Summertime has ended and it's now time to get out the woolies! Cold feet are one of the first things I notice when the weather changes! Here's a great Gift Idea!
These are the ones I have and the ones I'm getting for my grandson!
These are the ones I have and the ones I'm getting for my grandson!
Some people just can't get enough of the great outdoors; they can't resist those outdoor activities. Hiking a mountain trail, riding a bike trail, fishing in a lake or stream, canoeing, and boating.
Whatever your pleasure is, the great outdoors offers it all. Some people like to take on some of these activities while camping. Other people, like myself, just like to relax enjoy the surroundings, cook up some great food, and meet new friends.
Camping is such a wonderful family activity. When our kids were growing up our family along with friends rented cottages on a small lake just south of Lake Erie in Western Pennsylvania.This Landmann Firepit was my Father's Day gift many years ago. Now in the spring, summer, and fall, we enjoy our backyard campfires.
Although many people here in Western New York like their backyard campfires all year long, I pull the plug when it starts to snow.
Landmann fire pits are made with sturdy steel construction and come with a poker and cooking grate.
You can find out here: How to Cook Corn on a Campfire.
Square Pie Iron - Cast Iron
You can't possibly have a backyard campfire without cooking up some Mountain Pies also known as Hobo Pies.
My Rome pie irons were yet another gift from my daughter for our backyard fires.
These pie irons are a heavy-duty cast iron design and will last forever if you take care of them. I clean and coat them on the inside and outside with vegetable oil after every use.
If you don't know how to make a mountain pie you can find out how here: Mountain Pies.
I have two favorite mountain pies, one is pizza with cheese, sauce, and pepperoni. The second is apple and cheddar cheese. This Creative Pie Iron Cooking book is loaded with many more recipes for your enjoyment. These are perfect gift ideas whether you're camping or want to enjoy some backyard fun.
Rome Industries 2011 Creative Pie Iron Cooking by Richard O'Russia
With a Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit and the company's proprietary seed quilts, growing and harvesting fresh, delicious, and nutritious microgreens is nearly effortless! |
Fresh, crisp microgreens are colorful, refreshing, and extremely nutritious. Since last year, when I committed to making healthy lifestyle changes, including a special focus on healthy food choices, I have been adding microgreens to salads, sandwiches, soups, eggs, and other dishes as often as possible.
Although buying packaged microgreens at our local Whole Foods is an expensive and frustrating proposition, growing my own hadn't seemed like a viable option, given my poor track record with keeping even healthy plants alive, much less growing them from seed.
Then, four months ago, I found out about an innovative microgreens growing system from a company called Hamama, which was designed to be as as simple, effortless, and low-maintenance as possible, so that even container gardening newbies like me could grow these healthy, tasty, nutrient-dense greens year-round.
The proprietary, patent pending Hamama Seed Quilt Growing System is the brainchild of co-founders Camille Richman and Daniel Goodman, who met when they were mechanical engineering students at the world-renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Following their graduation from MIT, they worked together full-time at the MIT Media Lab, researching high tech indoor agriculture. After growing food both in the lab and at home for several years, they wanted to make it possible for more people to experience the benefits of growing healthy food at home.
In May, I decided to order a Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit, including three seed quilts and a reusable grow tray. I was surprised and delighted by the results, and a few weeks later, I ordered two more growing trays and 18 more seed quilts. Although I've skipped a week here and there, I've successfully grown and harvested around more than a dozen seed quilts at this point. Now, I'm anxious to share my experience, and perhaps inspire others to try growing their own healthy, delicious, superfood microgreens, even if they have never had any experience, or luck, growing vegetables in the past.
P.S. Make sure to read all the way to the end of this review to find out how to get a 10% discount off the purchase price of your first order of a Hamama Microgreens Starter Kits, Seed Quilts, or other microgreens growing accessories!
Increasing our consumption of nutritious, dark leafy greens is an important part of healthy eating. The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, including dark leafy greens. For those of us who have chosen a low carb, ketogenic approach to eating, dietary restrictions make it even harder to get enough nutrients from the foods we eat, rather than from supplements.
Adding more microgreens to our diets, in particular, provides even greater health benefits. A 2012 research study found that microgreens contain between four and 40 times higher concentrations of essential nutrients than their mature counterparts!
These nutrient-dense, immature plants can be excellent sources of key vitamins such as C, E, K, and also carotenoids including lutein and beta-carotene (a precursor to Vitamin A aka retinol), two important antioxidants provide a wide range of health benefits, including helping to protect our eyes against macular degeneration.
We enjoy a large, colorful, salad with a generous helping of freshly harvested microgreens every day! |
Unfortunately, many supermarkets and grocery stores either don't sell them, or run out of them quickly. Even when I've been lucky enough to find one or two containers, those commercially grown microgreens have cost a pretty penny. Far too often, the expensive organic microgreens we've bought at our local Whole Foods Market have become not just limp but slimy and inedible after just one or two days in the vegetable drawer of our fridge. Most are also sold in single-use, plastic clamshell packaging, which is bad for the environment.
Finding organic microgreens or ones that have been grown from non-GMO seeds can also be a challenge.
Unfortunately, since March, these problems have been further exacerbated by the widespread negative impact of the current, unprecedented health crisis.
Buying packets of loose seeds and growing them on a bed of moistened potting mix, soil, or coconut coir is, without question, the cheapest way to grow microgreens at home. However, it also requires watering the seeds once or twice a day, and monitoring their progress daily, from the the time they are planted until they are ready to be harvested, usually takes somewhere between 9 days and a few weeks. And they do best with 4–6 hours of direct sunlight, or natural light supplemented by a grow light(s).
While this may be a good option for experienced container gardening enthusiasts, not everyone was blessed with a "green thumb," or enjoys growing things from seed. Some of us just want to have convenient and consistent access to a variety of microgreens and enjoy them when they are at their freshest, tastiest, and most nutritious, and are happy to pay more for an approach that requires significantly less time and effort than growing these immature greens from seed.
That's why Hamama developed its proprietary seed quilt system, which makes growing fresh, delicious, nutrient-rich microgreens indoors as easy, effortless, and care-free as possible.
Each seed quilt consists of three layers (excluding the seeds):
The seeds are sandwiched between the white felt layer and the light brown paper cover, divided into 20 long, narrow, rectangular, "quilted" sections that hold the seeds in place in a fairly even distribution.
Growing a Hamama microgreens seed quilt is as easy as 1-2-3:
You can harvest the entire seed quilt at once and store whatever microgreens you won't use immediately in the refrigerator, if you wish, or harvest a few sections at a time over the next few days.
I often grow more than one Hamama seed quilt at a time |
Hearty Broccoli, Refreshing Cabbage, Spicy Daikon Radish, Super Salad Mix, Sweet Wheatgrass, Zesty Mix, Energizing Kale, Earthy Clover, Hot Wasabi Mustard, and Fragrant Fenugreek. All the seeds in Hamama's microgreens seed quilts are non-GMO Six are also organic (Energizing Kale, Fragrant Fenugreek, Hearty Broccoli, Spicy Daikon Radish, Earthy Clover, and Sweet Wheatgrass). The company is working on making the switch to an all certified organic line.
Use my Hamama shopping link, add the products you want to the shopping cart, then use the discount code SUPERGREENS during checkout to get 10% off your product total.
Hamama Microgreens Starter Kit and Seed Quilts Review by Margaret Schindel
My First Year on The Keto Diet
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part One
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part Two
Low Carb Muffins & Cupcakes: Treats to Enjoy on a Keto Diet
Low Carb Keto Chocolate Yogurt Granola Chip Pudding Recipe
Good Dee’s Keto Cookie Low Carb Baking Mix Review
Hamama Microgreens Growing Kit Review & Success Tips
My Favorite Hamama Microgreens Seed Quilt Accessories
Keto Cheddar Cheese Biscuits With Chives Recipe
The Ultimate Keto Hot Chocolate Recipe
The Best Low Carb Keto Gift Ideas: Keto Gift Guide
The Best Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Muffins
Wholesome Yum Keto Bread Mix and Yeast Bread Recipe
The Good Chocolate 100% Organic No Sugar Dark Chocolate Review
The Best Advice to Maintain Your Keto Diet Weight Loss
My New Irresistibly Delicious Keto Cheese Crackers Recipe
Luscious Low Carb Keto Triple Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
Quick & Easy Livlo Blueberry Scones Keto Baking Mix Review
Snack Better With The Best Healthy Keto Cookie Dough Bites
The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Pizza Recipe
The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe
Comparing the Best Keto-Friendly Chocolate Hazelnut Spreads - No Added Sugars
The Best Low Carb Keto Sandwich and Burger Buns Mix
Blueberry Biscuit Scones — New, Easy, Low Carb Keto Recipe
The Best Keto Pizza Crust Mix With 0 Net Carbs
An Unusual, Delicious Strawberry Chocolate Tea With 0 Calories
Delicious Sugar-Free Keto Cookies That OREO Fans Will Love
Healthy Pistachio Cherry Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cereal Treats Recipe
Easy, Decadent, High Protein, Sugar-Free Rocky Road Cottage Cheese Ice Cream
The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Sausage and Ricotta Calzones
How to Make Refreshing Vanilla Italian Soda (With or Without Cream)
How I Stayed Committed to the Ketogenic Way of Eating
One of the very best things about being a part of the Review This! team is knowing that we write about the things we truly use, enjoy, and honestly recommend. The recipes are the foods we cook and enjoy. The product reviews are the things we use. Our site is not clickbait; clogged up with ads. And we very rarely write reviews because someone has approached us, asking for a review of their products. It is an honor to be a part of this group.
I go camping regularly; off-grid in West Virginia. Even though I go with the plan to be unplugged and get away from it all, I still want to have a fully charged cell phone at all times. I have 2 items from Anker that have been super reliable and keep me feeling secure at all times.
The Anker PowerPort Solar Charger was my first Anker purchase. I reviewed this charger in September 2017. I still use this solar charger during every, single camping trip and I have had zero problems with it. On 2 occasions, it shut down briefly and I thought perhaps I had broken it. But those were 2 extremely hot days and very bright sunshine. In hindsight, I wonder if it (or my phone) got overheated and shut down temporarily. That has not happened outside of those two occasions.
This charger is lightweight but folds up in a way that is easily to carry in a backpack. I HIGHLY recommend this item for camping, hiking, and other off-grid situations.
Because there were times that I was camping during several days of rain, or in the winter when daylight hours are shorter, I added the Anker PowerCore battery to my camping supplies in 2018. I also keep it fully charged during hurricane season.
This item is basically a rechargeable battery. I charge it fully using the outlet or my laptop (using the USB cord) and then keep it in my camping supplies. It provides enough power to charge my cellphone for multiple days. I have only had one issue with the PowerCore Battery and that was due to operator error. In short, Willy (my dog) got the zoomies in The Shack and ripped the battery off of a shelf when he ran under the cord. It was quite impressive how far the battery flew... and the cord now has to be finessed into the opening in order to make full contact. Frankly, I'm quite impressed that the battery didn't break during that incident.
Reviewing the Anker Portable Solar Power Charger (on my personal blog: Treasures, Travel, Tales).
Reviewing the Anker PowerCore Portable Charger.
I previously reviewed our MyPillow pillows, which we still love. Because the pillows were such a hit in our home, we also opted to buy the MyPillow mattress topper.
I wanted to wait a while to review the mattress topper. For me, it was as important, if not more important, than the pillows. Plus, it is a lot more expensive than pillows, therefore I wanted to make sure it was worthy of my recommendation. Now that we have been sleeping on the topper for 4 months, I believe I can give you a review based on experience, not just first impressions.
For me, a mattress topper is not just about making a bed more comfortable. It is about being able to sleep through the night without experiencing discomfort from being too soft or too hard. Both can result in pain. My days of sleeping on floors or on the ground, long ago passed.
I have mentioned in past articles that I was born with severe scoliosis (curvature of the spine). Because of the multiple curves in my spine, as well as having a pronounced raised hip on one side, I do experience pain, especially if I do not have good support when sleeping or sitting. My mattress matters a lot to me, as I think it does to everyone, whether they suffer with scoliosis or not. I'm not quick to embrace any kind of change. However, it was time for a new mattress on our bed.
When You Hear the Price of a New Mattress |
When we got home, I promptly went online and ordered a Memory Foam mattress topper. The Memory Foam Topper price in 2017 was $116.00, clearly significantly less than $15,000. I had to wait several days after we received it to put it on the bed. It smelled awful! It took a while for it to air out enough to be able to sleep on it, but I felt this was a good compromise.
After sleeping on our MyPillow pillows for a month, I decided to try the MyPillow Mattress Topper too. My Memory Foam mattress topper was now 3 years old. My husband described its condition as having to sleep in craters. Okay, so it had clear recesses. I guess it's "memory" of our body impressions was just a little too good, but I was still not in the mood to spend an automobile price on a new mattress and the Memory Foam mattresses were no longer available. So, we bought the MyPillow mattress topper.
MyPillow Three-inch Mattress Bed Topper (King)Check PriceThe first week was a real adjustment for me. It was harder than the Memory Foam, but I was definitely sleeping through the night and waking up pain-free. After a month, all was still well and I no longer thought it was too firm. After 4 months, I can say, with certainty, that this mattress topper is the right choice.
Benefits of the MyPillow Mattress Topper
Upon receipt, it is necessary to let the mattress topper lay out for a day to regain it's full shape after being wrapped for shipping. The faint odor will also disappear quickly.
Three-inch Mattress Bed Topper - by MyPillow (King)Check Price Three-inch Mattress Bed Topper - by MyPillow (Full)Check Price Three-inch Mattress Bed Topper - by MyPillow (Twin)Check Price
Recently, I discovered the CleanGreen Microfiber Cleaning Gloves. I planned to wear them while I was dusting my home so I could easily pick up & dust picture frames, trinket boxes and knick-knacks. However, the first time I put them on, I discovered they can do so much more!
As I was dusting my dining room, I found it was a lot faster and easier to dust the dining room table legs and chair legs with the gloves. Moving on to the buffet, I discovered just how easy it was to dust the doors, drawers & sides of the buffet. In my den, I ended up using just the gloves to dust the book shelves.
The gloves allow me to hold picture frames without getting finger prints on them while also dusting them completely. Since the gloves are not thick, I can still feel the surfaces. They are also very soft, similar to the way a plush animal feels. I may never use a dusting cloth again!
Master Manufacturing CleanGreen Microfiber Cleaning Gloves, One Size
Check PriceThere are several features about these gloves that I really like. First and foremost, they do a great job of dusting anything your hands can touch or reach. Here are a few more reasons to love them.
One note of caution: Don't dry them with a fabric softener dryer sheet.
These dusting gloves made me wish I was a lot taller so I could dust the ceiling lights, fans, window casings and wall cornices. Well, I guess I could do that with the help of a ladder, but I best stay on the ground with my long handled feather duster for those areas.
I was so impressed with these dandy dusting gloves that I immediately purchased 7 additional pairs. I have already given my mom a pair and I plan to give them as Christmas gifts to the home "cleaners" in our family. They are most definitely "gift worthy".
Master Manufacturing CleanGreen Microfiber Dusting Floves, 1 Pair (Pack of 1), BeigeCheck Price
Whatever the project is in my house I like to tackle it myself. I'm not the best handyman but I can hold my own when comes to work around the house.
I've learned some tricks over the years to help me get by with most of my own projects.
One day I was in our local hardware store and noticed this laser level. My first thought was why would I ever need one of these.
Then I thought, wait a minute, one of my problems was hanging pictures or adding a shelf on the walls and keeping them straight.
I can tell you that I've patched up many holes in the walls fixing my mistakes while hanging pictures and shelves. Well, not anymore because this little laser level makes it so easy even I can do it.
I now have pictures and shelves that are perfectly level. Although, I do miss those words from Fran, "that's not straight". This handy little tool helped me fix all of my mistakes.
The laser level made this easy, just set the first screw, then mount the laser level on the wall. Line it up to the centerline of the first screw, using the level on the tool to make sure it's level. Now, measure and mark the wall on the laser line for the second screw. Wow!! Perfect every time.
Some other projects that my laser level made easy, hanging wallpaper, and borders, pictures, and curtain rods. I had to add some new posts for our deck, I used the laser level to determine the correct height of each post. I even lined up the photo eyes on my garage door with it. So, it turns out that I really did need one of these.
If you have been following my ongoing series of posts here about my successful keto diet weight loss journey, you’ll know that I love baked goods and desserts. You’ll also know that finding ways to indulge in keto desserts has helped me maintain a fairly strict ketogenic diet approach to eating since May 2019, a very low carb, healthy lifestyle that I continue to follow now that I have achieved and surpassed my original weight loss goals.
I also enjoy baking, but I don’t always have time to do low carb baking from scratch. That’s why I keep a selection of high quality keto baking mixes in my pantry, so, I can enjoy fresh-baked sweet treats in just minutes. In a recent post, I shared my favorite low carb baking mix brands and keto recipes for low carb keto muffins. In this post, I'll share the excellent Good Dee's Cookie Mix low carb baking mix line.
Bake fresh keto cookies in just minutes with Good Dee's low carb cookie baking mix |
All Good Dee's Low Carb Cookie Baking Mix flavors are sugar free, gluten free, grain free, and wheat-free. Some (but not all) are also manufactured in a dedicated gluten free facility. Anyone who either has a food allergy or bakes cookies for someone who does will appreciate the allergy information on the packaging and the brand owner's efforts to accommodate multiple common food allergies.
Good Dee's continues to expand their low carb baking mix line for keto cookies and other products. Not every flavor is available year round, and some are considered seasonal. I recommend checking on both Amazon (free shipping for Amazon Prime members) and the Good Dee's website (free shipping for orders over $50) to see which flavors are currently in production and in stock. Occasionally, these products also go on sale, another reason to keep an eye out on both websites, and also to sign up for the Good Dee's mailing list for exclusive offers.
Last week, I used the three Good Dee's low carb baking mix flavors I had on hand to bake the three dozen cookies I photographed for this post. I've also tried a fourth flavor (double chocolate chip) that I didn't have in my pantry at the time. Today, I'll share my product reviews of the four low carb baking mix flavors that I've purchased and made into keto cookies.
These thick, soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies are also low carb and keto diet friendly treats |
It's not surprising that the first keto cookie mix Good Dee's introduced was chocolate chip. After all, chocolate chip cookies are the most popular cookie in the United States, and the second most popular cookie in the world, after French macarons.
I tried Good Dee's Chocolate Chip Cookie Low Carb Baking Mix for the first time shortly after I discovered it on Amazon and, truthfully, I was a bit underwhelmed. Fortunately, the "new & improved recipe" lived up to its promise, and the second batch I made, using the mix with the new recipe, was much better. Like all the Good Dee's cookie mixes I've tried to date, the improved chocolate chip version produced cookies that were large, thick, soft and chewy. That's how I prefer my "chippers," but if you like thin, crisp cookies, you probably won't be a fan of the Good Dee's mixes
As you can see, they certainly weren't the best-looking chocolate chip cookies I've ever baked. Both times I've made them, the batter underneath the chocolate chips seemed to pull away from them, resulting in small, chocolate-filled craters after baking. However, I don't care that much about how pretty they are, since they meet my much more important criteria for being tasty, satisfying, and keto-friendly.
The other thing to know about this mix is that the chips are very dark chocolate and not very sweet. I rather like the contrast of the barely sweet chocolate chips and somewhat sweeter cookie dough.
A different texture than traditional sugar cookies, but a similar taste |
Like all this brand's products, Good Dee's Sugar Cookie Baking Mix is actually sugar free. Although the texture is coarser and chewier than conventional sugar cookies, the taste is surprisingly similar.
These also make a great base for adding your own flavor mix-ins. I'm thinking of adding some tiny wild Maine blueberries and chopped walnuts or pecans to my next batch. Yum!
If I had to pick my favorite, it would have to be this awesome Good Dee's butter pecan cookie baking mix |
Of the four keto cookie mix flavors I've tried so far, the Good Dee's Butter Pecan Cookie Low Carb Baking Mix has definitely turned out to be my favorite. To me, they have an awesome flavor and a less coarse texture than the other flavors, making these extremely similar to old-fashioned butter pecan cookies made with white flour and cane sugar.
My husband, who eats conventional cookies or cake daily for dessert, likes these low carb butter pecan cookies a lot, too—the ultimate compliment for keto baked goods!
There are a few other Good Dee's Low Carb Cookie Mix flavors that may be seasonal or out of stock, so I recommend keeping an eye out to see which ones are available from time to time throughout the year.
The Dee behind Good Dee's is owner and founder Deana Karim, who finally succeeded in losing weight and adopting a healthy lifestyle after embracing a LCHF (low carb, high fat) approach to eating. She knew that thinking of this way of eating as a diet (and, by implication, temporary), and feeling deprived because she could no longer enjoy cookies and other baked goods, would be a "recipe" for failure. At the time, there weren't any baked goods that met her requirements for being healthy, low carb, gluten-free and delicious, so she started developing her own gluten-free, low carb keto recipes for brownies, cookies, muffins, and cakes.
Understanding that there were many other people following a low carb diet who, like her, had an unmet need for easy-to-make, healthy, and delicious sugar free baked goods, Deana invested her $5,000 savings into launching her Good Dee's low carb baking mix business. A month later, her low carb, gluten free, sugar free chocolate brownie mix was the number one brownie mix (not just low carb) on Amazon!
She continues to expand her line, and has listened to customer feedback to improve several of her baking mixes. She now offers Good Dee's sugar free just add water frosting mix in cream cheese, dark chocolate, and white chocolate flavors, and even sugar free rainbow sprinkles.
After I wrote and published this review, I decided to apply for Good Dee's affiliate program and was approved the same day. That's great news for you, as well as for me, because...
I'm excited to be able to offer my readers a 15% discount code for the Good Dee's website!
To take advantage of this generous 15% discount, simply:
That's all there is to it. Enjoy!
All low carb baking mixes behave differently than their traditional flour- and sugar-laden counterparts. Here are my tips for baking successful keto cookies from a Good Dee's low carb baking mix.
Even if you have a Silpat or other nonstick baking pan liner underneath, I recommend lining your baking sheets with baking parchment, as directed when using these low carb baking mixes. The cookies are extremely fragile when they come out of the oven, and the parchment paper helps them release without breaking. I have switched to using unbleached baking parchment exclusively, and my high quality Fasmov Non-Stick Parchment Paper Baking Liner Sheets are shipped flat, so the edges of the paper don't curl (which I love!).
Setting out and measuring all the ingredients, the mixing bowl, and a mixing spoon keeps your work space organized |
As with any type of baking, ingredients should be at room temperature unless otherwise specified (for example, using chilled fat in pastry dough or biscuits).
Getting ready to add the egg, butter, and vanilla extract after stirring the dry cookie mix in a mixing bowl |
The directions for all Good Dee's cookie mixes call for pouring the baking mix into a bowl and stirring with a spoon before adding the wet ingredients. I'm guessing the reason is that nut and seed flours are heavier than wheat flour, so they may tend to separate out and settle to the bottom during shipping. If that's the case, they might need to be stirred back into the rest of the mix to redistribute them evenly.
After stirring the dry mix in the bowl, add the egg, melted butter or coconut oil, and vanilla extract, then mix thoroughly.
I used a medium cookie scoop to divide the prepared keto chocolate chip cookie mix into 12 equal portions |
Dividing dough into 12 equal portions with any accuracy can be a pain. I could weigh the prepared dough in grams, divide the total weight by 12, and then weigh out each portion of the dough. But if I'm using a baking mix, I'm not interested in spending that amount of time and effort just to portion out the dough equally.
Since I still track my daily keto macros and calories, ensuring that dough is divided as evenly as possible is important to me. Most of the mixes call for dropping 1½ to 2 tablespoon portions of dough onto the parchment paper-lined cookie sheet to make 12 cookies. However, the butter pecan cookie mix package says to use 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie to make "approximately" 12 cookies, yet when I did that, I had used up only slightly more than half the dough. By trial and error, I found that 1/12 of my prepared butter pecan cookie dough measured out to slightly less than 2 tablespoons per cookie.
So, if you track your daily keto macros and calories (for example, on the Carb Manager app), I recommend using a 1.5 to 2 tablespoon stainless steel scoop with a trigger mechanism to help release the sticky dough, such as the Solula Professional 18/8 Stainless Steel Medium Cookie Scoop #40 (with a 1.7 tablespoon capacity) to help you measure out 12 equal portions of cookie dough. You'll quickly find out, through trial and error, whether you need to use a level scoop, a scant scoop, or a slightly rounded scoop of dough for each cookie.
I've noticed that keto cookies I've made using a Good Dee's Low Carb Baking Mix tend to progress from underbaked to overbaked fairly quickly. Since every oven is different, I recommend setting your timer for one minute less than the package directions' shortest baking time and then keeping a close eye on the cookies so you can pull them out as soon as the edges turn golden (or, in the case of the double chocolate chip cookies, until the edges have just set).
These keto cookies have a much softer, somewhat coarser, and chewier texture than conventional cookies made with flour and sugar, and they are also more fragile, even after they have cooled. If you try to lift them off the baking parchment before they have fully cooled, they are likely to fall apart. So, don't let the scent of freshly baked cookies tempt you to try to eat one, or even move them to a serving plate, while they're still warm.
In fact, I find that both the flavor and texture of these low carb baked goods are even better after a day or two!
If you think it might be hard to resist eating more of these cookies than will fit within your daily calories and keto macros, or if you don't plan to eat one every day and want to enjoy them as a sweet treat from time to time, you may want to freeze some or most of them, after snugly wrapping them individually in plastic freezer wrap and then placing them inside an airtight freezer-safe food storage container (or, if necessary, inside a heavy, zippered freezer food storage bag).
Wrapping each cookie securely in plastic freezer wrap not only provides another layer of protection against freezer burn, it also makes it easy to remove just one or two cookies, which will thaw fairly quickly after being unwrapped.
Gluten-free, sugar-free, grain-free, butter pecan, chocolate chip, and sugar cookie keto cookies, made with Good Dee's low carb baking mix |
Unless you're just starting a keto diet, you've probably discovered that ketogenic cookies, cakes, pies, etc., have a different texture and, often, a somewhat different taste than conventional baked goods made with high carbohydrate ingredients that can spike your blood sugar levels and cause inflammation. So, it's important to have realistic expectations of any keto baking recipes or low carb baking mixes.
That said, I found that my taste buds gradually adapted after several months on a fairly strict ketogenic diet, and since I no longer eat conventional sweet treats, my palate no longer compares very low carb desserts to traditional baked goods. My experience is pretty typical of people who stick to a fairly strict keto diet for at least 8–12 weeks.
So, while these cookies don't taste like my grandmother's cookies (or mine, prior to last May), they make yummy, satisfying keto desserts for those of us following a very low carb lifestyle.
Baking is based on chemical reactions between ingredients. And the chemistry that makes conventional baking recipes work involves interactions between ingredients that aren't keto friendly. Even for those of us who have decades of experience as excellent home bakers, there's a significant learning curve in converting old, beloved family recipes for low carb baking. That's a challenge I haven't had an interest in tackling (at least, not yet!), so I prefer to let low carb baking experts do the work of developing delicious, foolproof recipes for keto cookies and other baked goods.
Sugar free, gluten free keto baking also requires stocking the pantry with different ingredients than the ones we're accustomed to using. For example, instead of white and whole wheat flour and cornstarch, we might need to buy almond flour, coconut flour, sunflower seed flour, watermelon seed flour, and xanthan gum. (And it's not as though any of these ingredients can be simply substituted 1:1 in a keto baking recipe!)
So, although I keep those and other low carb baking ingredients in my freezer and pantry, and enjoy making a number of keto baking recipes for rolls, buns, muffins, etc., when I have time and inclination, I also appreciate the convenience of having keto baking mix varieties on hand. I try to buy ones that contain the same high-quality, low carb ingredients I use in my scratch low carb baking, and that produce keto baked goods that taste as good as the ones I bake from scratch (or close enough).
My First Year on The Keto Diet
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part One
Preparing to Succeed on the Keto Diet, Part Two
Low Carb Muffins & Cupcakes: Treats to Enjoy on a Keto Diet
Low Carb Keto Chocolate Yogurt Granola Chip Pudding Recipe
Good Dee’s Keto Cookie Low Carb Baking Mix Review
Hamama Microgreens Growing Kit Review & Success Tips
My Favorite Hamama Microgreens Seed Quilt Accessories
Keto Cheddar Cheese Biscuits With Chives Recipe
The Ultimate Keto Hot Chocolate Recipe
The Best Low Carb Keto Gift Ideas: Keto Gift Guide
The Best Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Muffins
Wholesome Yum Keto Bread Mix and Yeast Bread Recipe
The Good Chocolate 100% Organic No Sugar Dark Chocolate Review
The Best Advice to Maintain Your Keto Diet Weight Loss
My New Irresistibly Delicious Keto Cheese Crackers Recipe
Luscious Low Carb Keto Triple Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies Recipe
Quick & Easy Livlo Blueberry Scones Keto Baking Mix Review
Snack Better With The Best Healthy Keto Cookie Dough Bites
The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Pizza Recipe
The Best Quick and Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe
Comparing the Best Keto-Friendly Chocolate Hazelnut Spreads - No Added Sugars
The Best Low Carb Keto Sandwich and Burger Buns Mix
Blueberry Biscuit Scones — New, Easy, Low Carb Keto Recipe
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