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Keto desserts: 3 local places to find ‘sinless’ doughnuts, king cake and more

These sweets are made without gluten or sugar, so they’re also for people managing diabetes, celiac and more.

Anyone with experience dieting knows that desserts most often throw us off course. No matter which type of diet, sugar is almost always bad for the scales, and refined carbs never compliment the waist.

A recent Time article on the evolution of New Year’s resolutions cites research that says around 60 percent of us admit to making resolutions at the beginning of the year. According to a 2,000-person survey conducted by Inc.com, the resolution most often made is to diet and eat healthier — 71 percent. But the vows don’t usually last long: 50 percent will fail their resolutions by Jan. 31, and only 8 percent will last through the end of the year.

Yet biting into dessert is one of the ways we celebrate the sweetness of living. Without the option to occasionally enjoy a slice of cake, long-term dieting is impossible for most, and that is why a few local entrepreneurs are developing diet-approved treats that are helping many of their customers stay on track.

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Of the many diets that prohibit complex carbs and sugar, the keto diet ― with an initial 20 net carb daily limit ― has earned a reputation for being one of the most effective when it comes to shedding dramatic amounts of weight, even though some professionals don’t recommend it long-term.

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It isn’t only keto dieters buying up these desserts. Since all of these treats are made without gluten or sugar, owners say their customer base includes people managing diabetes, gastric surgeries, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and celiac disease, as well as moms who simply want their kids on less sugar.

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And I Like It Cheesecakes

These individual-size cheesecakes made with Philadelphia cream cheese and concentrated stevia extract are impossible to discern from the real thing. Gluten-free crusts are prepared with a blend of oat fiber, coconut flour and golden flaxseed meal, and grass-fed collagen is added to the filling for extra protein, so it almost feels like doing your body a favor by eating more cheesecake, especially considering they average at 2 net carbs per serving. They come in a variety of flavors like plain, chocolate, raspberry, Key lime, spice rum, mint chocolate and blueberry lemon.

Owner Ericka McKim incorporated her business in 2017 with the help of a Texas state benefit program for veterans after being medically retired from the Navy for bone and joint issues. She feels many of her health problems were related to sugar addiction and excess medications. With multiple customers crediting her cheesecakes for their weight loss success, McKim feels as if she is still doing something good for people. Her cheesecakes can be picked up at six locations throughout the Metroplex. For special quantities and flavors, customers should order through the website and select the closest drop-off. andilikeit.com.

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Sinless Donut owner Connie Dennis with an assortment of donuts in Fort Worth
Sinless Donut owner Connie Dennis with an assortment of donuts in Fort Worth(Brian Elledge / Staff Photographer)

Sinless Donuts

Doughnuts are maybe the last thing one would associate with a diet regimen, but this Fort Worth-based bakery is thriving with local deliveries and nationwide Etsy sales. Made primarily of almond flour and coconut milk, Sinless Donuts are sweetened with a noncaloric sugar alcohol called erythritol that has no effect on blood sugar, making each doughnut between 2.5 to 4.5 net carbs. They come in flavors like peanut butter-chocolate, orange creamsicle, maple bacon, and even chocolate sprinkle with sugar-, gluten- and wax-free sprinkles. In addition to doughnuts, Chilean-American owner Connie Dennis has created keto bagels and tamales.

Dennis says it wasn’t a severe health issue that led her to the keto diet, unlike others with similar businesses, but rather her health-conscious husband Micheal. When she discovered it was helpful for losing weight after delivering twins, she started experimenting with keto baked goods in her kitchen. Her first doughnut for sale on Facebook Marketplace went unnoticed for two months before she received her first order, but soon afterward she started doing weekly deliveries throughout D-FW. Now, she’s moved to a Locavore, a rent-by-the hour commercial kitchen, and grocery stores are calling to get Sinless Donuts in stock. To get a doughnut any day of the week, check the Big Little Market in Las Colinas, the Market at Lakeside in Flower Mound, or D’Lites Shoppe in North Richland Hills. Or, get the weekly delivery menu and order form by texting 907-947-8895. sinless-donuts.business.site.

Mini Keto King Cake from Unrefined Bakery in Dallas
Mini Keto King Cake from Unrefined Bakery in Dallas(Ben Torres / Special Contributor)

Unrefined Bakery

With their first store opening a decade ago, Unrefined Bakery has been a local pioneer in the specialty diet movement. They now have 140 recipes for gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, corn-free and GMO-free baked goods, each with their own unique blends of flours and binding agents. Keto dieters will find a menu of desserts to choose from here with cookies, cupcakes, whoopie pies and flavor-of-the-month cakes.

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Unrefined has also collaborated with Eat Fit, a Louisiana nonprofit initiative of Ochsner Health System, to pull off a satisfying keto king cake, complete with cinnamon coffee cake filling, sprinkles dyed with spirulina extract and fruit and vegetable juices, and yes — even a hidden tiny baby baked inside. Made with almond and coconut flours and sweetened with Swerve, an erythritol brand, each serving is 2 net carbs. Cakes can be picked up in local stores or ordered on the website with dry ice shipping throughout the United States through Mardi Gras.

Mother-daughter owners Anne Hoyt and Taylor Nicholson say demand for their products has only grown since they began their enterprise that started when Anne’s other daughter, Erin Donaldson, was diagnosed with celiac. Anne, an avid baker, started rewriting her cookbook, and Taylor had the idea to start making power bars ― before that wave began. They now have an 8,000-square-foot production facility with a 1,000-square-foot freezer they’re outgrowing. They also opened their seventh retail location in Uptown last month. Designed for lunch-goers, it has a grab-and-go snack shelf, along with made-to-order keto sandwiches and pizzas. unrefinedbakery.com.