So, all you LC baking experts, will you help me make some LC Christmas cookies? I found at Thanksgiving that, since I had my pumpkin cheesecake, I was totally fine. So, I think I need to have some LC Christmas cookies. Here's my recipe:

3 C flour
I tsp. soda
I c. butter
2 tsp cream of tarter
Pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

It looks to me like I can have everything but the flour and sugar. What would you LC master chefs suggest I substitute?

Also, I usually make my frosting for sugar cookies with powdered sugar, butter and vanilla. Can I sub. Splenda equally for the powdered sugar?

By the way, I'm going to make the pumpkin cheesecake again. It was really good. I didn't miss the pumpkin pie at all!

Holiday Love All Around. You have helped me SO much.

Cisco

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Jody, I have not tried to make l/c cookies, primarily because I am not a cookie eater. However, I have read a lot of posts about recipes for various types of l/c cookies. Even for a non-l/c cookie, your recipe looks a little strange to me so I am not sure what type of flour substitute to suggest. Low carb baking is a challange because of the chemistry involved. Here is a l/c cookie recipe I have seen that may give you some ideas about flour substitutes. I do not know about these cookies, but a common theme I have seen is that l/c cookies tend to be very fragile and not crisp, primarily because of the lack of the synergy of sugar in low carb cookie baking. However, your recipe has no sugar so I don't know what the texture of the non-l/c cookie would be.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

2 dozen servings

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1/4 cup whey protein powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup toasted ground pecans or pine nuts
1 cup powdered erythritol

Preparation Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Beat butter, 1/3 cup Splenda, vanilla and orange rind in medium bowl until fluffy. Mix in combined flours (gluten, oat & whey), salt and cinnamon. Mix in pine nuts or pecans. Refrigerate dough until firm, 2 to 3 hours. Roll dough into crescent or round shapes, using about 2 rounded teaspoons of dough for each.
3. Place 1 inch apart on lightly greased (PAM) cookie sheets. Bake cookies until lightly browned, 8 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Roll warm cookies in powdered erythritol
and cool on wire racks.

Carbs:
Approximately 1 carb gram per cookie.

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Henry

I don't know if Carbquik or carbalose flour would work for cookies. I'm afraid that if I tried it, and it worked, I'd eat the entire batch!

As for frosting, powdered erythritol makes a pretty good frosting. Sometimes I'll make a chocolate OMM and frost it with a bit of butter mixed with powdered erythritol and just a touch of vanilla. Or you could use cream cheese instead of butter.

If you use Carbquik, you might try their recipe website:

Carbquik Recipes

Hope that helps.

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Nita

Jody, I see that you have edited your original post to add sugar to the recipe. There is no AS that will produce the same chemical effect (crisp cookies) as sugar in cookie dough. As a result, what I would do is probably try a 50/50 mixture of almond flour and carbalose flour to replace the flour. I suspect that your original recipe called for you to cream the butter and sugar. Accordingly, I would replace the sugar with a mix of granular AS, probably Splenda and erythritol and then cream that to break-up the fat molucules in the butter. I would also bake the cookies at a reduced temperature from the original recipe, probably 25 degrees less and increase the baking time to produce a drier cookie that will hopefully have a firmer texture. As with any low carb baking, when you are trying to l/c a recipe, it will be a trial and error process. When you find a recipe that works, please be sure to post it for the benefit of all. Thanks.

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Henry

Yes, for all those who read my original recipe and thought, "She must be nuts to think THAT would taste good," I HAD forgotten about half the recipe which was written into the instructions and not listed in the ingredients. (Yes, I'm a dolt). I'm going to start experimenting with your suggestions. One question, is erythritol similar to powdered sugar? I'm guessing I won't find that in my local grocery store. Darn, I just got an order in from Netrition. I wish I would have ordered some. Thanks for all your help.

Cisco

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erythritol is available both in powdered and granular. it's one of the better sugar alcohols in that it does NOT appear to have the gastrointestinal effects many other s.a.'s do. it's one of my favorites.

I get it from Netrition, but I believe others have said it's also available from Amazon. I'm getting ready to order some more so I can try out Maggie's Rum Balls.

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cisco-do a search, too. i know i don't have all the recipes in the recipe section but there is stuff about making lc cookies scattered about the site.

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Here is an old low carb sugar cookie recipe I just saw that I have adjusted for ingredients that are no longer available:
Old Fashioned "Sugar" Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups almond flour
1 cup Splenda
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon butter flavored extract
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup butter, softened
Erythritol (granular)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Mix almond flour with Splenda, sifting until well mixed. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg and then mix well with extracts and softened butter. Add to dry ingredients and mix really well.

Form dough into 24 small balls and space evenly on two ungreased cookie sheets (most cookie sheets will hold 12 cookies - 4 rows of three - very evenly.) Press moderately to flatten to a silver-dollar pancake size. If you choose, sprinkle liberally with Erythritol, just as you would traditional "sugar"cookies. Bake for approximately 8 minutes at 350°. They will slide right off the cookie sheet. Cool 5 minutes before eating.
Makes 24 cookies. 2 carbs per cookie.

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Henry

oh, and i totally forgot about the recpie box search. duh! searches only lc recipe sites - here's a search on cookies. cookies - Google Search

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Try this site Low Carb Cookie Recipes - Low Carb Sugar Free Gluten Free Cookies