Welcome to this week’s edition of the Kos Diabetes Group! It’s my week at the helm and as most of you know, it’s almost always food-based. Given next week is the best food holiday of the year (to me at least, of COURSE it’s food-based!!) For those who may not know me or why I’m passionate about low-carb food, let me give an introduction…
In Jan 2016, after ignoring a rising “pre-diabetic” A1c (stupidly, thanks medical profession for not explaining just how dangerous it was) for four years, I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes with an A1c of 7.6. For 6 months I followed recommendations from my primary care doctor/diabetes counselor and the American Diabetes Association. My blood sugar remained high, and I realized while 15-50g carbs per meal was FAR less than the standard American diet it was going to be the literal death of me because my pancreas couldn’t read the bajillion articles saying Complex Carbs were Just Fine. With my doctor’s approval I embarked on a drastically limited carb intake aka a ketogenic diet. I absolutely understand this is not for everyone because all of our diabetic metabolisms, care strategies and outcomes are different, but this is MY way of handling my health.
I ‘ve remained on a keto diet ever since. I’ve had to up my metformin dose from 500-1500mg daily over 7.5 years, but that’s to be expected with a progressive metabolic condition. As a nice bonus, since changing my diet my cholesterol and lipid panels are well within normal levels and I shall continue to eat bacon, cream and steak even if I occasionally look longingly at ravioli and restaurant desserts :).
Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. No expectations of gifts, it’s centered on food, friends and family, and did I mention the food? You might think that diabetes and my keto eating limits the traditional foods on this day, but I’m here to tell you that with enough googling and a willingness to think a little outside the box it’s possible! My dinner next Thursday will include turkey, stuffing (made with keto/glutenfree bread using this mix from GoodDees), gravy (using glucomannan powder as thickener), cranberry sauce (made with blood sugar-safe sweetener), mashed turnips, green beans and brussels sprouts (all lowcarb veggies).
But wait brillig, as diabetics we can’t have dessert, can we?
Oh heck yes we can!! Two years ago I shared in this group my favorite keto pecan pie recipe. The crust I use in that pie can be used for a host of others, limited only by your imagination and your ability to seek out recipes on the internet! This year, however, I will be doing a lot of cooking and would like NOT to make a pie that is primarily for me (I live in a sweet potato pie-loving household, and there’s NO way to make that keto). So I’ll be making a recipe I came across recently and trialed last week… my trial is YOUR gain, as I can confirm these Keto Pecan Pie Cookies taste fantastic and are MUCH smaller and easier to eat in small quantities. I likely will try to find another dessert to make too… I have a batch of sugar-free dried cranberries in my fridge (you should make some, too!!) and some potential ideas for them.
But let’s get to the cookies for today! As always, PLEASE go look at the original recipe and give some traffic love to the amazing creator, Carolyn Ketchum. She truly is my keto guru and the reason I’ve been able to eat this way for seven years without feeling deprived. Her tips and tricks make her blog the Cooks Illustrated of the keto world!
Ingredients:
½ cup + 3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
½ cup powdered erythritol-based sweetener
1 large egg yolk
½ tsp vanilla
2 cups blanched almond flour
½ tsp salt, divided
3 Tbs each brown sugar substitute (I use Swerve brown) & allulose or Bocha Sweet. The combination makes the filling softer and more like pecan pie filling
3 Tbs heavy cream
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (if yours come untoasted, do so at 350F for ~5 min)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silocone mat.
- Beat ½ cup of the butter until creamy (I used a stand mixer but by hand or with whatever you usually use for cookies is fine), then beat in the ½ cup erythritol sweetener (if you don’t have powdered, use a food processor or spice grinder to make your own!).
- Add the egg yolk & vanilla and mix until well combined.
- Add the almond flour, baking powder & ¼ tsp salt then mix until a soft dough comes together. Divide the dough into 12 portions (I’m a geek and weighed, it was ~35g dough/cookie)
- Place on the prepared baking sheet, then flatten with your hand to about ½ inch thick, then use a tablespoon to make an indentation
- Bake 15-20 min or until just beginning to brown at the edges but are soft and puffed up.
- Remove from oven and immediately reform the wells before they cool. Do NOT remove from the sheet until they’re completely cool (almond flour baked goods are SOFT until cool)
- In a small saucepan over medium heat dissolve the two sweeteners in the remaining butter, stirring often. Bring to a boil.
- Remove from heat and add the heavy cream, then the chopped pecans. Return to heat, and cook another minute or two, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens up a little bit.
- Remove from heat, stir in the remaining ¼ tsp salt, and divide the filling between the cookies. Let cool, then enjoy! The original recipe says the cookies can be frozen but we ate ours before that was needed. Also, I ended up with extra and spread it on a bit of parchment paper to cool. NOM!
But brillig, what’s the nutritional info for all that deliciousness? Based on the recipe (YMMV if you change things), per cookie it’s:
284 cal; 27g fat; 5.3g protein; 5.5g total carbs; 2.9g fiber
I hope you have a wonderful meal next week, and I’ll be back in December with another treat!!