(X) LC - Ice Cream!

[dizneegirl]

Notes before we start...

I have Cuisinart electric ice cream maker (the kind with the bowl you freeze)... I know that all these recipes will work well in it. They will probably also work in similar models (Rival, etc.), and even in the old fashioned rock salt & ice models.

The recipes call for some specialty items... xanthan gum, lecithin, glycerin(e), xylitol... these aren't necessary for making ice cream, but they are a great help in making sugar-free ice cream remain scoopable after being frozen.

You should be able to find xanthan gum, lecithin (in either granuales or liquid) and vegetable glycerine at a well-stocked health food store. Glycerin(e) might also be found at craft or cake decorating/candy supply stores... it's used to maintain coloring & texture in frosting. It's also used in sports to rehydrate. You may find it with soap-making supplies, as well... you just want to be sure you buy edible glycerin (if it says "for external use only" - DON'T use it). The brand I generally use is Frontier. Wilton also makes it (for the cake decorating).

They contribute slight carb counts to the ice cream (2-3 net for a whole batch), but that's negligible for what they do for the consistency.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol... it contributes greatly to mouth feel and texture. Again, not necessary to the ice cream, but adds to the final product. You may be able to find it a health food store, as well.

All of the products can be ordered online easily.

 

[dizneegirl]

Mint Chocolate Chip

2 cups heavy cream
2 eggs
1 cup vanilla sugar-free Davinci syrup
1/3 cup xylitol
1/8 tsp. powdered Stevia concentrate
1/2 tsp. peppermint extract
10 drops green food coloring
1 Tbs. liquid lecithin
1 Tbs. glycerin
1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
2 large Carbolite dark chocolate bars, chopped into chip-sized pieces

Mix all ingredients, except chocolate chips, well with whisk. Chill "batter" in freezer for 30 minutes or overnight in fridge.

Pour into ice cream maker, freeze until nearly done. About 5-10 minutes before ice cream is finished, add chocolate chips.

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Made this last night... best batch yet. This is wonderful eaten right away, and can also be frozen for later... the lecithin, glycerine and xanthan make it easily scoopable, even after being frozen for days. The xylitol/stevia combination doesn't leave any aftertaste, and adds no carbs to the ice cream. The xylitol adds a little "sugar bulk" to it as well. Great texture, great taste! I missed my ice cream!

PS - The whole recipe is right around 16 net carbs. At 4 large servings, that's only 4g per serving. I'm pretty sure you could get 8 1/2 cup servings, but I'm not quite THAT disciplined!

 

[dizneegirl]

Here's another recipe I've been using lately... it doesn't use any eggs, and doesn't require any cooking of the custard. It's quite good.

Vanilla Ice Cream

2 Tbs. lecithin granuales, blended to a powder consistency
1 c. sugar-free vanilla DaVinci syrup
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. liquid Splenda (or liquid Stevia, or NOW powdered Stevia)
1/3 c. xylitol
2 Tbs. glycerin
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

Mix all ingredients well, and add to ice cream maker.

Note: You can also make it with 1/4-1/2 tsp. liquid Splenda and no xylitol, if desired.

 

[dizneegirl]

Chocolate Ice Cream

2 Tbs. lecithin granules, blended to a powder consistency OR 2 large eggs
1 c. sugar-free vanilla DaVinci syrup
2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. liquid Splenda (or liquid Stevia, or NOW powdered Stevia)
1/3 c. xylitol
1/3 cup dutch processed cocoa
2 Tbs. glycerin
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

Mix all ingredients well, and add to ice cream maker.

 

[dizneegirl]

Made this, adapted from another low-carb recipe... GREAT taste, but does NOT retain it's scoopability after it's frozen overnight. I think it must be the cream cheese that freezes so hard. If you let it sit for 10-15 minutes though, and then eat, it just melts in your mouth!

Cheesecake Ice Cream

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup vanilla DaVinci
3/4 cup sugar equivalent (Splenda, xylitol, erythritol, stevia... whatever)
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. glycerin
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum

Pour ingredients into blender, and blend well. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to instructions.

Notes: The glycerin and xanthan help minutely with scoopability in this one... if you're going to eat it right away, you can certainly leave them out. I'm wondering if a couple eggs or the lecithin would help at all... have to try that next time. Probably best to put this one into individual servings to freeze, so you can let it sit out a little before you try to eat it. I'm thinking this would be AWESOME with some chopped up sugar-free chocolate bars in it... I'm hooked!

 

[dizneegirl]

Another note... on sugar-free syrups and stevia

Stevia is one of my favorite sweetners... it's extremely concentrated, and sometimes gets a bad rap because of it... using too much in recipe will cause it to become so sweet that it's actually bitter. I use it quite often (in the homemade liquid form below) to cut carbs in recipes. You can learn more about stevia here: www.cookingwithstevia.com

You can probably find Atkins sugar-free syrups, if you can't find DaVinci... Atkins is in our Kroger, Meijer, I've even seen it at GNC, I think, plus, all the health food stores that carry Atkins products have the syrups, too... Atkins, Torani and DaVinci are all the same.

I think you'd have to use a different recipe if you weren't going to use the syrup... it adds flavor, bulk & sweetness, with absolutely no carbs & no side-effects.

If you're adventurous, you can make your own syrups... they're great for so many things!

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Peppermint Paddy Stevia sugar free syrup (25oz)

1t Liquid Stevia (= 4c sugar, 0 carbs)
1t Pure Peppermint Extract (1 carb)
1/16t Pure Lemon Extract (0.06 carb)
2T Glycerin (0 carbs)
1/8t Salt (0 carbs)
5d(rops) Green Food Coloring (0 carbs)
1/4t Xanthan Gum (0 carbs)
25oz Water (0 carbs)

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Strawberry Stevia sugar free syrup (12oz)

1/2t Liquid Stevia (= 2c sugar, 0 carbs)
2t Strawberry Extract (1 carb) (Durkee not very strong ;-)
1/16t Pure Lemon Extract (0.06 carb)
1T Glycerine (0 carbs)
1/16t Salt (0 carbs)
3d Red Food Coloring (0 carbs)
1/8t Xanthan Gum (0 carbs)
12oz Water (0 carbs)

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You can make literally ANY flavor syrup, especially if you start experimenting with the flavored oils (like LorAnn).

These use a homemade liquid Stevia... if you're lucky enough to have liquid Splenda, it's the same strength, and can be substituted... otherwise, here's the liquid stevia recipe:

1 oz. NOW brand powdered stevia concentrate, dissolved in 2/3 cup water

Like I said, it's the same strength as liquid Stevia, and 200 times sweeter than sugar... here are the equivalents:

1 t. liquid Stevia = 4.16 cups sugar (200/48)
1/2t. liquid Stevia = 2 cups sugar (96 teaspoons)
1/4t. liquid Stevia = 1 cup sugar (48 teaspoons)
1/8t. liquid Stevia = 1/2 cup sugar (24 teaspoons)
1/16t. liquid Stevia = 1/4 cup sugar (12 teaspoons)
1/32t. liquid Stevia = 1/8 cup sugar (6 teaspoons)

If you can't find NOW brand, I've also made the same strength this way:

.9 oz. SweetLeaf brand powdered Stevia concentrate, dissolved in 3 1/8 oz. of water