If You’re on a Keto Diet, Don’t Deny Yourself the Pleasure of Chocolate. Simply Follow These Recipes

For the festive season, here’s a roundup of our favorite chocolate recipes that are delicious, easy and keto friendly.

The ketogenic or keto diet is a diet that is low in carbs and high in fats, and causes weight loss, while also providing several health benefits. While milk chocolate is not the best option when following a keto diet, dark chocolate, with at least 70% cocoa content, is a great idea, since it has less sugar. To fulfill your sweet cravings while you're on your keto diet, here are some keto friendly chocolate recipes.

First, here are some tips and secrets for baking when you're on a keto diet:

• Not only does cocoa powder add a rich chocolatey flavor to baked items, it also adds texture, making the batter thicker. It works as an alternative to flour, adding more bulk to the baked goods.
• Make sure you don't over bake items with cocoa powder in it, or they’ll turn out dry and crumbly.
• There are two tricks to know whether your dessert is done baking. One, insert a toothpick in the cake and if it comes out clean, your dessert is ready. Second, lightly press down in the center of the cake. If it's soft, it needs to bake for longer. But if you feel a slight resistance, your cake is ready.

Keto Chocolate Cake

Ingredients

For the chocolate cake:

• 1 cup almond flour
• ¾ cup granulated erythritol or any other low carb sweetener
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1½ tbsp ground psyllium husk powder
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup cream cheese
• 110 gm salted butter, melted

For the peanut buttercream frosting

• 220 gm butter
• 1 cup cream cheese
• ½ cup unsalted and sugar free peanut butter
• ¼ cup powdered erythritol
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the decorations:

• 10 cherries
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbsp chopped salted peanuts

Directions:

• Preheat the oven.
• In a bowl, mix together the almond flour, sweetener, sifted cocoa powder, ground psyllium husk powder, baking powder and salt until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
• In another bowl, combine the cream cheese and melted butter with an electric mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing continuously, until you have a smooth mixture.
• Add the flour mixture into the egg bowl and whisk until your cake batter is smooth and lump free.
• Grease a baking pan and pour the batter in. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
• In a bowl, combine the butter, cream cheese and peanut butter. Add the sweetener and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
• Place the cake on a serving plate and cover with frosting using a spatula or knife. Put the whipping cream, cherries and peanuts as topping.

Keto Chocolate Lava Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dark chocolate with 80% cocoa content
• 2 cups butter
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp butter, for greasing

Directions:

• Preheat the oven and grease ramekins with butter.
• Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put in a saucepan or on the top part of a double boiler. Add the butter and let it melt together on low heat.
• Add the vanilla and stir until smooth. Turn off the heat and set aside. Let the chocolate cool but not so much that it hardens.
• Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• Pour the chocolate batter into the egg bowl. Fold gently until the batter is smooth.
• Pour the batter into the greased ramekin and place in the oven for not more than 10 minutes. You know it’s done when the surface begins to crack.
• Remove and serve warm. A scoop of ice cream is a great addition to the lava cake.

Keto Brownies

Ingredients:

• 170 gm butter, softened
• ⅓ cup almond butter
• 3 eggs
• ¾ cup erythritol
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup almond flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp instant coffee powder (optional)
• 1 dark chocolate with minimum 80% cocoa, chopped

Directions:

• Preheat the oven. Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
• Use an electric mixer to combine the butter, almond butter, eggs, and sweetener.
• Add the cocoa powder, almond flour, baking powder, salt, water, vanilla extract, and instant coffee powder and stir until smooth.
• Lightly fold in the chopped chocolate bar.
• Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake until set. Serve warm with ice cream.