose the best quality almonds you can find, as musty-smelling ones are not very appetizing. The amount of almond flour in your dough or batter can be cut by replacing some of it with coconut flour, which has lower levels of omega-6.

The carbohydrate content of almond flour varies between 4 g to 14 g per 3 oz (100 g). However, the amount of carbohydrates in the baked goods is still small since you only use a small amount of flour. cup (100 ml) almond flour weighs approximately 1 oz (50 g). Hazelnut ( filbert ) flour is also available pre-ground, or you can grind it at home. This flour is sometimes roasted. To roast hazelnuts, set the oven to 395F (200 C) and roast the nuts for 8 to 10 minutes.

Wait for them to cool a little, and then grind them. Their carbohydrate content varies from 6.8 g to 9.4 g per 3 oz (100 g). cup (100 ml) hazelnut flour weighs approximately 1 oz (50 g). *NutraFiber Flakes are fiber made from sugar beets. Theyre naturally gluten-free and quite absorbent. NutraFiber is sold in flake form and can be ground into flour.

The flakes come in handy for bread and pie shells in which you seek a bit more chewiness or an earthier flavor. Ground into flour, NutraFiber is useful for dusting baking sheets and pans. NutraFiber Flakes contain about 5 g of carbohydrate (all of it fiber) per 8 g of product. cup (100 ml) NutraFiber Flakes weighs, approximately, a little less than 1 oz (25 g). Psyllium husk is 100 percent pulverized psyllium husk. Thanks to its high percentage of fiber (85 percent), psyllium husk will absorb a lot of liquid and thus will increase much in size.