Speaking of cookies and home baked goods?

With the holiday season upon us, and, while I am a reasonably good cook, able to adapt or come up with new ideas to be creative in the kitchen, baking (other than my crustless foray into pumkin pie last year) has not yet been attempted. 

I have a nice collection of sugar free chocolate chips and coca and sugar substitutes, but I am stymied as to what to do regarding other ingredients, basic ones like flour.  I've heard people talk about using almond flour and such, and I bought a bag of unbleached whole wheat flour, thinking that could work, but I want to ask you bakers out there, have you used it in baking and what are the results you've had, what for instance should I use to make a WLS friendly toll house cookie?   it's been years since I've baked anything from scratch. . .  so I am requesting information.  . .  Liz?  Pam?  Susan?  Also looking to make that pumpkin bread recipe I saw in the last week and rather than waste anything, I'm picking your brains for what works and my DIL's Mom makes a wonderful pineapple bread that I want to adapt for WLS eating, so your help will be much appreciated.

Next weekend, I am planning on making my kitchen rich in the aromas of baking for the upcoming season to see what works so I can bring my own stuff for the holidays.

Laureen

I'm gonna bet that Susan and Liz are the ones to go to on this one.  I have not been quite fabulous at adapting recipies.

I know Liz has recipies for a pound cake in which she used almond flour.  It was yummy and it did have an almond flavor to it.  She also has a chocolate chip cookie recipie that although uses diabeti sweet is pretty darn good.  Not quite toll house taste, but good all the same.

I know Susan has said that when you use splenda, you need to replace some liquid, like add applesauce.  I know I have had a "volume" problem when using splenda.  It does not rise the baked goods as well as sugar does.

Have fun playing - hopefully you will get some really good ideas - let us know how they turn out.

Pam

PS:  Oh - in answer to your specific question, I don't think using whole wheat flour would change recipies all that much.  Perhaps a bit of a chewier consistency....I used whole wheat flour in the graham cracker star cookies I did over the weekend - but that was because the recipie called for it.

Thanks Pam!  I will definitely post anything that comes out good and send me any good recipes as well. . .

I use the unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour flour and love it. I also use the 50 / 50 Flour and Whole Wheat Graham Flour. The only thing I make sure to do with the whole wheat is use extra applesause in the recipe for moisture. Whole wheat tends to get sticky and dry when using just the liquid ingredients listed so I use applesause for moisture as well as a substitute for sweetner.

Laureen, I use my Magic Bullet to make "oat flour" from old fashioned oats. I use it to replace 1/2 of the flour in chocolate chip cookies and also in oatmeal cookies. At least it's upping the fiber. Just realized I just now became a PA poster! That's ok isn't it? Your post showed up on my OH page. . .

Hey Karen,

My post showed up because we are listed as friends, so if you are friends with someone it shows recent posts of the friends wherever they post. . .  silly girl, of course you can post on the PA forum (lol), after all, I'm from New York and live in New Jersey and they let me post there (lol). . .  Thanks for the input.

Miss you. . .

Hugs, Laureen

my brain is quite fuzzy today so I apologize in advance if this is scattered

I wouldn't use more then 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 regular flour - I find it makes things too heavy. You can replace 100% of flour with almond flour but expect something very dense - oh and almond flour isn't powdery - it is just ground almonds so it changes the texture too.

If you use splenda add 1/4 cup applesauce to the recipe as well.

Happy baking!

Liz

Thanks Liz!

Laureen,

I've been wanting to make the pumpkin bread too.  I think it was called Right Said Bread.  But it calls for Craisins, which have sugar in them, and that worries me.  Is is ok to use these in recipes, or is there a better choice? 

Would Carbquik work in place of flour for baking cookies and things? 

Thanks Susan, I will call you. . .