Review This Reviews!

Showing posts sorted by relevance for query serving. Sort by date Show all posts

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe

In the heat of summer, most of us enjoy eating lighter desserts featuring sweet, fresh summer fruit and would rather spend as little time as possible cooking or baking in a hot kitchen. Some of us also may be trying to get or stay slim to look our best in lightweight, more revealing summer clothing.

In this review, I'm sharing my yummy, quick & easy low carb keto shortcake cupcakes recipe, which can be whipped up fast thanks to a keto baking mix, is bursting with sweet, ripe berries and topped with a luscious sugar-free buttercream frosting.

Quick & Easy Low Carb Mixed-Berry Shortcake Cupcakes - Keto-Friendly, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free

A Fun Cupcake Twist on Traditional Biscuit-Based Berry Shortcake

I have made delicious keto-friendly strawberry shortcake with biscuits from a low carb baking mix topped with fresh whipped cream and berries. However, since there are only two of us in our household, that means whipping just a few tablespoons of heavy cream and assembling two shortcakes after dinner every time I want to serve them.

Recently, I got the idea to try making shortcake cupcakes, substituting cupcakes for the biscuits and low carb buttercream frosting for the whipped cream, which would let me assemble and refrigerate them in advance. While I'm making dinner, I can just take out two of the refrigerated shortcake cupcakes and set them on the counter so they will be at room temperature when we are ready for dessert.

A Delicious, Quick & Easy, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free* Summer Dessert

The cake portion of these cupcakes is made with Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix. This healthy, sugar-free, gluten-free and nut-free boxed keto cupcake mix is a real time-saver that minimizes time in a hot kitchen during the summer months.

The baked cupcakes are paired with juicy, fresh berries, keto berry jam and a super simple sugar-free buttercream that takes just a few minutes.

Scotty's Keto Cupcake Mix + Low Carb Buttercream Frosting + Sugar-Free Berry Jam + Fresh Berries = The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes

*Important food allergy note: Although Scotty's Everyday baking mixes are made with no nut flours, their website does not state that their mixes are made in a nut-free processing facility. It is important to contact the company to find out that information if you are thinking about serving these treats to anyone who has a severe nut allergy.

low carb keto shortcake cupcakes batter in silicone muffin pan liners

Just add melted butter, eggs, water and vanilla extract to Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix for the base of these quick & easy low carb shortcake cupcakes, then split, fill, frost and decorate them with sugar-free jam, keto buttercream frosting and fresh berries.

Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix Makes an Ideal Biscuit Alternative for This Low Carb Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe

I have used several keto baking mixes from Scotty's Everyday and like them a lot. Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix is sweetened very lightly, and the baked cupcakes taste a bit like the drop biscuits I sometimes make for shortcake. They are also less crumbly than traditional cupcakes using sugar and wheat flour, which makes them perfect for this recipe.

In addition to the biscuit-like flavor and sturdy structure, each cupcake prepared according to the directions on the Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix package have several other benefits:

0 net carbs (22g total carbs - 14g dietary fiber - 8g erythritol = 0 net carbs)
No added sugars
Sweetened with erythritol and monk fruit extract
14g dietary fiber
90 calories

This sugar-free, gluten-free, nut-free, low carb keto baking mix is also a cinch to prepare. Just add melted butter, eggs, water and vanilla extract. My product review rating for Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix is 5 stars!

My Favorite Keto Buttercream Frosting Recipes

The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe needs a fast, simple frosting to live up to its name. I recommend the Keto Buttercream Frosting Recipe from Wholesome Yum, which has 205 calories, 16.4g of fat and 0g net carbs per serving (3 tablespoons).

If you want to significantly cut the calories and fat and are willing to spend a bit more time and effort, I highly recommend the luscious Sugar-Free Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting recipe from All Day I Dream About Food, which lends itself beautifully to piping and tastes out of this world. A 1/4-cup serving (4 tablespoons) has only 109 calories, 10.7g of fat and and almost zero (0.1g) net carbs.

Use Your Favorite Keto Friendly Berries

Berries are the only fruits low enough in carbohydrates to fit a ketogenic diet. The berries with the fewest net carbs are raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. Blueberries have more than twice the net carbs and half the dietary fiber of raspberries or blackberries, but are still low enough in carbs for you to enjoy a few on one of these keto shortcake cupcakes.

For the keto shortcake cupcakes I photographed for this post, I used fresh raspberries and blueberries. I also added a taste of strawberries by pairing my favorite sugar-free strawberry jam with the buttercream frosting for the filling.

cupcakes being split, filled, frosted and decorated

ChocZero Keto Strawberry Jam is delicious, spreads easily and, like the buttercream frosting, helps hold the fresh rasbperries and blueberries in place while reassembling the filled shortcake cupcakes.

The Best Low Carb Keto Strawberry Jam

I have tried several brands and flavors of sugar-free jams. Most were fairly disappointing. Some were sweetened with artificial sweeteners, which I try to avoid for health reasons. Some were too thin and loose or had big chunks of berries that made them hard to spread in a thin layer.

ChocZero is one of my favorite brands of low carb and keto-friendly products. Recently, they launched a keto strawberry jam, which I ordered immediately. Based on my experience with other sugar-free jam products, I was only cautiously optimistic. (I didn't want to get my hopes up only to be disappointed again.)

I was pleasantly surprised by the new ChocZero Keto Strawberry Jam. It has a thick, "jammy" consistency, spreads easily in as thick or thin a layer as you wish, is sweetened with monk fruit, has no added sugars, and has a delicious flavor from real strawberries. Each serving (1 tablespoon) provides a whopping 10g of dietary fiber and has just 15 calories and 1 net carb.

Unlike the other low carb, sugar-free jams and preserves I have tried, ChocZero Keto Strawberry Jam is also sticky enough to help keep the raspberries, blackberries, strawberries or blueberries in place when sandwiching them between the halves of the split shortcake cupcakes.

Five filled, frosted and decorated low carb keto shortcake cupcakes

Don't these keto-friendly shortcake cupcakes filled with jam, frosting and fresh berries look yummy, despite my messy piping of my melting buttercream? They're one of the best keto desserts to make for summer holiday gatherings including the 4th of July (especially if you use red and blue berries!).

How to Make the Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes

Recommended Kitchen Tools and Supplies for This Recipe

Silicone Muffin or Cupcake Liners
The Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix package instructions say to "Line one 12-cup standard muffin tin" without specifying the type of cupcake liners to use, I highly recommend Pantry Elements Silicone Baking Muffin Cups. They are made from BPA-, PVC- and phthalate-free, food grade platinum silicone and sturdy enough to use on their own on top of a flat baking sheet, if desired, or you can use them as liners for cupcake or muffin tins. They also come in a clear, reusable screw-top container for storage, which keeps them clean and dust-free and lets you enjoy the rainbow of bright, happy colors even when these nonstick silicone baking cups are not in use. I have used mine frequently for several years for both muffins and cupcakes and can attest to their high quality and durability.

Stainless Steel Scoop With Trigger or Spring Action Handle
I have a large assortment of these stainless steel scoops in different sizes and found that my Norpro 50mm stainless steel scoop (3 Tablespoons) was a bit too small and my Norpro 56mm stainless steel scoop (4 Tablespoons) was a bit too large. You can use a rounded 3 Tablespoon scoop of cupcake batter or, if you make a lot of cupcakes or muffins, you might want to get the Solula 18/8 Stainless Steel Ice Cream Cupcake Muffin Scoop (3.4 Tablespoons), which is just the right size and capacity to portion out nicely rounded scoops of batter into standard size muffin or cupcake pans.

Cake Decorating Set or Piping Bags With Decorating Tips
These low carb keto shortcake cupcakes will be just as delicious if you use a small offset spatula to spread the frosting on the tops, but piping the buttercream into decorative swirls makes for a more festive presentation. As you can see in the photos, I had a hard time piping the frosting onto my cupcakes, partly because I'm decades out of practice and partly because my kitchen was so hot that the buttercream quickly softened too much. Even so, I like the look of the buttercream swirls, messy though they turned out! If you are new to cake decorating and would like to give it a try, I recommend starting with a small, inexpensive, basic set, such as the Wilton Beginning Buttercream 20-Piece Cake Decorating Kit to see whether you enjoy using a piping bag and decorative tips.

Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

1 package Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix
1 Tablespoon melted butter or ghee (clarified butter)
3 large eggs
1/3 cup water
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
Optional but recommended: Avocado oil, clarified butter or coconut oil for greasing the cupcake liners

For the Keto Buttercream Frosting (Wholesome Yum recipe):

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (Wholesome Yum's recipe recommends Danish Creamery European Style Unsalted Butter, which isn't available where I live; I use Kerrygold Unsalted Butter, a high-quality Irish butter made from the milk of grass-fed cows that are free of growth hormones)
1 cup Wholesome Yum Besti Keto Monk Fruit Sweetener With Allulose 1:1 Natural Powdered Sugar Replacement
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1 Tablespoon heavy cream (approximately)

For the Filling:

ChocZero Keto Strawberry Jam
Fresh raspberries, strawberries, blackberries or blueberries, preferably organic

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ / 180 ℃. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper, foil or silicone cupcake liners or place 12 sturdy silicone baking cups on a baking sheet. Although not specified on the cupcake mix package directions, I recommend greasing the liners lightly with a thin film of avocado oil, clarified butter or coconut oil.
Prepare the Scotty's Everyday Keto Cupcake & Cake Mix batter according to the package directions. Use a trigger or spring action scoop to portion the batter evenly among the 12 lined muffin tin wells or silicone baking cups, using approximately 3.5 tablespoons of batter for each cupcake.
Bake for 20–22 minutes, just until they test done according to the standard "toothpick test" (i.e., insert a clean, dry toothpick into to center of one of the cupcakes and pull it back out; if it remains clean and dry, the baked goods are done). Do not overbake! Cool them on a baking rack for 20 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the muffin pan or silicone baking cups.
While the cupcakes are cooling, prepare the buttercream according to the Keto Buttercream Frosting Recipe on the Wholesome Yum website.
Rinse the berries and lay them on two thicknesses of paper towel to dry. Set aside the best looking ones to decorate the tops of the cakes.
Slice the cooled keto shorctcake cupcakes in half horizontally and turn the halves cut side up. Spread a layer of ChocZero Keto Strawberry Jam on one half and a thin layer of the prepared buttercream frosting on the other half. Arrange the berries on the bottom half of the cupcake and cover them with the top half.
Frost the tops of the cupcakes with the remaining buttercream frosting. You can either spread it on with an offset spatula or put it into a piping bag fitted with a star tip (or your favorite cake decorating tip) and piping it on in swirls or rosettes. Top each frosted shortcake cupcake with one of the reserved fresh berries.
Serve on dessert plates with knives and forks, like traditional berry shortcakes. (These towering, berry-filled cupcakes are too tall to bite into directly!)

A Perfect 4th of July Dessert

Make these shortcakes with fresh raspberries (or sliced or diced strawberries) and blueberries for a festive red, white and blue 4th of July dessert that everyone at your holiday gathering can enjoy, even if they are on a gluten-free, sugar-free, nut-free, low carb or ketogenic diet.

The Best Quick & Easy Low Carb Keto Shortcake Cupcakes Recipe by Margaret Schindel

Posts About My Keto Diet Journey

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)

Reviews of the Keto Diet by Barbara C. (aka Brite-Ideas)

My Personal Keto Testimonial

How I Stayed Committed to the Ketogenic Way of Eating

Friday, December 6, 2019

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container Reviewed

Airtight, Leakproof, Microwavable & Freezer Safe Storage

I recently purchased 3 Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers. I needed an airtight container for rolls & crescents so they would last longer. I selected the 9.6 cup size which was perfect for my needs. As it turns out, there are many more uses for these containers than just bread storage.

During the recent holidays, I discovered these containers will hold liquid or dry food. Since they are leak-proof due to their tight seal, they will even store leftover homemade soup. Plus, they are microwavable when it is time to reheat the leftovers. Therefore, there is no need to transfer leftovers from their storage container to heat. Less clean-up is always appreciated.

I love my faithful Tupperware, but sadly, if I can't see it, I am likely to forget it. So much fruit is discarded simply because it is forgotten once it has been stored away. Because these containers are transparent, it is easy to see at a glance what is stored in which container.

Rubbermaid Brillance Food Storage Container Reviewed

Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container, Large, 9.6 Cup, Clear 1991158Check PriceNot only are they clear, airtight, leak-proof, microwavable and freezer safe, their flat design makes them stackable in the the refrigerator, freezer, or pantry.

Since we don't have to worry about the spilling, transporting food from one location to another is easy. Of course, if you are dropping off food, you might not get these nifty containers back. The recipient will be tempted to forget where they came from originally.

Now that I have had experience with the larger containers, I will definitely be buying the smaller single serve size as well. That will make lunchtime so much easier!

To use in the microwave, simply lift the locks for venting.

The only possible negative that I have found with these containers is that they seal so tightly. It takes more effort to remove the lids than it does with a snap lid. But, after a few uses, I knew what to expect. Now I grip the container with one hand and remove the lid with my other hand. In my opinion, that is a simple inconvenience to enjoy the airtight storage.

Oh, and did I mention, the price is right! No wonder they named these containers "Brilliance".

Rubbermaid Brilliance Set of 7Check Price Rubbermaid Brilliance Set of 5 (3.2 Cup)Check Price Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container Set, 18-PieceCheck Price Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container, Small, 1.3 Cup, 2-PackCheck Price

More Great Things for the Kitchen

Lightweight Acrylic Cake Plate with Dome Lid Reviewed
This lightweight acrylic domed cake plate is perfect from storage and display! Easily accommodates a two layer cake, cheesecake, or other baked goods

Appetizers on Ice Buffet Serving Trays Review
It is easy to keep appetizers, fruit, vegetables, cheese, etc. cold during parties when you use these ice buffet serving trays.

Reviewing Vacuum Sealing Jars with a FoodSaver Machine
Reviewing vacuum sealing dry goods in jars. One solution to avoid inviting pantry moths into your kitchen as well keeping dry goods fresh longer.

Brown Sugar Keeper Reviewed - I Love My Brown Sugar Bear!
Keep brown sugar soft or make hard brown sugar soft again with a brown sugar keeper. I chose a bear brown sugar keeper. See other shapes & styles too

Rubbermaid Brilliance Food Storage Container Reviewed by:

FOLLOW US ON:

Sunday, August 30, 2020

These Keto Nuggets are Too Good - Resist the Temptation!

These Keto Nuggets are Too Good!

My friend and fellow writer on ReviewThisReviews, Margaret, has written an extensive series on Keto. If you're considering Keto as a way of eating, be sure to check out her helpful ongoing advice and tips. Her latest detailed and very informative article was on Keto Muffins.

Being a Keto warrior myself for about a year and a half, I have a bit of keto experience under my very loose belt now. This brief review is specifically about one particular Keto product I recently tried.

Here's a photo of it:

Am I Serious About Not Buying This?

For me, yes, lol. If you love a bit of crunch, not too much sweetness, and something the size of more significant popcorn pieces, these are calling your name.

I'm not a sweets person: I can take sweets or leave them. However, there's something about this Keto treat that challenged my self-control! My usual food discipline was weakened for the first time in a year and a half on Keto.

I've lost over 60 pounds to date, and honestly, I won't keep these Keto Nuggets in the house any longer. Isn't it funny that something is too good?

They contain just what the package says; dark chocolate, pecans, almonds, and hemp seed. I'm so grateful I ate the entire bag in three days because just typing this would send me looking for it.

The Keto Numbers on Keto Nuggets

According to the package, one serving of nuggets is 20 grams, that's about three-quarters of an ounce. That one serving is broken down as follows: 4 net carbs, 6 total carbs, 2 grams of fiber, 9 grams of fat, 2 grams of protein, and 120 calories. That's undoubtedly Keto friendly. However, stopping at one serving is the problem.

If you feel you can stop eating these at a couple ounces, go for it. I honestly struggled with limiting my intake, and I rarely struggle with food on Keto!

Would I Recommend These as a Keto Treat?

Absolutely. Keto Nuggets are fantastic; however, they lead me into temptation, and I had to deliver myself from food evil. For you, they may be just fine. Consider yourself warned, they're delicious.

I live in Canada and purchased these at our local Costco. I did check Amazon to see if they carried it (in case you wanted it, not me!); however, the Keto Nuggets they sell are higher in carbs and not precisely the same as the one I've featured here. They were an excellent price at Costco; on sale for about $10 - which is why I grabbed them. Tell me the store guru's don't know what they're doing.

FOLLOW US ON:

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Who's Ready for Some Party Food?

appetizers served on a multi-tiered serving tray

Inevitably, no matter what type of party you are hosting, you're going to need food. It might just be snacks, appetizers, desserts or maybe even a full meal but food is a must! The wonderful authors (called Lensmasters) at Squidoo (now on Hubpages) have certainly got you covered for party food ideas.

Kids Party Food Ideas

Food for kids parties is important. They will run home and brag everyone about the wonderful treats that were served at the most recent party. It can be something as simple as pizza or as fun as tacos. Or, maybe it's all about the sweet treats. Anyway you slice it, MaggiePowell shares her experience and ideas in her article (called a lens) titled Kid Friendly Party Food.

This mom has three kids with three birthdays each year. She has tons of experience in hosting kids and teens parties and with what types of foods they prefer. There are tons of suggestions for everything from snacks to cakes to meals. Anyone planning a party for children, tweens or teens should definitely give this a read!

Teen Girls Party Food

Teen girls can be picky about eating. Claremckenzie shares her experience in menu planning in her article Party Food for Teenage Girls. From suggestions for the menu to serving dishes to make the food look great, Clare has got you covered!

I love the simple to read instructions for kabobs, pinwheels and the like. Of course, she has a section all about sweets too!

Appetizer Parties

MareeT shares some of her best ideas for throwing a wonderful appetizer party. In Party Appetizer Ideas, MareeT explains that the party can be as large or as small as you like -- but it will be great with some pre-planning. Along with the food, she touches on invitations, music, punch, serving dishes and much more!

Some of her recipes look so darned good -- I am getting hungry just reading them (and drooling over the photos). I also love the little tips she posts on the post-it notes. Sharing these gems can help us all host a better party!

Do you have some tried and true recipes you use for parties, get togethers or potlucks? Consider sharing them on Squidoo! It's simple, free and only takes a couple of minutes to get started. If you have toyed with the idea of writing online, try Squidoo. What could be better?

FOLLOW US ON:

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Vintage Lamp Bird Bath - DIY Tutorial and Review

I was visiting my muse the other day, Pinterest, when I came upon the most delightful inspiration. Have you seen the creative bird baths that are being made from vintage lamps? I'm pretty sure I would never have thought of this fun, and ingenious, idea on my own. As one who loves to give cast off items new life, this was the perfect project for me. In case you also enjoy whimsical garden features, I am sharing my DIY process to prime your pump.

First, I needed an old lamp and bird bath basin, so I took a little field trip to a couple of thrift stores. Goodwill had exactly what I needed. On my first shopping expedition, I found a glass serving dish that reminded me of a sunflower. Amazingly, that is the exact vision I had for the theme of my creation. Who knew an egg platter could be so lovely?

Next, I went on the hunt for the right lamp to complement my new bird bath dish, and to serve as its base. Because thrift stores are always receiving new donations, I found the perfect lamp on my very next trip to the store. The crystal, marble, and brass features, along with the size of the lamp, were just right in every way. I couldn't wait to get home and put the finishing touches on my vintage bird bath.

Step One: Unscrew the light socket and remove it from the top of the lamp.

Step Two: Clip the electrical cord and pull it out through the lamp base.

Step Three: I removed each individual section of the lamp and reassembled the pieces to better support the basin section of my bird bath. I moved the brass leaf section to the top of the column and reversed it (turned it upside down) to serve as the support arms for my glass dish.

Step Four: Though I had intended to glue the platter directly to the brass arms, I found that they weren't totally level, so I riveted a circular metal candle holder to the brass piece. I spray painted the metal silver since it would show through the bottom of the water basin. I wanted a natural looking reflection.

gluing a glass plate to a lamp candle holder

Step Five: I used E6000 glue to affix the glass dish to the candle holder. I ran a bead of glue all along the circular rim on the bottom of the egg platter and carefully applied pressure for a minute or two after centering the dish on the metal plate. Then, I let the glue cure for a couple of days.

Step Six: Since I don't want my glass bird bath to tip over and shatter, I ran a metal post up into the center column where the cord used to be housed. I purchased an inexpensive plant hanger at the dollar store. It has stakes to anchor the base of the lamp into the ground. I measured the height of the lamp and then cut off the hook top of the planter stake. For extra insurance, since the winds are often incredibly strong where I live, I drilled a hole through the center of a cement patio paver and inserted the metal rod through it before installing the rod inside the lamp. Now my bird bath is very stable and far less likely to get knocked over by the wind or wild critters. As a bonus, it now has a level platform on which to stand. I'll be planting flowers around the paver to make it more attractive.

metal post placed through patio pavement square

Your steps may not be identical to mine, because every lamp is slightly different, but there are enough similarities to give you a sense of how to go about assembling your bird bath. You may be able to find a lamp that already has a glass shade. In that case, you won't need a separate glass dish. I preferred knowing that my glass dish would not be toxic to birds and I didn't have to seal any holes that had been drilled through a lamp shade.

I am very pleased with my unique bird bath. It is so satisfying to take an unwanted item or two and turn them into a conversation piece. More than that, I feel like I am showing a little love to the beautiful creatures who share my garden habitat. It has been an especially dry season. With the mountain creek dried up at the moment, it feels wonderful to provide a source of sustenance for the precious birds that fill my life with their sweet presence and songs.

Let me know if you decide to make your own bird bath or garden art with a vintage lamp. I would love to see how you use your creative gifts.

FOLLOW US ON:

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

The Best Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Muffins

I love baking homemade cinnamon muffins, which always fills our house with the lovely, nostalgic aroma of this traditional, warm spice. So, I've been collecting and trying out low carb, keto-friendly cinnamon muffin recipes that fit my healthy, ketogenic approach to eating.

The recipes I'm sharing produce scrumptious sugar free cinnamon muffins that the whole family will enjoy, especially if they are trying to reduce or eliminate grains or sugar and other sweeteners that can spike their blood sugar levels and be harmful to their health in potentially more serious ways.

Any of these cinnamon muffins can be paired with a cup of hot tea, coffee, or cocoa, or a glass of cold, unsweetened vanilla almond milk or macadamia milk for a guilt-free, wholesome, low carb treat for breakfast, dessert, or a healthy, nutritious, and delicious snack.

I am also sharing my product review of BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix, which makes excellent low carb muffins in practically no time when mixed with just two ingredients: eggs and melted butter (or coconut oil).

Bon appétit!

Keto-Friendly Cinnamon Muffins - The best low carb recipes and baking mix

The Best Low Carb Keto Cinnamon Muffin Recipes

I have hand picked the following recipes based on their flavor, texture, calories, net carbs, and other aspects of their nutritional profile that make them good choices for people who love baked goods and follow a low carb or keto diet, or who just want to reduce or eliminate sugar from their diets as part of a healthier lifestyle.

The keto cinnamon muffin recipes I've chosen to feature also can accommodate a range of common dietary restrictions. Most of them are low carb, sugar free, gluten free, grain free, and diabetic friendly. Two are also dairy free, and many of the others can be used to make dairy free muffins by replacing the butter with coconut oil. One of those is vegan. The other suggests substituting sunflower seed meal (aka sunflower seed flour) for the almond meal or almond flour for a nut-free cinnamon muffin recipe option.

Replacing almond flour or meal with sunflower seed flour or meal works well in many low carb or keto baking recipes, and for someone with nut allergies, it's well worth experimenting with. (You might need to use a bit more than the specified amount of almond flour.)

If you are making these treats for someone who has dietary requirements other than, or in addition to, following a low carb or keto diet, be sure to review the ingredients for each recipe to ensure that it will fit that person's specific dietary restrictions.

Keto Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe (Wholesome Yum)

Maya Krampf developed the recipe for these yummy low carb keto cinnamon cream cheese muffins for her deservedly popular Wholesome Yum low carb and keto website. She is also the author of one of my favorite low carb cookbooks, The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook: 100 Simple Low Carb Recipes. 10 Ingredients or Less.

A sweet vanilla cream cheese filling makes her low carb keto cinnamon cream cheese muffins like a cross between a coffee cake muffin with cinnamon streusel and a cheese danish pastry. I always make sure to warm these up before eating them (or sharing them with my husband, who also enjoys them), so the creamy filling returns to its slightly runny, just-out-of-the-oven state.

The batter and cream cheese filling are sweetened with Maya's granulated/crystallized Besti monk fruit allulose sweetener blend. She says you could substitute allulose, or granulated erythritol for the batter and powdered erythritol for the filling, if you wanted to. The cinnamon streusel topping is sweetened with her Besti Brown monk fruit allulose sweetener blend, and she says she hasn't found another healthy, keto-friendly brown sugar substitute that works well in this recipe.

Compare the macros for Maya's Keto Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins, at 4.8g net carbs each, with those for Winchell's Donut House Cream Cheese Muffins (the most similar commercial muffin I could find nutrition data for), at a whopping 81g net carbs!

	Nutrition Facts
	Keto Cinnamon Cream Cheese Muffins (Wholesome Yum)	Winchell's Donut House Cream Cheese Muffins (source)
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories	318	610
Total Fat	29.3g	27g
Total Carbohydrate	8.7g	82g
Net Carbs	4.8g	81g
Dietary Fiber	3.9g	1g
Sugars	1.8g	56g
Protein	9.3g	9g

Recipe Notes:

As of this writing, these sweeteners are not yet available on Amazon.ca. However, you can order Besti sweeteners on Wholesome Yum Foods and have them shipped to Canada (although the shipping obviously will be higher). If you live in a country other than the U.S. and Canada and would like to be able to order these products, Wholesome Yum plans to expand its distribution internationally, based on demand. To express your interest, you can sign up to be notified when Besti sweeteners will become available in your country.

Keto Coffee Cake Muffins (All Day I Dream About Food)

Like any coffee cake worthy of the name, these tempting keto coffee cake muffins from Carolyn Ketchum have a grain-free, sugar-free cinnamon crumb topping, as well as an optional sweet vanilla glaze drizzle. Carolyn is the writer and fabulous recipe developer for another extremely popular low carb recipe blog and website, All Day I Dream About Food, another of my go-to resources for consistently excellent keto recipes.

She says these keto coffee cake muffins are "better and healthier than any bakery option!" For me, that's a bit of a stretch. (Even though my taste buds have adapted to enjoy the baked goods from the best keto baking recipes, which definitely includes Carolyn's, I have never eaten keto baked goods that have a better taste and texture than their flour- and sugar-laden counterparts from a good bakery.) That said, this recipe produces wonderful, bakery-style low carb muffins that have an unusually moist and tender crumb (for keto-friendly baked goods), thanks to the use of both almond flour and coconut flour, as well as unflavored whey protein powder that helps them rise properly, since there is no gluten in the grain-free batter. The cinnamon streusel topping and optional vanilla glaze also add to their bakery muffin taste and texture.

The recipe calls for Swerve Brown sweetener for the crumb topping, granulated Swerve sweetener for the muffin batter, and powdered Swerve for the vanilla glaze drizzle.

Compare the huge differences in nutrition between a Keto Coffee Cake Muffin from All Day I Dream About Food (3.9 g of net carbs) and a Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffin from Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (54 g of net carbs):

	Nutrition Facts
	Keto Coffee Cake Muffins (All Day I Dream About Food)	Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins (source)
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories	285	450
Total Fat	24.4g	23g
Total Carbohydrate	7.6g	55g
Net Carbs	3.9g	54g
Dietary Fiber	3.7g	1g
Sugars	-	32g
Protein	9.1g	4g

Recipe Notes:

Swerve sweeteners are mostly erythritol. If you don't care for the taste of erythritol, or if it causes you gastric distress, you can check out Carolyn's Ultimate Guide to Keto Sweeteners Ultimate Guide to Keto Sweeteners on All Day I Dream About Food to find suitable keto-friendly brown, granulated, and powdered sweetener alternatives.

Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Muffins (All Day I Dream About Food)

I have had a long and complicated relationship with Nutella. The first time we met, it was love at first bite. I fondly remember the blissful decades when we were together. Sadly, when I started focusing on improving my health and trying to lose weight, I was forced to accept that my beloved "Nutty," with its palm oil, sugar, and artificial vanilla flavoring, was just no good for me. Finally, I found the strength to break up with it, fervently hoping that, someday, I would find another chocolate hazelnut spread that would be just as sweet, satisfying, and special, but also would support my commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

Fortunately, when I began researching low carb and ketogenic diet recipes, I discovered Carolyn Ketchum's All Day I Dream About Food website, which includes quite a few Nutella inspired low carb and keto recipes. Her amazing keto Nutella-stuffed cinnamon muffins hide a sweet surprise—a rich, creamy chocolate hazelnut filling made with healthier, fresher ingredients than the popular commercial spread. In this recipe, her sugar free Nutella filling is made from freshly toasted and husked hazelnuts, hazelnut oil, dark cocoa powder, heavy cream, keto-friendly sweetener, and pure vanilla extract.

These luscious keto cinnamon muffins are sweet and rich enough to enjoy for dessert. Served with a cup of fresh, hot coffee, they also make a truly decadent breakfast.

The most comparable muffins I could find (from a reliable source I trust) for a nutritional comparison were the Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins from Sally's Baking Addiction, which have a cinnamon-sugar topping instead of Carolyn's streusel crumb topping and vanilla glaze drizzle.

Compare the calories, net carbs, fat, fiber, and protein in these indulgent yet low carb, keto-friendly Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Muffins from All Day I Dream About Food to the wonderful Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins on Sally's Baking Addiction.

	Nutrition Facts
	Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Muffins (All Day I Dream About Food)	Nutella-Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Muffins (Sally's Baking Addiction) (source)
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories	310	450
Total Fat	29g	23g
Total Carbohydrate	8g	55g
Net Carbs	4g	54g
Dietary Fiber	4g	1g
Sugars	-	32g
Protein	10g	4g

Recipe Notes:

In the comments, Carolyn Ketchum explains how she toasts and husks the hazelnuts. Toast the nuts in a preheated 350 °F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, take them out, and let them cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Then roll them between your fingers while still warm and most of the husks will come off easily. Don’t worry about a few stubborn bits of husk; they won’t matter after you grind the hazelnuts.

In my experience, nuts can go from nicely toasted to burned very quickly. I toast mine on a rimmed baking sheet, so I can give it a shake every few minutes without the nuts falling off the pan, and keep a close eye on them until I remove them from the oven. I let them cool for only 3 or 4 minutes, and then rub the toasted nuts briskly inside a clean kitchen towel to loosen the husks. I find that they loosen more easily when they are quite warm, and the towel protects my fingers from the heat.

Note to low carb baking enthusiasts:

In addition to being the driving force behind All Day I Dream About Food, Carolyn Ketchum has written eight keto cookbooks (as of this writing). I highly recommend the two I have purchased so far, the Keto For Two Cookbook (e-book) and The Ultimate Guide to Keto Baking: Master All the Best Tricks for Low-Carb Baking Success, which I consider my keto baking "bible" and a must-have for anyone who wants to understand the chemistry and techniques of successful keto baking recipes (which are fundamentally different than those of successful conventional baking).

Note to conventional baking enthusiasts:

For many years, Sally McKenny's Sally's Baking Addiction website and her superb baking cookbooks have been among my favorite sources for consistently reliable, clearly written and clearly explained recipes for mouthwatering baked goods made with conventional ingredients, such as sugar, wheat flour, and cornstarch. So, although they don't fit within a sugar free, gluten free, or low carb diet, I recommend her cookbooks and website very highly to anyone who loves to bake with sugar and other high carb ingredients.

Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Muffins (The Big Man's World)

This high protein, low carb cinnamon roll muffins recipe from Arman Liew of The Big Man's World is quite unusual, since it contains no eggs and no butter. In fact, this recipe is keto, paleo, vegan, sugar free, gluten free, grain free, and dairy free.

These almond flour muffins also contain vanilla protein powder to add sweetness, increase the protein, and help them rise in the absence of gluten, which creates a lighter texture and a better crumb. Pumpkin purée makes them moist. Coconut oil provides the fat in the muffin batter, along with your choice of unsweetened, low carb nut butter or seed butter (Arman suggests almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter), which further boosts the protein, while coconut butter (also called coconut manna) gives the lemony glaze a luxurious mouthfeel.

It was hard to find a close analog for a nutritional comparison. I finally chose to compare the impressive macros for these Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Muffins from The Big Man's World (only 1g of net carbs per serving) to Starbucks Cinnamon Muffins (41g of net carbs each).

	Nutrition Facts
	Low Carb Cinnamon Roll Muffins (The Big Man's World)	Starbucks Cinnamon Muffins (source)
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories	112	350
Total Fat	9g	27g
Total Carbohydrate	3g	42g
Net Carbs	1g	41g
Dietary Fiber	2g	1g
Sugars	-	30g
Protein	5g	5g

Keto Cinnamon Muffins (Sweet As Honey)

This versatile recipe for gluten free, dairy free, sugar free cinnamon muffins comes from another of my favorite low-carb food bloggers, Carine Claudepierre, the writer, recipe developer, food photographer, and videographer at Sweet As Honey.

Her bakery-style keto cinnamon muffins are dipped into sugar-free cinnamon sugar while they're still hot, to add a crunchy topping and more cinnamon flavor. After they have cooled completely, the tops are coated with icing, made from powdered sugar-free sweetener mixed with just enough unsweetened almond milk to achieve your preferred consistency.

This recipe is made with equal amounts of almond flour and flaxseed meal (aka flax meal). Flax is a source of many nutrition and health benefits, and flaxseed meal contains very few carbs, so it's great to bake with. Carine recommends using golden flaxseed meal rather than brown flaxseed meal, which would give these baked goods an unpleasant, bitter aftertaste (and no one wants that!). I prefer Bob's Red Mill organic golden flaxseed meal.

She says she always uses an erythritol and monk fruit sweetener blend, and although the ingredients list says "erythritol," it links to the original Classic White Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener With Erythritol. The recipe was published in August 2019, three months before the brand introduced its Lakanto Monkfruit Baking Sweetener With Erythritol, which also contains tapioca fiber, chicory root inulin, and cellulose gum and was created specifically as a 1:1 sugar replacement for baking recipes. According to Lakanto, some of its advantages for baked goods recipes are that it "dissolves effortlessly, retains moisture, can control cookie spread, and provides better browning for your desserts." I suspect it would be even better than the Classic White Lakanto for this recipe.

Since I couldn't find any commercial equivalents to these Sweet As Honey Keto Cinnamon Muffins whose tops are completely covered with icing (2.3 g of net carbs), I'll compare them to the Walmart Bakery Marketside Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins with no icing (45g of net carbs):

	Nutrition Facts
	Keto Cinnamon Muffins (Sweet As Honey)	Walmart Bakery Marketside Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins (source)
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories	217	370
Total Fat	16.5g	19g
Total Carbohydrate	5.5g	46g
Net Carbs	2.3g	45g
Dietary Fiber	3.2g	1g
Sugars	0.4	26g
Protein	5.3g	5g

Recipe Notes:

Carine offers several suggestions for optional mix-ins, if you would like to customize these muffins to suit your personal preference. (Keep in mind that any additional ingredients or substitutions will affect the calories, macros, and other aspects of this recipe's nutritional profile.)

Even though the recipe uses flaxseed meal, she warns against trying to replace the whole eggs with "flax eggs" (flaxseed meal mixed with water), egg white, or another substitute.

She suggests coconut milk as an alternative to almond milk for the glaze. (I'm sure any keto-friendly dairy-free milk would work.)

If you don't need dairy-free muffins, you can use melted butter in place of the coconut oil, if you prefer.

For nut-free low carb cinnamon muffins, you can replace the almond flour with the same amount of sunflower seed flour or meal.

BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix

If you don't have a lot of time for (or don't enjoy) baking from scratch, you can still indulge in some delicious, fragrant, freshly baked keto cinnamon muffins, thanks to BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix.

BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffins on cooling rack

My most recent batch from BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix

Low Carb Muffins in About 15 Minutes

Preparing these tasty treats couldn't be any faster or easier! Just mix the contents of one bag of BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix with 3 whole eggs and 1/2 cup of melted butter (or coconut oil, for dairy free muffins), portion the batter into a lightly greased 12-cup cupcake or muffin tin, and bake in a preheated 425 ℉ oven for 12–14 minutes, until golden brown, and enjoy!

Low carb keto baking recipes often turn out to be dense, coarse, and dry. Not these delectable muffins! The texture is lighter than I was expecting, which is great. My first batch was a bit on the dry side, but only because I left them in the oven a bit too long. (It's hard to tell when the muffins are "golden brown" when that's the color of the batter to begin with, lol.) So, I baked my second batch for just 12 minutes, and allowed them to cool a bit longer before sampling them. This time, the muffins were delightfully moist and tender! And, both times, not just my kitchen but my whole smelled divine.

High Quality, Wholesome, Healthy Ingredients

I have shared many posts on Review This Reviews about my keto diet weight loss journey that began in May 2019 and enabled me to lose nearly 60 pounds, and my subsequent decision to continue to follow a very low carb, ketogenic approach to eating that has made it easy to maintain my new, slim, healthy weight for more than a year so far. If so, you know that my primary motivation for this change in diet and lifestyle was getting healthier and lowering my risk of cancer and other serious diseases. So, although I am somewhat flexible, I try to make fairly "clean" food choices. And, when I purchase a low carb or keto baking mix (or prepared baked goods), the first thing I look at is the ingredients.

BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix is made with the same high quality, wholesome, healthy ingredients I use in my homemade keto baking recipes when I'm making low carb muffins from scratch: almond flour, BochaSweet (kabocha extract), grass-fed collagen, psyllium husk powder, organic coconut flour, organic cinnamon, MCT oil powder, baking soda, aluminum-free baking powder, pink salt, and xanthan gum. The ingredients are non GMO, and the mix contains no preservatives or additives. (For that reason, the prepared muffins need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.)

I love the fact that this keto cinnamon muffin mix is sweetened with BochaSweet sugar replacement, my favorite zero calorie, zero glycemic sweetener! BochaSweet tastes nearly identical to cane sugar and (to me and many other happy BochaSweet customers) has no aftertaste and none of the cooling effect produced by some other keto friendly sweeteners (such as erythritol). After using this healthy sweetener every day for about 1.5 years so far (to sweeten my tea, among other things), I have experienced zero gastric distress or laxative effect from this healthy sweetener, and most other product reviews I have read from customers who mention their reactions concur with my experience. The only downside is that it costs more than most other healthy keto-friendly sweeteners. However, for me and many other people who are looking for healthier, zero calorie, zero glycemic sugar alternatives, it's worth paying the higher price for this one, as well as for products that are sweetened with it.

BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix was launched in late August, 2020, just as I was finishing up my review of recipes and baking mixes for making Low Carb Muffins & Cupcakes: Treats to Enjoy on a Keto Diet. That meant I wouldn't be able to order, test, and review this new cinnamon muffin mix in time to include it in that review of my favorite keto muffins and cupcakes. In the course of testing the recipes and mixes for that review, I ended up with a freezer full of baked goods and a pantry that was positively overflowing with packaged low carb keto baking mixes. So, it was only recently that I finally ordered a couple of bags of the BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix to try. Now that I've made these quick and easy, tender, toothsome low carb keto cinnamon muffins, I will definitely update that review to include this yummy, convenient BochaSweet baking mix!

	Nutrition Facts
	BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix
Serving Size: 23g of dry mix
Calories	60
Total Fat	3g
Total Carbohydrate	13g
Net Carbs	3g
Dietary Fiber	4g
Sugars	<1g
Protein	4g

Product Review Notes:

The company provides this information for the dry mix only. However, you can easily calculate the nutrition data for the prepared muffins by entering the data for the dry mix into a tracking app such as Carb Manager and then creating a recipe entry in the app that will calculate the macros based on the ingredients (12 servings of the dry baking mix, three large eggs, and 1/2 cup of butter or coconut oil).

The net carbs for this BochaSweet Keto Cinnamon Muffin Mix are calculated as follows:13g total carbohydrates - 4g dietary fiber - 6g BochaSweet = 3g net carbs

BochaSweet is the name of the company, its flagship product (BochaSweet sugar replacement), and the overarching brand for its other products (such as baking mixes), including those with secondary brands (such as BochaSweet BochaBars high protein, high fiber bars and and BochaSweet Bocha-Beets nutritional supplement). For some reason, on the brand's logotype, the words Bocha and Sweet are separated by a space, which likely explains why it is often misspelled "Bocha Sweet" (occasionally, you'll even see an Amazon product listing for a "Bocha Sweet" product).