Sorta Shortbread, with many topping variations
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened at room temperature or in the microwave at lowest setting
1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder (I use unsweetened Solgar)
1/2 cup granular (baking) Splenda
1 egg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 cup almond flour
Optional topping:
1/4 cup low sugar jam or other topping (variations below)
Let butter soften at room temperature (or if you're impatient like I am, use the microwave on lowest setting to soften the butter.) The first step is to cream the butter with the whey protein and the Splenda. I can do this by hand, but it's certainly within the realm of a hand mixer. If you are using unflavored whey protein, add 1/4 tsp vanilla or other extract. If you are using a flavored whey protein, that will work too.
Add egg, baking soda, and cream of tartar to make a thick batter, then add almond flour gradually to turn it into dough (you might consider the horsepower of your hand mixer at this point, and switch to a spoon.) You can chill the dough for a few hours, or overnight, for easier handling, but I don't need to because I've been putting all the batter into a cheap storage bag, cutting off the corner, and using that to squeeze out the batter; much less mess and less scraping, plus I shape it more easily that way.
Preheat the oven to 350F. You can drop dough by spoonfuls (teaspoonfuls) onto the cookie sheet. You can use parchment paper, or my favorite, a silicone baking mat, to ensure they keep their shape. Also, see if you can get a "cookie lifter" to use instead of a pancake turner; the cookie lifter is thinner and has a sharper leading edge.
If I'm going to add any toppings, I squeeze the dough out into a spiral that creates a nice little cavity on top. You do want to contain the fillings; they will probably melt and you don't want it running down the sides of your cookie (though it doesn't spoil their taste, just their looks.) I like to combine raspberry and orange low sugar jam.
There are so many variations for toppings. You can use fresh or frozen berries, mashed, to make your own "jam." Use half peanut butter for a PBJ cookie. A SF chocolate chip (pointy end down) in each one makes a Thumbprint Fudge version. Combine cream cheese and chopped walnuts for elegance. Chopped pecans moistened with DaVinci's caramel syrup creates a Pecan Sandie effect. Or just sprinkle them with some Splenda mixed with a favorite spice, or a mix like pumpkin pie spice.
Bake cookies about 12-14 minutes, until edges start to brown. The cookies will puff up (that's the cream of tartar) and contain the filling if you have put it into an adequate space; surrounded by dough, not on top of it! Store in a sealed container.
For the whole thing (divide by your number of cookies, I get 27-30)
Carb Prot Fat Fib Cals
42.06 116.86 158.63 11.99 1967
--without any toppings; roughly 1 carb per cookie, and the little dab of topping adds a fraction to each one.
This is my "go to" cookie recipe because it's so low carb and so versatile, using ingredients that are easy to get from a health food store. Using so much whey protein powder was a gamble that really paid off; to my palate, it adds sweetness enough to let me cut down the Splenda, and imparted a softness that makes a nice change from the usual "crumbly" texture of almond flour.
They also add a "wow" factor to my entertaining. My non-low carbing friends are visibly impressed the first time they see such "normal looking" cookies, and they are even more impressed when they taste them. "Are you pulling my leg? These are low carb?" is my favorite compliment when they are tried by co-workers.
Another tip to make it easy to whip up a batch is to put all the premeasured dry ingredients into that cheap storage baggie and keep them in the freezer. Then just pull them out, add the stick of butter and the egg, and transfer the dough back into the same storage bag to dispense the batter.
Enjoy!
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