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. 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 (A1c 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 :).
When I first planned this Labor Day weekend diary, I was going to try out a homemade BBQ sauce recipe I’ve been eyeing, because I’d just found a recipe for keto ‘honey’ (real honey has 17g carbs/Tbs, which is 3g less than the daily limit I try to keep). However, as is so often the case in our current timeline, that didn’t happen. My first-time covid experience took an unwelcome turn earlier this week when I discovered I’d been selected by the Universe to have the full experience and come down with Rebound Covid. While I feel sniffly but otherwise fine this meant as a responsible adult brillig could not visit the grocery store, and I pivoted to “hey, what do I have on hand to cook that I want to eat?” [I promise the keto honey substitute and BBQ sauces will make an appearance next diary!!]
Well. If you know me, you know my comfort food of choice is sweets. Rummaging through my kitchen I found a bag of sugar-free chocolate chips, an unopened package of cream cheese, some unsweetened coconut shreds, and eggs. Off I went to search recipes at my favorite keto/lowcarb recipe site, All Day I Dream About Food. I couldn’t decide between chocolate chip cookies or cheesecake, but luckily I DIDN’T HAVE TO! Without further ado, let’s get to making Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars. The recipe creator has a TON of tips, tricks, Useful Things To Know and even a video of how to make them, so make sure to visit her site and give her the love and traffic. I’m sharing here what I used/did.
COOKIE BASE INGREDIENTS
2 cups almond flour
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut (or ½ cup more almond flour)
½ cup brown ‘sugar’ sweetener (I used Swerve Brown because my grocery store carries it)
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 large egg, room temp
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla extract
⅓ cup sugarfree chocolate chips (I used Lily’s)
COOKIE BASE INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325F, grease a 9-inch square pan. I also laid down a parchment square on the bottom but in hindsight it wasn’t needed.
2. Add to a medium bowl the almond flour, shredded coconut, sweetener, baking powder and salt, combine until well-mixed.
3. Add melted butter, egg and vanilla and mix until a dough forms, then stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Press 2/3 of the dough into the pan with your hands (it really is easiest). It will cover the bottom but will ‘feel’ thin.
5. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are just browning then remove from oven. It will NOT be fully cooked. That’s ok!! Let it cool while you prepare the next part.
CHEESECAKE LAYER INGREDIENTS
8 ounces cream cheese, room temp
⅓ cup powdered sweetener (I used Bocha because I had it on hand)
1 large egg, room temp so the filling doesn’t clump
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs heavy cream
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS
1. Beat the soft cream cheese until smooth (I dont have a hand mixer and didn’t want to haul out the stand mixer so used a silicone spatula). Add the powdered sweetener until well-mixed, then the egg and vanilla.
2. Add the heavy cream, make sure it’s mixed smooth, then pour over the cooled crust.
3. Dot the remaining cookie crust mixture over the top. Bake 20-25 minutes until the top crust bits are golden and the filling is still a little juggly in the center.
4. Remove from oven, cool completely, then resist the urge to cut NOW and refrigerate at least one hour. THEN cut and serve. Store chilled.
Mr. Brillig, who does not eat keto but happily tries everything I make, declared these delicious and he isn’t even a cheesecake fan. They’re as good as I’d hoped and were really easy to make.
Nutritional Analysis based on 16 servings
From the recipe website; your specific analysis will depend on what ingredients you use:
226 calories; 20.2g fat; 4.9g fiber; 6.1g total carbs; 3.2g fiber (2.9g net carbs)
I hope you’ll let me know if you try these, or if you’re making something delicious this weekend! I love trying new recipes from others!