So far – for desserts – I have mostly experimented with sponge-cake type batters with different compositions.

Recently I discovered Gnom-gnom’s website and their keto recipes for cookies. I promptly tried the gingerbread cookie recipe found at https://www.gnom-gnom.com/gluten-free-keto-gingerbread-cookies/ which is made with almond flour (discussed in a previous post) and xantham gum.

The taste and texture are delicious – albeit not quite like the ginger-cookies from my previous (non-diabetic) life, which were made with flour and honey. Part of the difference derive from the fact that the almond flour I used wasn’t the finest possible, resulting in a grainier texture than my childhood’s cookies. The other aspect of it was that I tried out a commercial German spice mix – which turned out not to include ginger – instead of the traditional spice mix. The result is a different cookie in its own right, and the family inhaled it in no time. The only other thing important to mention is that I had a hard time using a cookie cutter because of the softness of the dough. So, finally I shaped it into a rectangular “rod” which I first refrigerated then cut it into slices. My daughter also suggested we make them into balls and squish them with a cookie stamp next time. Might work…

After the success of the sweet cookies I got even more inspired and tried to modify the recipe so as to make cheese-cookies. This is what I did: I grated all the leftover pieces of cheese we had in the fridge, mixed them (in the bowl of the stand-mixer) with butter, a paleo flour mix, eggs and some seasoning. I shaped the soft dough into an elongated rectangle (using saran wrap) and refrigerated it overnight. I sliced this “brick” the next morning, placed the slices on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then baked them at 180 Celsius for roughly 20 minutes. Since this was my first such experiment, I can’t vouch for the best amount of baking time, so best check the cookies and bake them till golden if you try this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb cheese grated fine
• 1/2 lb paleo flour
• 1/4 lb butter
• 1 egg
• seasoning to taste: salt (keeping in mind that the cheese contains salt already),  pepper, cajun spice or ground caraway seeds or any other seasoning you prefer)

The paleo flour seemed an interesting option because of the almond flour and coconut flour content. However, the arrowroot starch and tapioca flour raise the glycemic index of these cookies, limiting the number of cookies we can allow ourselves to have in one sitting.

In any case, the cheese cookies turned out just as delicious as the gingerbread ones – but considering the limitation caused by the arrowroot and tapioca content, I am considering the following ingredient list, which is also more in the spirit of Gnom-gnom:

• 200 g cheese grated fine
• 200 g almond flour
• 1/2 teaspoon xantham gum
• 100 g butter
• 1 egg
• seasoning to taste

Thank you Gnom-gnom, you made my Holiday!

As I keep repeating, please always do your own research and make your own decisions. This is what I am doing, but this might not necessarily be best for you.

Good luck to All and keep your glucose levels down!