Gingerbread #2
 

This, my second test with making gingerbread, came out a bit better than my last. A tad higher in carbs, but likely won't be if you use liquid sucralose for the granular Splenda in these tasty and spicy bars. :yum:

This recipe is my modification of a Carrot Cake Protein Bar by Jamie Eason. The original recipe can be seen here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/vid...rotein-bars.htm . I made 4-5 changes and ended up with a dense gingerbread that reminds me and my husband of those wonderful Ginger Pigs that Hispanic bakeries sell that my husband and I just LOVE!! This recipe is not suitable until the grains rung of Atkins OWL, due to the oat flour and oat fiber. But it’s sure one you can look forward to when you get there. These are FANTASTIC! I plan to chop some raisins up into my next batch. For those who have made my other gingerbread bar recipe, this one is lower in calories, lower in fat, but higher in carbs for about the same size piece. You could use equivalent liquid sucralose and lower the carbs on this, however. But I think it’s quite a bit better than my first gingerbread recipe as well. I think these would be excellent baked in a smaller pan (so pieces are taller) topped with either a dollop of whipped cream or a thin layer of my Lime Frosting found here: http://buttoni.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/lime-frosting/

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. oat flour (ground in processor from rolled oats)
2/3 c. UNSWEETENED whey protein powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
2/3 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. granular Splenda
1/4 c. granular erythritol
1 T. oat fiber (NOT oat bran!)
1 T. flax meal
4 egg whites (I used carton egg whites)
2 8-oz jars baby food carrots (I used Gerber)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Measure out all dry ingredients onto a medium mixing bowl. Stir well. Beat in the egg whites and pureed carrots. Stir well. If your batter is stiff (brands of carrots vary on water content) just add some water 1 T. at a time and stir in. I did not have to do this using Gerber brand carrots. (The batter was quite thin, so I can’t imagine how they would have cooked properly adding in the 4 oz. water or almond milk as the original recipe called for.)

Grease well the sides and bottom of a medium size baking pan. I used a 7″ x 12″ ceramic casserole dish and did not line the bottom with parchment. But my bars were inclined to stick a bit to the pan bottom, so I may use parchment next time. :) Pour batter into pan and bake at 350º for about 20 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick in the center. Remove, cool and cut into 16 equal pieces. The size of pan isn’t so important as getting exactly 16 pieces, so the counts below will be accurate. Larger pans will yield a thinner bar; smaller ones will yield a taller, more cake-like portion. Your call on the pan size.

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 16 bars, each contains:

41.13 calories
.78 g fat
6.0 g carbs, 1.24 g fiber, 4.86 g NET CARBS
3.36 g protein
108 mg sodium
49.6 mg potassium
9.3 % RDA Vitamin A, 13.6 % manganese

Peggy,
It looks Wonderful! Something to look forward to, if I ever get back to oats.
Since it's income tax weekend here at our house, I'm also thinking of all you're dealing with and hoping it's going very well for you.

Why thanks for thinking about me. Yes, things are going better. I've gotten Uncle Sam and the State of Texas 1st Quarter tax payments in ahead of the due date. WHEW! The banks finally got me the new Trust checks. I'm breathing easier now.

This gingerbread was wonderful. I chilled mine and ate a piece right out of the fridge last night and the spices were tasting even better. This one's a keeper for me. It's more moist than my first gingerbread attempt of any of my gingerbread cookie trials.

I'm going to add 1 tsp. blackstrap molasses next time and bake it in a smaller pan so it will rise higher and actually LOOK like a tall piece of gingerbread. This will be GREAT for Christmas dinner.