Tuesday, December 10, 2013

A Very THM Christmas - Candy Edition -All S!

*Updated with new recipe*  

 Okay Folks! I have been working on this post since before Thanksgiving. I do not want a Christmas where I have to miss out on all the goodies. I also don't want a Christmas where I put all the weight I previously lost, back on.

    Short testimony, I have been making some form (or sometimes up to 3 forms) of various and sundry cookie/candy recipes just about daily for well over a month. I AM STILL LOSING WEIGHT! Not at any great speed mind you, I've only lost about 3 lbs in a months time, but think how much weight I could have gained if I tried this the Un-THM (my spell checker might fritz out on that one!) way? If you eat these recipes in moderation EVERY DAY it is still posible to lose weight. I would NOT make this my lifestyle, however, as it is still a little more rich than we should probably give our bodies everyday.

    I plan to enjoy these recipes this Christmas season for all the lovely family gatherings. But when Christmas is over, these recipes are getting hidden until next Christmas   next 4th of July  the end of January!

    These recipes can be enjoyed all year round but I don't want to do that for a myriad of reasons. A few being...
    *They can get expensive to make and there are much cheaper sweets on plan.
    *I want them to be 'special' holiday recipes.
    *There's something magical about the special foods that are only made and enjoyed around a particular               holiday. I don't want too much of a good thing.

    Without further adieu, here is a great collection of THM Christmas Candy!!!



                                               Snowball Drops

 1 1/2 Tbs. xylitol 
3/4 c. coconut oil
1 drop peppermint oil

This recipe is very much a skeleton recipe. Play around with according to how many candies you want. I came up with this recipe when several THMers were coming to a party and we needed a favor for those on plan. This was the result; a fresh minty candy. If you like having little mints handy, make a 2x batch to stick in individual baggies.

NOTES:  These are NOT good warmed and use only 1-2 drops of peppermint oil. Otherwise, you will burn your tongue out with too much minty freshness! ;)



We were blown away by these little bites of wonderfulness! It takes a couple hours after you pull them out of the oven to cool completely. But once they've cooled, they taste like magic! These are worth the effort to make.
*TIP    When cleaning the baking sheet you used to make these, pour boiling water into the pan, just enough to cover the bottom. Let sit for a few minutes before cleaning. This makes the pan SO much easier to clean.

Puppy Chow
We thought these were wonderful! A nice way to satisfy a sweet/salty/crunchy craving!
(sorry no picture.)


Chocolate Covered Nuts
My family used to make the high carb version of these to give as gifts each year. We loved to eat them, we did not love to get fat from them. I decided to try to rework the recipe and this is what I came up with.

3 oz Unsweetened Bakers Chocolate
2 Tbsp of Butter
6 Tbsp of Xylitol or  Stevia Extract, to taste
1/4 tsp of Salt
2 cups of Nuts of Choice
(I used Almonds and would like to experiment with peanuts)

Melt chocolate and butter together, in double boiler or microwave
(depending upon your personal level of purism).
If microwaving, stir every 30 seconds or so until melted.
Once melted, stir in the sweetener and salt.
Pour all the almond into chocolate mixture and stir until completely coated.
Drop scoopfuls of mixture onto parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Freeze until firm, transfer to a freezer container and store until ready to eat.


Fudge Recipe with Coconut Oil
I would say this recipe is more like another recipe we have called Peanut Butter Meltaway. Which we as a family LOVED pre-THM (Truth be told, we still do)This recipe is a GREAT replacement. The Family raved about it when I made it for them.
I had to hoard carefully save the few remaining crumbs for a family member to try later (It was a dangerous job, I almost died!)



Peanut Butter Fudge
For a traditional fudge, try this recipe! It is FANTASTIC!!!! I try to avoid recipes that call for protein powder because that's a baking expense I don't need to add to my budget. BUT these are worth it.
This recipe is soooo easy! I used the Swansons Premium Brand Whey Protein Powder that was recommended by Serene and Pearl in 'THE BOOK'. When the original author made the recipe, she used a different brand that had sweetener in it. I just used a little more sweetener (she calls for Splenda, I used Xylitol)

For a variation, I made a chocolate version!
(because ,clearly, this post needs more chocolate!)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
1/2 cup of Unsalted Butter
1/2 cup of Natural Peanut Butter
2 oz of Cream Cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
1 1/4 cup of Xylitol or Erythritol
2/3 cup of Cocoa Powder
1 scoop of Protein Powder

Follow same directions as from the original recipe, adding the 
cocoa powder with the protein powder. ENJOY!


Another excellent recipe from Linda at genaw.com.
Again, a hit with the family.
(they were a pretty happy group as I did my experimenting!)
She calls for splenda in this recipe as well, I just used xylitol.


Another great recipe! Another family hit!



Thanks for tuning in folks! As I come across more candy recipes I'll try to add them to the blog. I know I have at least one more coming, I just don't have the recipe with me right now.

Remember, next week I intend to do a Christmas Cookie post!

Happy Baking!



 

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