October 24, 2011

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

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As my final guest poster, I would like to now introduce you to Cara, of Cara’s Cravings. I did a guest post for Cara back in June, with my Sticky Toffee Puddings, and was eager to ask her to return the favour. Asking Cara was a no-brainer because she focuses on clean eating and likes to make a lot of her dishes low carb. She’s a natural fit for this blog! She tells me that making low carb, gluten free baked goods is a little out of her comfort zone, but you’d never know it from these whoopie pies. How perfect do they look??? You can bet I will be making some of these upon my return. Take it away, Cara…

Despite being a brunette for my entire life, I’ve only spent about five minutes, if that, believing that blondes have more fun. However, I’ve almost always believed that those with a speedier metabolism than mine do indeed have more fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to stuff their face with cookies and cakes, and pieces of candy here, there, and everywhere, and a bowl of ice cream every night and still maintain a thin figure and the energy get up and go the next day?

Sadly, my slow-as-molasses metabolism just can’t handle that lifestyle. Yes, I know what I just described is rather extreme and the average person (hopefully) doesn’t eat that much. But even if you consider what they probably do eat, it’s a bit too much for me. I spent most of my life obese, and since reaching a healthy weight about six years ago, I’ve found I have to be much more careful than those around me. (And that’s with plenty of exercise too.)

But over the past year, I’ve reached a turning point. There is less and less “woe is me, I can’t have that” and more and more, “I am awesome. Look what I CAN have!”

I’d be lying if I said Carolyn hasn’t been a big part of that revelation – just look at the incredible goodies she shares with us every day! She’s truly inspired me to become empowered about my own dietary needs, while still enjoying the kinds of foods I like (in other words, generous amounts of sweets.) Which is why I’m so flattered that she asked me to guest post on her lovely blog. Thank you, Carolyn.

One of the reasons I enjoy guest blogging is because I like to make it a challenge for myself. I embrace the opportunity to push myself a little bit more than I have in the past, to create something that fits both my personality and preferences, and the blogger who invited me to guest post. With all of that in mind, I decided to make some Pumpkin Whoopie Pies to share with you all. (Because frankly, the slew of amazingly decadent pumpkin goodies parading across Pinterest and Foodgawker lately makes me weak!)

Not to brag, but I think they fit the bill quite well. First, let’s talk personality. Mine is full of pumpkin, if you can imagine that. I don’t stock up for pumpkin shortages, rather, I am the cause of them (says my husband, and the proof is the stash in our basement.) I have always loved all things pumpkin, but I also adore it for its superfood status and incredible versatility. There’s more than pumpkin pie, people! (Hint: check out two of favorite recipes which also happen to be among the most popular of my readers, Thai Peanut Pumpkin Hummus and Amazingly Creamy Pumpkin Penne.) And preferences? Lately mine towards the-cleaner-the-better, and that is evidenced by the fact that these contain no refined sugar or white flour. Another quality I use to describe my cooking style is “inclusive.” To me that means developing recipes that are suitable for a wider variety of people with allergies or intolerances, even though I don’t have those issues myself. These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies are gluten-free. Finally, I’ll offer up that I think it fits in seamlessly with Carolyn’s eating style, so it won’t be a huge surprise to any of her loyal readers who seek low-carb sweet treats.

I hope you’ll agree and enjoy them as much as I did!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Low Carb, Gluten Free, Sugar Free)

2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup erythritol
1/2 teaspoon vanilla stevia extract
1/2 cup (56gm) coconut flour
2 tablespoons (14gm) almond flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4oz / 114gm reduced fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 oz / 56gm butter, room temperature
1 cup erythritol, powdered
15-20 liquid vanilla stevia drops, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the eggs, egg whites, melted butter, pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, erythritol, and vanilla stevia extract in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until well-combined, about 1 minute.

Add the coconut flour, almond flour, salt, baking soda, powdered buttermilk, and pumpkin pie spice. Start mixing on slow, gradually increasing speed to high. Beat for two minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until no lumps remain.

Scoop the batter by heaping tablespoon-fulls onto the parchment-lined sheets. Flatten slightly with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until set. Cool completely before filling.

To make the filling, beat together the cream cheese and butter until thoroughly combined. Add the powdered erythritol in several additions, beating well, until fluffy. Beat in liquid vanilla stevia drops to taste.

Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories 185.6
Total Fat 14.6 g
Saturated Fat 7.8 g
Monounsaturated Fat 3.6 g
Cholesterol 79.8 mg
Sodium 215.7 mg
Potassium 66.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 8.2 g
Dietary Fiber 3.8 g
Sugars 1.4 g
Protein 5.5 g

Cara Lyons is the author of Cara’s Cravings, a food blog dedicated to indulgent yet wholesome food for healthy living. She is also a contributor to Clean Eating Magazine.

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (Low Carb and Gluten Free)

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