Lost & Found...

The last time I moved was eight years ago. Considering I was eight months pregnant at the time, it all went very smoothly, and we settled in right away.

The only thing that went missing was a sheaf of recipes that had been stuffed randomly in a kitchen drawer in our old place. I had no idea what happened to it — and since we'd had help with the packing, that small stack of papers could literally be anywhere. (If you've ever had professional packers work for you, you know what I'm talking about.)

Most of the recipes in that stack were ones I could easily recover, like my mom's banana bread and blueberry cake. But there was one recipe that eluded me: Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

These cookies are almost brownie-like in their rich chocolate taste and their moist texture. I've seen them called Lava Cookies elsewhere, another allusion to the cracked powdered-sugar top, revealing rich veins of chocolate beneath. I tried other recipes, but none seemed as good as the original recipe that had gone missing. After a while, I shelved the idea of ever finding a good Chocolate Crinkle recipe again.

Until last year, when foraging in the back of the very top shelf of the most obscure cabinet in the kitchen, I came across that sheaf of recipes. To this day, I have no idea how they got up there, I was just happy I found them.

A lot can happen in eight years, including discovering the benefits of a low carb diet. The original Chocolate Crinkle recipe wouldn't suit, but this adaptation does. I've substituted out the high-carb sugar and flour, and replaced the "roll in powdered sugar" step with a sprinkle of powdered Splenda just before baking. Please note it's important to use a sugar alcohol (like erythritol) in this recipe, otherwise the cookies won't spread and crack.

These cookies come in at just over 2 net grams of carbs each, and pack about 3 grams of protein. With anti-oxidant-rich chocolate and fiber, too, these cookies are one snack that you can enjoy guilt-free.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
48  2-inch cookies

• 4 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 C powdered erythritol
• 1 C Splenda granular
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 C Designer Whey French Vanilla whey protein powder
• 1/2 C almond flour
• 1/2 C oat flour
• 1/2 C vital wheat gluten flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 T baking powder

Using a coffee grinder, separately powder your measured 1 cup erythritol and 1/2 cup Splenda; set aside.

Put the chocolate in a large bowl and melt it on low power in the microwave. Use the "defrost" setting or 50% power to avoid scorching the chocolate or making it seize. It's best to microwave for a minute at a time until most of the chocolate has melted; you can then stir in the remaining solid bits until it has all reached a smooth consistency.

Add the vegetable oil, powdered erythritol, 1 cup of Splenda, eggs, and vanilla extract to the melted chocolate. Mix well and set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients, except for the 1/2 cup of Splenda, in a separate bowl. Stir briefly, then sift them into the wet ingredients. Mix thoroughly; this is a stiff dough and it is important that the dry ingredients are all well incorporated.

The dough can be sticky, and if time allows, it is best to refrigerate it for about 30 minutes before continuing. It's not necessary to refrigerate, though — you'll just end up with more batter stuck to your hands.

Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a baking sheet with foil for easier clean up.

With clean hands, scoop a scant tablespoon of dough from the bowl and roll it into a ball. Place the cookie onto the foil-lined sheet. Continue forming cookie dough balls and place them on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. On my large baking sheets, I can fit four rows of six cookies.

When the sheet is full, sprinkle powdered Splenda over each cookie using a small sifter. Be generous, otherwise the Splenda will all melt in and you won’t get the "snow cap" effect.

Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for five minutes, then remove to a rack and allow to cool completely. If all the Splenda has melted in to the cookies, a light dusting of powdered Splenda while they are still warm can give you the white-top look if you like it.

Use up the remaining dough as above, rolling the dough into balls and then sprinkling with the powdered Splenda before baking.

When cool, store the cookies in an airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator.

APPROXIMATE NUTRITION INFORMATION PER COOKIE:
60 calories; 4.5 g fat; 2.6 g carbohydrate; 0.5 g fiber; 3 g protein, 1 g sugar alcohol.

Believe it or not, these chocolate cookies were once a favorite Christmas cookie in my family. Soon we'll all be gearing up for the holidays in many ways, not least of which is in the kitchen. I'd love to hear your suggestions or help you make your old favorites more low carb-friendly. Please write!
                                                

Copyright © October 2006  Joan Hedman and Low Carb Luxury