My Accidental Low-Carb 'Magic Shell' Topping Recipe

Looky what I was able to make with just two simple ingredients

The thing I like about being an experimental kitchen wizard is coming across an exciting new low-carb twist on an old favorite. For all you recipe nuts out there, you know what I'm talking about. Try, try as you may, you work hard to find some low-carb alternatives to your favorite high-carb foods (my friend Judy Barnes Baker who wrote the CARB WARS: Sugar Is The New Fat cookbook is an absolute WHIZ at this!).

Well, lightning struck at the Moore household last night when I came up with one heckuva ice cream topping that quite frankly I have missed since I started livin' la vida low-carb four years ago. I enjoy eating my CarbSmart ice cream, but have wished I could have that "Magic Shell" stuff from Dairy Queen on top for a chocolaty coating.

Thanks to my accidental discovery, NOW I CAN!!!



By PURE LUCK I was melting a ChocoPerfection bar in the microwave and usually put a little bit of water in the bowl to prevent the chocolate from burning. Well, I opened up my refrigerator to pull out a chilled ChocoPerfection bar when I looked over and saw my Nutiva brand organic extra virgin coconut oil. Hmmmm, I wonder what THAT would taste like mixed with the chocolate?

So, I pulled it out and scooped a tablespoon of coconut oil into the bowl with the broken up pieces of ChocoPerfection. I microwaved it for about 30-45 seconds, pulled it out and stirred it up a bit (with the coconut oil already melting), and then put it back in for another 30-45 seconds, stirring again and repeating until a smooth mixture.



At first, I was kinda miffed that the chocolate was so runny. But I wasn't gonna waste the chocolate and not use it, so I decided to pour it on top of my CarbSmart ice cream. Christine wanted some, too, so I poured some on top of hers. I handed the bowl to her and walked back into the kitchen to finish mine when I heard a screech come out of her mouth.

"Where did you get the 'Magic Shell' and is this low-carb?" Christine inquired. Not knowing what she was talking about, I said, "Huh?" She said the chocolate coating on the ice cream was hard like the stuff you get from Dairy Queen. So I pushed my finger against the "shell" on my ice cream and she was RIGHT!

COOL!



Unbeknownst to me, I had created a low-carb version of "Magic Shell." I can't tell you how many times I wish I had this stuff since my low-carb lifestyle began in 2004. But now I can have it again with my ice cream when I decide to have a nice low-carb treat every now and then. Sweeeeeeeet!

And all you need is two ingredients: ChocoPerfection bars and coconut oil! ENJOY!

Low-Carb Chocolate Chip-Macadamia Nut Ice Cream Sandwiches

Cool off during the dog days of summer with this yummy low-carb treat!

Who among us doesn't remember the days when we'd take two cookies and smash our favorite flavor of ice cream in the middle to eat when the temperatures outside were blistering like they are right now? Yep, we sure did and it was a great way to cool off. Unfortunately, it wasn't so good on the waistline.

Nowadays, we're eating better than we used to because we're livin' la vida low-carb (RIGHT?!) and we're shunning the sugar in our diet, too (RIGHT?!). Because of that, I'm happy to share an absolutely amazing low-carb chocolate chip-macadamia nut ice cream sandwiches recipe compliments of our friends at Low-Carb Connoisseur.

The cookies are from Big Train and I LOVE LOVE LOVE these. They taste just like toll house cookies and you'll NEVER believe they are low-carb. I was quite impressed. And the macadamia nut ice cream is the icing on the proverbial cake, so to speak. You won't want to go overboard with these, but they can be a nice oasis to beat the heat of that last blast of this summer scorcher! ENJOY! :)

LOW-CARB CHOCOLATE CHIP-MACADAMIA NUT ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

COOKIES
1 (8-ounce) package Big Train Sugar Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
1 Stick butter, at room temperature
1 large egg

MACADAMIA NUT ICE CREAM
3 cups heavy cream
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup NOW Xylitol sugar substitute
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Singing Dog Organic vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped Mac Farms macadamia nuts

1. For the cookies: Mix according to package directions, adding the butter and egg. Portion the dough to make 20 cookies. Bake and cool following the package directions; set aside.

2. For the macadamia nut ice cream: Pour heavy cream into a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Bring to a low boil, stirring often so the cream does not boil over. Remove from heat.

3. In a large bowl, place eggs, egg yolks, sugar substitute and salt. Using either a hand mixer or a whisk, beat together until thickened and smooth.

4. Using a ladle, remove about a cup of the hot cream from saucepan and gradually whisk into egg mixture (this tempers the eggs so they wont curdle). Whisking, pour tempered egg mixture into remaining cream in saucepan.

Place over medium heat and whisk until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour into a clean bowl, whisk in vanilla and almond extracts; let stand until custard is completely cooled to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Refrigerate 2 hours, until well chilled, or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

5. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers directions. Add chopped macadamia nuts 15 minutes before freezing process is complete.

6. To assemble sandwiches: Arrange 10 cookies, top side down, on work surface. Using an ice cream scoop, working quickly, place 1/4 cup ice cream on each cookie. Top each with another cookie, bottom side down. Wrap each sandwich well in plastic wrap and place in freezer. Freeze at least 4 hours (ice cream will be soft) or overnight (for firmer sandwiches). Can be stored in the freezer up to 1 month.

Servings: 10
Prep time: 40 minutes
Bake/Cook time: 25 minutes

Calories: 422
Fat: 37g
Protein: 7g
Total Carbohydrates: 20g
Fiber: 5g
Net Carbs: 15g

Sumptuous Homemade Double Chunky Chocolate Pecan Low-Carb Ice Cream

Make your own premium and delicious low-carb ice cream at home

I recently blogged about how much I still love my low-carb ice cream. Of course, you never want to overindulge, but it's nice to have something like this from time to time when you are livin' la vida low-carb.

Last year I shared with you a recipe for homemade low-carb coconut vanilla ice cream. Now I have a simply sumptuous ice cream recipe that will have you dancing for joy--Homemade Double Chunky Chocolate Pecan Low-Carb Ice Cream! Oh my gosh, what a treat this one is!

Compliments of our friends at Low-Carb Connoisseur, the secret ingredient that makes this dessert so incredibly fabulous is my favorite low-carb chocolate bar of all-time--CHOCOPERFECTION! I use it in ANY recipe that calls for chocolate because it quite frankly is the very best you can find anywhere.

Once you bite into this heavenly homemade low-carb dessert, you'll never go back to sugary ice cream again! ENJOY!

DOUBLE CHUNKY CHOCOLATE PECAN LOW-CARB ICE CREAM

1 teaspoon gelatin
1 cup water
6 egg yolks
16 packets Now Foods Xylitol sugar substitute
2/3 cup Ghiradelli unsweetened cocoa
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons Singing Dog sugar free vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons chocolate extract
1 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 ChocoPerfection Milk or Dark in pieces

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl whisk egg yolks and sugar substitute to combine.

2. In a medium pot, mix gelatin mixture and cream. Add cocoa powder. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cocoa is dissolved and mixture has begun to simmer.

3. Slowly pour one cup of gelatin mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into pot of gelatin mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and chocolate extracts. Chill mixture 4 hours.

4. Pour ice cream mix into ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer's directions. About 5 minutes before ice cream is finished, add pecans and ChocoPerfection bars (the easiest way to chop these up into bits is to refrigerate or freeze them and gently hammer the outer package all the way across and then flip the bar to repeat--works like a charm for little chunky pieces).

Total Carbs:10.5g
Net Carbs: 6.5g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 7g
Fat: 46g
Calories: 477

Yep, I Still Enjoy Eating Low-Carb Ice Cream

Columnist James Lileks moans over Kemps removing their low-carb line

I have a confession to make that shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me--I LOVE MY LOW-CARB ICE CREAM!!! I know the anti-chemical, all-natural-foods-only low-carb crowd is reading this rolling their eyes at me as if I'm some sort of freak or something.

But the reality is I'm probably more normal than they are since I still find low-carb living to be a day to day battle. I can never let my guard down if I am going to successfully keep the nearly 200 pounds I lost over three years ago off of my body for good. So far, so good.

If low-carb ice cream can keep me away from the regular sugary ice cream and other such high-carb desserts, then I'm gonna do it. Would NO ice cream be better for me? Obviously. But I can't (or choose not to) do that any more than I could give up my diet sodas. I seriously tried that and I couldn't sustain it as part of my life without adversely impacting my weight control.

What's the real harm in it if it helps me keep my weight off which it has for over three years and counting? With so many people trying to lose weight and then reaching a point in their diet when they don't feel like a success (even despite enormous weight loss success), shouldn't we be promoting the use of products like low-carb ice cream to help them transition from the things that tempt them the most?

Absolutely, we should and I'll tell you why. I've been livin' la vida low-carb since January 2004 and my diet has undergone a major shift since that time. Many of the foods I once considered staples of my diet--a case and a half of Coca-Cola daily, an entire box of Little Debbie snack cakes, a SuperSize order order of McDonald's French fries, a plateful of regular pasta--are now a thing of the past. I don't even remotely want them in my life ever again.

My friend the "Diet Detective" Charles Stuart Platkin describes these alternatives I have chosen instead like diet sodas and low-carb ice cream as "Carb Bargains," which means you substitute a lower-carb food for a higher-carb one you previously consumed to cut calories and start the lifestyle change in earnest.

This makes total sense which is why I have defended the use of certain low-carb products before and feature many of the good ones here at my blog. Granted, not everything that purports to be "low-carb" is, but that's where reading your labels and being smart go a long way in your low-carb lifestyle.

If it comes down to a choice between eating low-carb ice cream and sticking with my low-carb plan versus not eating it and falling prey to the temptation to have a slice of chocolate cake, then I'll choose the former over the latter every day of the week. While there are some who can just suddenly stop eating those foods forever cold turkey, low-carb or not, I'm not one of them. Give me my low-carb substitutes thank you very much.

With that said, many of the really good low-carb products are prone to just suddenly disappear as this Star Tribune column by columnist James Lileks so hilariously details. If you have been livin' la vida low-carb for ANY length of time, then this little ditty will make your day. What a character this guy is as he's low-carbing it for himself.

His beef is with the Kemps Ice Cream manufacturers for removing their low-carb option called "Carb Promise" from their lineup of products. As so many of us have grown accustomed to seeing in recent years, they took away his favorite low-carb indulgence and now he's upset about it (hmmm, add Kemps to the list with Subway's low-carb wraps, low-carb offerings from Eat Well Be Well (formerly CarbSense), KETO's low-carb product line, Ruby Tuesday's low-carb menu...I could go on and on, but I won't. You get the point.

Lilaks encapsulates the very essence of how cruel this is to low-carbers.

"You give us something and you make us love it and you snatch it away...I always knew you'd yank Carb Promise when the Atkins diet died, and last week I learned that you'd discontinued the brand. Do you know what this means? I don't eat sugar. So you've taken away ice cream from my life. Entirely. And don't tell me 'it's the cows.' I've met cows. They lack the intellectual capacity to make such decisions."

Caught ya laughing out loud, didn't I? This guy's a real hoot! While I don't believe "the Atkins diet died" as he claims, I know what he meant. But it's not the end of the world.

If he's looking for low-carb ice cream, then he needs to look no further than the very best brand that has been available for years and is STILL available on supermarket shelves these days (it's all over the place in Super Wal-Mart, too!)--BREYER'S CARBSMART ICE CREAM!


CarbSmart ice cream has been a lifesaver for my low-carb diet

I've been eating this brand of low-carb ice cream since 2004 and wouldn't think of eating anything else. The product contains just 4g net carbs and tastes exactly like sugar-loaded ice cream. Unlike those pretender "low-carb" ice creams, this one has no gritty taste, no funky wang, and satisfies my sweet tooth with a dollop of whipped cream and some blueberries on top every time!

So, James, if you think "dessert is ruined ...FOREVER," then you REALLY need to try CarbSmart ice cream. It comes in Chocolate, Vanilla, Butter Pecan, and (my favorite!) Rocky Road and is absolutely delicious.

You can e-mail encouragement to James Lileks about his livin' la vida low-carb journey at lileks@startribune.com.