Strawberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - Lower Carb Version

Sinfully good muffins studded with mini chocolate chips and real strawberries in this lower carb version!

Strawberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - Lower Carb Version

A bright sunny weekend had me reminiscing about the chocolate dipped strawberries we had for Valentine's Day and started a craving for the combination of strawberries and chocolate that I had to satisfy.  You know I love muffins so I decided to make a lower carb version because I've been experimenting with a new product, King Arthur Baking Company Baking Sugar Alternative.  (Check my Product Review below for my thoughts)

These mini muffins are the cutest things!  I wanted to make mini snacking size muffins that we could just pop in our mouths on the go or have with a cup of coffee or tea,  but my mini muffin pan decided to play hide and seek...and it won.   So the next best thing was my donut hole pan, which produced the cutest little muffin bites!  Strawberries and chocolate is a winning combination and these muffin bites come out moist and bursting with flavor.  Perfect for snacking, dessert, and of course breakfast.

Enjoy!

Product Review:

This is NOT a sponsored review.  I bought this product out of curiosity in hopes of finding a good alternative to sugar for baking.  King Arthur Baking Company Baking Sugar Alternative is a 1:1 sugar alternative made from a blend of plant based sweeteners like monk fruit and stevia.  I've made a couple of baked items with this product and I have to say you can't tell the difference.  There is no after taste, items bake up beautifully, and the integrity of the baked goods holds up day after day.  So if you are looking to reduce sugar, calories, and/or carbs this is a great product that I recommend.  You can find the product here.

What Ingredients do I need?

• eggs
• low-fat milk
• canola oil
• all purpose flour
• King Arthur Baking sugar alternative or sugar
• baking soda
• salt
• strawberries
• mini chocolate chips

Substitutions and Variations

• Don't care for sugar alternatives? You can substitute real sugar cup for cup with the alternative.

• Use white whole wheat flour in place of the all purpose flour.

• Change up the fruit, raspberries would be great.

• Make 6 regular size muffins instead of mini muffins

• Use either a mini muffin pan, or a donut hole pan.

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• 1st rule of thumb when making muffins is not to "overmix" the batter.  You want it batter to just come together.  Little spots of flour is okay.

• To get high muffin tops turn your oven up to 400 degrees.

• Make sure you are using fresh baking powder.  To test put 1/2 teaspoon into 1/4 cup of boiling water.  If it bubbles, you are good.

• Double the recipe for 12 muffins.

• Muffins can be frozen individually and kept for 3 months.

• Fill the muffin tin almost to the top for nice big muffins.

• Here is my donut hole pan.

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Strawberry Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins - Lower Carb Version

makes 20 muffin donut holes

1 egg
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup King Arthur Baking sugar alternative
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped strawberries
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin or donut hole pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the egg, milk, and oil. Mix together using a whisk.

Add the flour, sugar alternative, baking powder, and salt.  Stir just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in chopped strawberries and mini chocolate chips.

Using a small cookie scoop, add batter to the individual mini muffin tin or donut hole pan.  Bake 8-12 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin. Remove from the pan and serve.

Southern Staple: Chicken and Biscuits

Chicken and Biscuits is a Southern staple that makes you feel like you are wrapped in a warm blanket.  Tender chunks of chicken and vegetables in a delicious sauce topped with a flaky biscuit.  It's the perfect winter meal!

Chicken and Biscuits

This Southern classic is usually a time-consuming effort, but with the help from a few high quality convenience items you can have this dish done in 1 hour!  This version utilizes Bisquick, to help with making the biscuits, and a rotisserie chicken.  The vegetables are  staples of mushrooms and peas along with leeks, which are a more delicate substitution for standard onions.  To jazz up the biscuits I've added Swiss cheese along with fresh thyme for a bit of a savory bite.

The sauce comes out rich and creamy and has loads of flavor to compliment the chicken and vegetables. Great comfort food in under and hour is heaven in my book.  Perfect for a Sunday dinner!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• Bisquick
• milk
• Swiss Cheese
• fresh thyme
• leeks
• white button mushrooms
• flour
• garlic
• low sodium chicken broth
• heavy cream
• rotisserie chicken
• frozen peas

Substitutions and Variations

• Use Gruyere cheese instead of Swiss

• Use leftover roasted chicken breasts or make your own shredded chicken in the Instant Pot (fresh chicken tastes the best)

• Use a yellow onion for the leeks

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• Buy a block of Swiss cheese and grate it yourself.  Pre-grated cheese is full of ingredients that keep it separated.  

• Par-baking the biscuits help them from getting gummy as thy would if baking fully with the chicken.  

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Chicken and Biscuits

serves 6

1 1/2 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup milk
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3  Tablespoons canola oil
1 lb. leeks, white and light green parts, washed thoroughly and sliced thin
8 oz, white mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
3 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Stir together Bisquick, milk, cheese, 1 Tablespoon of chopped thyme, and pepper together in a medium bowl.  Scoop out biscuit dough using a spoon to make about 9 drop biscuits and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Par-bake the biscuits for about 7 minutes.  They will not be done at this point but they will cook through once they top the chicken and vegetables.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add leeks and mushrooms and cook about 5-7 minutes until soften and lightly browned.  Add the flour and garlic to the skillet and stir for about 1 minutes.  Whisk in broth and cream, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet and smoothing out any lumps.  Simmer until thickened about 3-5 minutes.  Stir in shredded chicken and peas and 1 Tablespoon of fresh thyme.  Simmer until heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into a 9x13 greased baking dish or casserole dish.  Place biscuits on top and bake until the filling is bubbly and the biscuits are browned, about 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, let cool slightly and serve. 

Valentine's Day Dinner: Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Hearts

 A hearty soup, made with chunks of chicken and vegetables in a thick delectable sauce, is topped with the cutest puff pastry hearts just in time for some Valentine's Day soul-warming food!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Hearts

This is one dish that the whole family will love.  Perfect for this cold weather, and cute enough to serve to loved ones this Valentine's day.  This Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Hearts has all the flavors of chicken pot pie without the effort of using a pie crust.  (love that!)

Tender chunks of chicken along with carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and peas simmer in a thick sauce to create a warmly satisfying soup.  Top it with cute little hearts made from puff pastry and you have one delicious celebratory meal!

Enjoy!

What Ingredients do I need?

• canola oil
• russet potato
• celery 
• carrots
• flour
• low sodium chicken broth
• boneless skinless breasts, cooked and shredded
• frozen peas
• puff pastry

Substitutions and Variations

• Substitute leeks for the onions

• Add mushrooms, green beans, or corn to the mix

• Any fresh herbs such as thyme, bay leaf, or oregano will be a nice addition.

• Leave off the puff pastry or top with a biscuit

• Cooked turkey would be great in this soup.

• Add white wine for a sophisticated flavor

• Add poultry seasoning for a more developed chicken flavor

• Add some heavy cream for a richer creamier soup

Kitchen Tips and Notes

• For the chicken:  boil breasts or use an Instant Pot to cook the chicken and shred

• Use a rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken

• Stores often carry pre-cut onions, celery, and carrots for convenience in the produce or frozen food sections.

• When adding flour you want to allow it to cook a little bit before adding the broth, so the flour taste cooks out.

• Other ways to thicken the soup is to create a flour, cornstarch, or rice starch slurry (starch/water mixture) added after the broth.

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Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Puff Pastry Hearts

serves 6

2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 large russet potato, peeled and cubed
2 celery rubs, sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled, and cubed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 14 1/2 oz. cans low sodium chicken broth
2 large boneless skinless breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup frozen peas
1 sheet of puff pastry

Set out 1 sheet of puff pastry to thaw.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a Dutch oven heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add the potatoes, onion, celery and carrots.  Cook for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally until onion is soft.

Stir in the flour and stir coating vegetables, and allow to cook for about 30 seconds.  Add salt and pepper and add in the broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 15 minutes until potatoes are tender.  

Meanwhile, using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out hear shapes using the puffed pastry.  Place them on a sheet pan.  If your dough is cold proceed to baking them for 10 minutes until golden.  If the pastry is room temperate stick the cut out dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes and then proceed to bake for 10 minutes.  The colder the dough the puffier the pastry will be.

Add in the shredded chicken and peas to the Dutch oven, stirring to combine.  Cook 10 minutes to heat through.

Serve in bowls and top with pastries.