Keto Chow Holiday Recipe Challenge Submissions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1/2 cup of sugar free chocolate chips, and butter in 30-second increments, stirring occasionally until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is fully melted. Whisk in the cocoa and espresso grounds until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Combine the almond flour and Chocolate or Mocha Keto Chow in a bowl. Whisk to combine and break apart any large clumps. Set aside.
• Whisk together the eggs, allulose, vanilla, and salt in a medium bowl until combined, about 15 seconds. Whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture; then stir in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spread into corners, and level the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a small amount of sticky crumbs clinging to it, about 32 minutes.
• Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours, then remove the brownies from the pan using the foil overhang. Cut into squares, dust with powdered swerve, and serve. (Do not cut brownies until ready to serve; brownies can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 5 days.) Brownies are best when warmed up before serving.

• Melt butter and bring to a boil with almond milk, sweetener, and cocoa powder, stirring for 1-2 minutes while boiling.
• Turn heat to low and add peanut butter and vanilla, making sure to melt peanut butter and mix well.
• Turn off heat. Add in Keto Chow and mix thoroughly. Add hemp seed hearts.
• Scoop onto wax paper or silicone baking mat and let cool.

• Mix ingredients together until well combined. You can sprinkle cinnamon on top and use a toothpick to create a swirled design.
• Using a 5×7” glass pan, microwave for 6 minutes or bake at 300 degrees for 35-40 minutes for 4 servings. For 6 slightly thinner servings, use a 7×11” pan and bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Serve as is, or top with your favorite pancake, French toast, or German pancake toppings such as butter, sugar free syrup, powdered sweetener, whipped cream, or berries!

Cookies

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Line cookie sheets with lightly oiled tin foil or parchment paper
• Whisk together the Keto Chow, coconut flour, spices, cocoa powder, and baking powder in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
• Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy.
• Beat in the sweetener.
• When the sweetener is completely mixed with the butter, add the egg and the vanilla extract.
• Beat the mixture until the eggs are completely mixed with the butter and sweetener. The mixture will look grainy and separated.
• Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl and blend. When that is fully combined, add the rest of the dry ingredients.
• Beat on low speed until it is completely combined and creates a stiff dough. It should start to come together into a ball.
• To make cut-out cookies, chill the dough for approximately 15 minutes. Then, working with 1/3 of the dough at a time, roll it out between two sheets of oiled parchment paper to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut it into pieces for your house.
• For my house, I cut two end panels with door and window openings, two side panels, and two roof panels, plus gingerbread people, a snowman, and various shapes to decorate the house.
• Place the cut pieces on the prepared cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes until the pieces start to look brown and feel firm to the touch. They will still be slightly soft to the touch in the center but will firm up as they cool.
• Continue until you have made all the pieces you need. You can reroll the dough more than once. If it gets too soft, just return it to the fridge for a few minutes.
• Allow the baked cookies to cool completely before assembling the house.

Icing and Assembly

• To make the royal icing, beat together erythritol, egg white, 1/2 tsp water, and 1/4 tsp cream of tartar in the work bowl of an electric mixer. If the icing is too thick, add more water 1/2 tsp at a time, blending after each addition until it is pipeable but still quite thick. It should be quite stiff. If you add too much water, you can add more erythritol a teaspoon at a time, but try to stay as close as possible to the original recipe so it will dry and hold together.
• To assemble your gingerbread house, first check the edges of your wall and roof pieces and be sure they are straight and even. If they aren't, you can even them by filing them with a micro plane zester of a small knife until they all match up to each other and are flat.
• Cut a small hole into the tip of a disposable icing bag or fit an icing bag with a small round tip. Fill the bag about 1/3 full with icing.
• Starting with the back wall of your house, pipe a generous line of icing along the bottom edge of the wall and place it on your cardboard or cake board. You can use a can or jar to prop it up while you pipe icing along the edge and the bottom of one of the side walls and connect it with the back wall. Continue building the walls of the house like this until you have all four in place.
• Allow the icing on the walls to set and dry for at least half an hour until they are sturdy enough to hold the roof pieces. Then pipe icing onto the roof pieces where they will connect with the walls and where they meet at the peak.
• Refrigerate your remaining icing tightly covered while you wait for the house to set.
• When the house is set, decorate however you wish. Color the icing with different colors, decorate with sugar-free chocolates, sprinkles, and candies. Use your favorite molds to make chocolate shapes. Let your imagination and creativity run wild and have fun.
• Once the house has dried and everything is set, store in a cool, dry place, loosely covered with plastic wrap so it doesn't get dusty when it isn't on display.
• If properly stored, it should be edible for up to a week. If you don't want to eat it, it should be in good condition for display for up to a month.

• To make the coconut filling, warm the coconut butter in the microwave until soft.
• Add melted coconut oil, swerve, shredded coconut, and heavy cream together and mix well.
• Set aside and make the chocolate fudge.
• In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together the heavy cream, swerve, butter, and vanilla extract. Stir often for 15 minutes until it looks like a slightly browned, thicker sweetened condensed milk. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the Chocolate Keto Chow and the chocolate chips until the chocolate has melted and combined.
• Fill each cupcake mold evenly 1/3 of the way up with the fudge mixture.
• Fill each cupcake another third of the way with the coconut mixture. You may need to microwave the coconut filling for 20-30 seconds to soften so it is easily spreadable.
• Top with the remaining fudge mixture.
• Place in the freezer for at least 20 minutes to set.
  

• Preheat oven to 325F and spray a 15×10 jelly roll pan lightly with cooking spray and line with lightly oiled parchment paper.
• Beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sweetener until light yellow in color and ribbons form when the beaters go through.
• In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with very clean beaters until they begin to foam, then sprinkle in the remaining 1/4 cup of sweetener and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
• Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it. Then gently fold in the remaining egg whites until they are almost completely combined. Be careful to retain as much air in the egg whites as possible.
• Mix the Keto Chow, cocoa powder, gelatin, and baking powder together and sprinkle them over the egg mixture. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the eggs.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the batter onto the prepared pan and even it out as much as possible. It’s ok if it’s a little bumpy.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes until the cake is set and slightly browned around the edges but tender and soft to the touch.
• Sift a layer of powdered sweetener combined with cocoa powder on a clean, dry kitchen towel. Then when the cake is cool enough to touch, carefully turn it over onto the towel and remove the pan.
• Gently peel the parchment paper away from the cake and roll the cake up from the long side, using the towel with the cake rolled inside. Leave it rolled up to cool completely while you make the filling.
• Whip the cream until it begins to thicken, then add the sweetener and vanilla extract. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
• Unroll the cake and spread the raspberry jam across the inside of the cake in a thin layer. Then spread the whipped cream over the jam, leaving about 1/2 inch of plain cake around the edges. Then gently reroll the cake. Make sure not to roll the towel inside again. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill it while you make the frosting.
• For the frosting, beat the heavy cream to soft peaks and sprinkle the Chocolate Keto Chow, cocoa powder, and powdered sweetener over the top. Continue to beat until the dry ingredients are fully combined, light, and fluffy. It should be thick, but if needed, add almond milk one tablespoon at a time to thin it slightly.
• Remove the cake from the fridge and unwrap it. Cut a slice from one end on a slight angle. This will be used to create a stump on the log. If you would like, you can cut a piece from the other end to create another stump. You can cut the second piece on the diagonal or straight across.
• Place the cake on a board or on a serving dish and cover it with frosting. Attach the stumps you cut by pressing them into the frosting wherever you think they would look best and frost them, too. For a bark-like look, gently run the tines of a fork through the frosting along the length of the cake.
• Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint leaves or anything else you would like.
• Chill in the refrigerator for up to three days, or until ready to serve.

• Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a 12-cupcake pan by greasing or lining with cupcake liners.
• Combine dry ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, Keto Chow, xanthan gum, salt, and baking powder) in a bowl. Use a whisk to mix well. Set aside.
• In a separate large mixing bowl, cream butter with allulose. Add in sour cream, almond extract, orange extract, orange zest, and whipping cream. Mix until uniform.
• Add 1 egg to the wet ingredient bowl, mixing in slightly, then add in 1/2 of the dry ingredient mix, and mix again. Then add 1 more egg and mix. Add the last of the dry ingredients, and finally, add the last egg. Mix until incorporated.
• Stir in the chopped cranberries and almonds.
• Divide the dough between the 12 cupcake liners. This dough is stiff and keeps its shape when baking. I wet my hands and formed 12 even balls and put them in the liners. They will seem very full, but it doesn't overflow the liners when baked.
• Bake at 325F for 29-32 minutes on the center rack. Mix glaze while muffins bake.
• For the glaze, in a small bowl, mix powdered swerve, heavy whipping cream and almond extract until smooth. (I transferred this to a plastic sandwich bag, then snip the tip of the bag corner to use as a mini icing bag to make decorating easier.)
  
• Remove muffins from the oven when a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. After muffins have cooled for about 5-10 minutes, drizzle the glaze over top. Garnish with the sliced almonds
• Enjoy! Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Best when warmed up in the microwave before eating.
  

• Line an 8×8” pan with parchment paper and grease.
• Add chocolates and Keto Chow to a mixing bowl. A stand mixer will work best but a hand mixer will also work. Set aside.
• Butter the sides of a large, lidded, heavy pot with your stick of butter. Pour in the cream and xylitol and stir together. Place over medium heat and stir constantly until it comes to a rolling boil.
• At this point, cover with a lid for one minute and then remove lid. Make sure to set a timer. Continue cooking on medium heat until the mixture reaches 230℉ on a candy thermometer. This should take about 2-3 minutes, but it is best to use a thermometer. Do not overcook or leave on the heat too long, or the fudge will crystallize and harden.
• Remove from heat and add the remaining butter, the vanilla extract, and mint extract. Let them sit for one minute in the candy mixture without stirring. Pour the mixture over the chocolates and Keto Chow. Do not scrape the pot. Beat fudge on low for two minutes, then on high for five minutes. (Be sure to whip for that full time.) It will have the texture of a soft marshmallow cream.
• Pour into the prepared pan. Cover and refrigerate until set—at least four hours, or overnight.
• To cut, remove slab with parchment paper and use a sharp knife to cut into even squares. Keep refrigerated in a sealed container.

• Mix all base ingredients together and press into an 8-inch pan, lined with parchment paper.
• Using a hand mixer, whip filling ingredients to stiff peaks. Filling should be thick but still spreadable. If filling is too thick, whip in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time until you reach desired texture. If desired, you can add the sweetener in smaller increments to taste.
• Microwave topping ingredients together in 15-second increments until smooth. Spread evenly onto the base and filling.
• Chill before serving.

• Preheat oven to 350F and grease a brownie pan. I used an 8×8 pan.
• Combine all of the ingredients for the crust and press it down into your brownie pan, then set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, add in your pumpkin puree and Keto Chow powder, then mix together.
• Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix until smooth.
• Pour into your brownie pan and top with some chopped pecans.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the center isn't jiggly. Let cool, then place in the refrigerator to set, or eat warm.

Making the Cookies

• Preheat oven to 300F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Add in the egg, heavy cream, butter, vanilla extract, and mix well until a dough forms.
• Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper to desired thickness but no thicker than 1/4 inch.
• Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter or something that works just as well, cut out circles of dough and lift gently and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Gather up scraps and re-roll until all dough is used up.
• Bake cookies until firm to the touch, about 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of your cookies. Remove and let cool.

Making the Butter Cream Filling

• Mix butter together with the powdered sugar alternative, adding 1/2 cup of the sugar at a time until blended.
• Add Keto Chow and heavy cream and mix well.
• If you want, you can add some crumbled cookies into your filling or even a tbsp or two of warmed cream cheese.
• Spoon about 1/2 tbsp of the filling on top of half of the cookies you made earlier, then top with the other half of the cookies.

• Preheat oven to 325F and line 18 muffin cups.
• In a large bowl, mix eggs, almond milk, and vanilla.
• Add almond flour, Chocolate Keto Chow, coconut flour, cocoa powder, sweetener, and baking powder. Mix well.
• Add melted coconut oil and blend until well combined.
• Stir in chocolate chips and then carefully fold in the raspberries.
• Divide batter evenly among muffin cups.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the muffin is firm to the touch.
• Cool and, if desired, drizzle with melted chocolate. Enjoy!

• Heat avocado oil in a large pot. Add sausage and cook through, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Drain off extra fat.
  2 tbsp avocado oil, 2 lb pork sausage
• While the sausage is draining, add the onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, and poblano peppers to the pot and cook until the vegetables are tender.
  1/2 onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 jalapeño peppers, 2 poblano peppers
• Add sausage back into the pot with the vegetables. Sprinkle with the chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt.
  2 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt
• Stir the tomatoes, pumpkin puree, and green chili peppers into the mixture.
  1 15 oz canned diced tomatoes, 1 15 oz pumpkin puree, 1 8 oz canned diced green chilis
• Mix Pumpkin Spice Caramel Keto Chow into the chicken broth. You can use an immersion blender, mixer, or whisk. You'll want to do this to break up any clumps. Our preferred method is to use a shaker bottle with 3/4 of the broth, then after mixing and putting the mixture into the pot, you can rinse out the bottle with the remaining broth. Mix really well and then stir into the pot.
  1 1/2 cup chicken broth, 1 serving Pumpkin Spice Caramel Keto Chow
• Reduce heat to low and add the heavy whipping cream and cream cheese to the soup. Stir well until the cream cheese is melted and everything is heated through.
  1/2 cup heavy cream, 8 oz cream cheese
• Serve hot and enjoy!
  

• Preheat oven to 350F. Grease 9-inch pie pan and set aside.
• Mix together dry ingredients for the crust, then add the butter to the egg, then pour into the dry ingredients. Using your hands, mix wet and dry ingredients together to form a dough. Remove 4 tbsp worth of dough and set aside.
• Take remaining dough and roll into a ball, then flatten into a disk, and put in your prepared pie pan. With wet hands (it helps!), smooth and press the dough into the pie pan to form pie crust. Prick holes in the base of crust using a fork.
• Take baking sheet and put a bit of parchment on it. Take reserved dough and flatten into a pancake (you're crumbling it, so it doesn't have to be pretty) on the parchment paper.
• Put both pie and baking sheet into the oven, if it can fit. You can also do the baking in two stages if needed.
• Bake for 12-14 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.
• Take pancake piece and crumble into what looks like cookie crumbs.
• Now prepare your filling. Beat your softened cream cheese for 2-3 minutes, then add sweetener, extracts, Keto Chow, 3/4 cup of the cream, and the food coloring (if using). Beat until smooth and fluffy. If you want your filling to have cookie crumbs in it, add them now! (I totally spaced this and instead, I sprinkled them on top. Valid choice!) Set aside.
• In a clean bowl, beat remaining cream to soft peaks. Set aside about 1/2 cup for topping. Fold remaining whipped cream into Keto Chow mixture.
• Scoop into cooled pie shell. Smooth into dome shape.
• For bonus points, top with some freshly chopped chocolate!
• Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Prepare a jelly roll pan by lining it with a piece of parchment paper that fits the pan and grease the top side of the paper.
• Add eggs, sweetener, pumpkin, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and Keto Chow together in a bowl and blend everything with an electric mixer or stand mixer until it's nice and creamy. Your cake mixture will be thick.
• Spread around on previously prepared greased parchment paper until evenly dispersed over the whole surface of the pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. When cake is finished baking, let it cool for 1-5 minutes and then roll it up WITH the parchment paper. Let cake cool for 30 minutes while rolled up with parchment paper.
  
• While your cake cools, you can prepare your filling by adding the cream cheese, butter, and sweetener. Beat slowly to incorporate powdered sweetener then speed up and beat for 30 seconds. Stop and scrape sides of the bowl and then beat for another minute.
• After 30 minutes of cooling, unroll the cake and let it cool for another minute or two.
• Spread your cream cheese filling over the entire cake and then roll up the cake, this time without the parchment paper.
• Wrap with plastic wrap and set in the fridge for at least an hour. When serving, you can dust with more powdered sweetener, if desired.

• In a large pan over medium heat, mix together the heavy whipping cream, erythritol, butter, and peppermint extract, stirring often for about 15-20 minutes until a golden brown, thick sweetened condensed milk forms.
• Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes before stirring in chocolate chips and Keto Chow. If you do not let it cool and mix in the chocolate too early, the fats may separate and make the mixture clump.
• Whisk in chocolate chips and Keto Chow until smooth. Scrape mixture into a 9×9 pan lined with parchment. Cover with plastic wrap and cool for at least one hour before slicing and serving.
• Serve chilled. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days for best freshness.

• Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients using a hand mixer until well combined, about 90 seconds. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Pour mixture into a parchment lined 9×9 baking dish.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until firm, then let cool completely, about 30 minutes. Cut loaf into 12 sticks.
• Melt the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, then fry the French toast sticks until golden brown on each side, about 30-45 seconds per side.
• Serve warm and store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days for best freshness.

Topping

• This topping is a flavored whipped cream. You can make it in a bowl using a hand or stand mixer, but my instructions are for a whipped cream dispenser bottle which uses NO2 cartridges. If you use a mixer, make a whipped cream in a bowl to stiff peaks with no sweetener, then fold in the dry ingredients at the end with a rubber spatula. This is enough topping for slightly more than one tart, depending on how thick you like your whipped cream.
• Chill whipped cream canister in the freezer for at least an hour with the lid off or with the lid on in the fridge overnight. If using a bowl instead, chill the bowl.
• Combine dry ingredients for the topping in a blender. Blend on high for 3 minutes. Tap the blender occasionally to make sure all ingredients become finely powdered.
• Add cream and vanilla and blend until mixed, approximately 20 seconds, until wet and dry ingredients are well blended.
• Pour the cream into the whipped cream canister and screw on the lid tightly.
• Insert the NO2 cartridge into the dispenser and screw on the part which holds it until you hear the gas release into the canister. Immediately swirl the canister to mix the gas into the cream by turning upside down and shaking for about 15 seconds.
• Install the right dispenser nozzle.
• Store in the fridge until the tart is finished.

Crust

• This is a crumb-style crust similar to a graham cracker crust, but slightly more crusty. You can substitute any crust you want such as a coconut flour crust, but I tried to minimize the net carbs by substituting more fiber for some of the flour.
• Preheat oven to 325F.
• Combine and whisk the crust's dry ingredients in a bowl to break up any clumps until it is a smooth, even powder.
• Melt butter in the microwave.
• Add vanilla to melted butter and stir.
• Pour liquid onto dry ingredients and stir crumb mixture until well distributed.
• Pour crumb mixture into a 10" tart pan, approximately 1 1/2" deep and press down and onto the sides of the tart pan with a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup. This is a crumb-style crust, so you want to press it hard enough so that it does not crumble while baking. Crumbs do not need to go all the way to the top, but should be about 1" high on the sides.
• Cook at 325F for 8-10 minutes. Crust should be slightly brown, but will not change color much.
• Let cool to room temperature. You can speed this up by putting it in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Filling

• Whip cream to soft peaks, then add vanilla.
  
• Add dry ingredients and cream cheese to the whipped cream and beat until smooth, approximately 1 minute.
• Add pumpkin and beat again, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times until filling is smooth and evenly colored.

Final Assembly

• Gently spoon filling into the cooled tart shell one scoop at a time. This helps distribute the filling evenly and also prevents disturbing the shell, which is somewhat fragile.
• Using an offset spatula, spread the filling to all of the corners.
• Chill for at least 1 hour
• Add whipped cream topping to the top of the tart using whatever pattern you choose. You can use a spoon and spread it that way or you can do small dots with a whipped cream dispenser or piping bag.
  
• If desired, you can serve with some low carb caramel sauce and/or chopped nuts like pecans. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge.

Pie Crust

• Combine coconut flour, xanthan gum, and erythritol into a bowl
• Add eggs and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Cut butter into small pieces and add to pie mixture; blend until smooth. You want the butter to be well mixed in; the crust mixture should not be chunky from the butter.
• Wrap in plastic and chill in fridge for at least 1-2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using parchment paper top and bottom, roll out the crust with a rolling pin to an approximately 12" circle.
• Remove top parchment paper and place into a well-grease 9" standard depth pie pan and poke holes in the bottom with a fork. Cut any excess crust from around the edges and use excess to fix any cracks that may have occurred while placing the crust into the dish.
• Bake in oven at 350 degrees until crust begins to brown, about 10 minutes.

Chocolate Filling

• In a bowl, whip heavy cream until it forms stiff peaks. It should double in size so that you have 2 cups. Place in the fridge while you work on the next step.
• Combine cream cheese and mascarpone cheese until well blended.
• Add in Chocolate Keto Chow, allulose, stevia, and almond milk. Mix until smooth.
• Gently fold whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth.
• For assembly, take the chilled pie crust and fill with chocolate cream filling.
• Gently shave a small piece of dark chocolate across the top.
• Place in freezer to chill so that it's easier to slice.

Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
• Beat in eggs, butter, and stevia.
• Blend until smooth. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes so the coconut flour absorbs any excess moisture.
• Scoop into 8 cupcake molds.
• Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until they pass the toothpick test.
• Allow to cool before frosting.

Cannoli Cream

• Using a high speed mixer, beat together mascarpone and ricotta cheese.
• Once well combined, add Keto Chow, cinnamon, allulose, nutmeg, and stevia. Combine well.
• Add in heavy whipping cream as you continue to mix.
• Allow to chill in the fridge until ready.
• Once cupcakes are cool, using a pastry bag and tip, squeeze some cannoli cream into each cupcake. With the remaining cream, top each cupcake like a frosting.