Super-Rich Chocolatey Gooey Gluten-Free Brownies

Super-Rich Chocolatey Gooey Gluten-Free Brownies

As I've mentioned, my friend Nina has suddenly had to go gluten-free.  This has led me to just as suddenly start designing a few gluten-free recipes, and it's been interesting to see how the two cooking styles intersect.  On Saturday morning, I decided to invent a gluten-free brownie recipe for her.  While they were baking, I went straight into using a different recipe outline to make sugar-free brownies.  When the gluten-free brownies came out of the oven, I cut them and removed them from the pan, lined the pan with foil, poured in the sugar-free brownie batter, and put the pan back into the still-hot oven.   Both brownie batches landed in the ideal brownie zone; gooey, rich, fudge-y, delicious....  Requests for both recipes are already coming in from my official taste-testers. I guess next I'll have to try gluten-free, sugar-free brownies; there's no reason why the sugar-free recipe couldn't be made with gluten-free flours!


Super-Rich Chocolatey Gooey Gluten-Free Brownies

2 oz unsweetened (bakers') chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick (8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces

1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt

2 large eggs


1/4 cup gluten-free baking mix
1 pinch xanthan gum

1 cup walnut meats - optional


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and put rack in the lower third of the oven.


2. Grease and "flour" an 8" square baking pan.

3. If using walnuts, chop coarsely.

4. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the chocolate and butter and melt over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

5. When melted, remove mixture from the heat, and stir in the sugar, vanilla, and salt, until well-combined.

6. Stir in one egg at a time until well-combined.

7. Stir in the flour and xanthan gum until well-combined.

8. Add the walnuts, (if desired) and stir well.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to scrape all of it out of the pot and into the pan.  Spread evenly in the pan.

10. Put pan on a rack in the lower third of the oven and bake until the surface is glossy and smooth, and a toothpick comes out fairly clean from the center, about 40 minutes.  (A few crumbs may stick to it; that's okay.)

11. Cool brownies in the pan, on a rack.  Cut into squares of the size you desire (keeping in mind that these are rich.  Think of how virtuous you will feel when you have seconds if they were tiny to start with.)

Brownies will keep in an air-tight container for several days.  Well, theoretically.  

Notes: You can buy a gluten-free baking mix from Bob's Red Mill or other vendor, or just substitute a gluten-free flour, such as brown rice or buckwheat.  Xanthan gum is an emulsifier, also available from Bob's Red Mill.

(This recipe calls for an 8" pan; I had only a 9" pan, so I cooked the brownies for a few minutes less.  If you do not have an 8" pan, adjust your timing accordingly.)

Ultimate Classic, Tasty, Tasty Burgers

Hamburger with Sugar-Free Chipotle Ketchup

As Americans, a good hamburger is practically our birthright.  Why is it then that they are so often so.... well, bad? First of all, of course, is the quality of meat you use.    For starters, most beef is raised, slaughtered, and processed in a pretty scary way.  Then, there has been such a trend for so many years to focus on leanness.  Because we've been told all these years that eating animal fat is bad for our cholesterol (which turns out to be dead wrong; our cholesterol is affected by the sugars and carbohydrates we can't metabolize heading straight to our livers) we've all been buying super-lean ground beef.  If you make a burger out of meat with sufficient fat content, much of the fat melts out into the pan while it cooks, leaving behind tastiness.  When you make lean meat into a hamburger, as the meat cooks the only available liquids are the meat juices, and you wind up with a nice beefy hockey puck.  Yum.

Then, there's the seasoning.  Too often, we just make a patty of ground beef and cook it up, relying on condiments for seasoning.  Well, I like ketchup as much as the next person, but really, shouldn't the main thing you taste be the beef?  When the meat is seasoned properly, you don't notice the seasonings, you just think "oh my, that's the best beefy goodness I've ever tasted!"

I have been making burgers for a long time now, and I can tell you how simple it is to make a super-duper, delicious, deluxe burger.  It only takes a few minutes, and your mouth will thank me.  Try this out friends; you won't go back!

Now, for safety and taste reasons, (as well as ethical, of course) you must be very careful about the source of your meat.  If you aren't grinding your own, make sure that the folks who are selling it to you are grinding it fresh for you that day.  If you didn't grind it yourself, be sure to cook it completely.  Having sufficient fat in your burger means that you can cook the burger thoroughly but still have plenty of juicy goodness left inside.

Deluxe Super-Tasty Hamburgers

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
OR 1 1//2 lbs well-fatted ground beef
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 TB Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tsp smoked sweet or hot Spanish paprika
3/4 tsp fresh-ground black pepper



In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the ingredients.  Using your hands (I like to use disposable gloves) mix everything well, (but don't get carried away and over-work the meat) and form the meat into patties.  You have enough to make six 1/4 pound burgers.  Let the patties come to room temperature.

Heat up one large or two medium cast-iron skillets over medium-high heat.  Put a little cooking oil or bacon drippings into each pan.  Add all of the burgers into the pans, being careful not to overcrowd.  Cook the first side until well-browned, then turn them over.  Cook the second side until well-browned.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Check temperature using a digital meat thermometer; when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F, remove them from the heat.  If you don't have a digital meat thermometer, cut a small incision into the burgers to check for done-ness.

If you don't have an issue with carbs, serve the burgers with the best quality English muffins you can find.  I adore the ones they make at Cheeseboard Collective; they are fresh and still warm when you buy them - mmm, mmmm!

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein, Low Carb!) Brownies

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein!) Brownies

 I have yet to meet anyone who dislikes brownies.  Chocolate and butter barely held together with flour; what on earth is there to dislike? In the course of my brownie research, I read a quote that there were as many brownie recipes as daisies in the field.  So true; there is infinite variety, from the amount of chocolate and butter, to the number of eggs and the amount of flour, to the size of the pan.

There are those who like them cake-y, and those who like them fudge-y.  I'm a fudge-y person, myself.  If I want cake, I'll make a cake!  Back in the day when I used to use brownie mixes (which really aren't bad) I used to half-bake them to get them the way I like them; downright goopy in the middle!

When I am inventing a new sugar-free recipe, sometimes it takes a few tries to get the recipe right.  You know, one where nobody knows it's sugar-free but the baker.  This one is spot-on.  Fudge-y, dense, rich goodness.  Oh yeah.  You're going to like this one!

Double Chocolate Super-Rich Utterly Delicious (Sugar-Free, High Protein, Low Carb!) Brownies

5 oz sugar-free, sweetened dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 oz unsweetened (bakers') chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 stick (8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces

1/2 cup erythritol
1/3 cup xylitol
7 tiny scoops stevia extract powder
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs
2 TB unsweetened applesauce

2 TB whole wheat pastry flour
2 TB soy protein
2 TB unsweetened, plain whey powder
1 TB almond meal


1 cup walnut meats - optional


1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and put rack in the lower third of the oven.


2. Line a 9" square baking pan with foil, letting the ends of the foil run up the sides and hang over the edges of the pan.  Do not butter or flour the pan.

3. If using walnuts, spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, 7-10 minutes.  Cool them and chop coarsely.

4. In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the chocolates and butter and melt over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.

5. When melted, remove mixture from the heat, and stir in the sweeteners, vanilla, and salt, until well-combined.

6. Stir in the applesauce, then stir in one egg at a time until well-combined.

7. In a small bowl, combine the flours and whisk to combine.  Stir them into the chocolate mixture until well-combined.

8. Add the walnuts, (if desired) and stir well.

9. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, on top of the foil, using a spatula to scrape all of it out of the pot and into the pan.  Spread evenly in the pan.

10. Put pan on a rack in the lower third of the oven and bake until the surface is glossy and smooth, and a toothpick comes out fairly clean from the center, about 40 minutes.  (A few crumbs may stick to it; that's okay.)

11. Cool brownies in the pan, on a rack.  Use the foil to remove the whole batch from the pan when cool.  Cut into squares of the size you desire (keeping in mind that these are rich.)

Brownies will keep in an air-tight container for several days.  Well, theoretically.  

Notes:  You can get pretty darned good sugar-free dark chocolate at Trader Joe's, sweetened with maltitol.  This has become my go-to baking bar, because the price is very good for decent chocolate.  Bob's Red Mill makes all of the other flours, and you can buy them in a well-stocked health food store.  (We can buy them in bulk at Berkeley Bowl or Berkeley Natural Grocer.)  If you want to, you can substitute 1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour instead.

Sweeteners:  Erythritol and xylitol are sugar alcohols; low-glycemic, low-calorie, sweeteners suitable for use by diabetics or those with metabolic disorders.  You can easily buy xylitol  at a well-stocked grocery or health-food store.  Erythritol is more readily available on-line.  Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the stevia leaf.  It is readily available at grocery stores, including at Trader Joe's.

Gluten-Free (Super High Protein) Peanut Butter Cookies

Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies

My dear friend Nina has suddenly been forced to go gluten-free, and she reports that virtually all of the gluten-free commercial products she's tried are dreadful.  Frankly, I don't know what I'd do if I had to go gluten-free in addition to having to go low-carb; using vital wheat gluten is a - well, vital aspect of my low-carb, high protein baking strategy!

However, as I prepared to make her a yummy treat and looked over other people's gluten-free recipes out there, I realized that a large number of my recipes could be easily adapted to be gluten-free; I've already replaced most of the gluten-laden ingredients with protein, so it wouldn't be hard to just replace the rest with a gluten-free flour.

Frankly, these peanut butter cookies are amazing.  Let me say that again:  these cookies are FREAKING AMAZING.  Party on, gluten-free friends!


Gluten Free (Super High Protein) Peanut Butter Cookies

Dough Balls

makes about 26 cookies

1 1/2 cups creamy, unsweetened, salted organic peanut butter (not "natural")
1 stick salted or unsalted butter, (4 ounces) softened

1 large egg
2 TB applesauce
2 tsp vanilla

1 cup dark brown sugar

OR:
1/4 cup plus 2 TB xylitol
1/2 cup erythritol
7 tiny scoops stevia
1/4 cup + 2 TB coconut palm sugar, or 1/4 cup brown sugar


3 TB flax meal
6 TB soy protein powder
2 TB unsweetened whey powder
3 TB almond meal
3/4 cup gluten-free flour baking mix
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp xanthan gum

optional, but recommended: 6-8 ounces chocolate bars, either sugar-free or not, broken into big chunks, or jam of your choice (strawberry is especially yummy with peanut butter)


1. preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

2. If using my special sugar-free sweetener blend, in a small bowl, measure all the sweeteners and whisk to combine.

3. Measure the protein powder, whey powder, flax meal, and almond meal and put into a medium sized bowl. Using the "spoon and sweep" method (spoon the flour loosely into the cup until full, then scrape off excess with a knife) measure the flour and add to the other flours. Add the salt, baking powder, and xanthan gum and whisk to combine.

4. Place the peanut butter and butter in a mixing bowl and cream until it is very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl periodically.  (I use the paddle attachment.)

5. With a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the egg, vanilla and applesauce and mix until just combined.

6. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the sugar or sweeteners, process until well combined.

7. Scrape down the sides again and add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure it is all incorporated. You will have a very dense dough.

8. Using your hands or a spoon, make balls of dough and place them about 1 1/2" apart on the cookie sheet. You can make the cookies as big or small as you like (Don't worry, they don't run at all.) You can fit 12 to 15 medium-sized cookies on a sheet pretty easily. Using a fork, carefully press the balls flat from both directions, leaving the characteristic crosshatch mark on the surface, OR press with your thumb to make an indentation to hold the jam or chocolate.  If the dough balls break apart, just squeeze them back together with your fingers.

9. Place the optional - but highly desirable - chocolate on the surface of each cookie, or a scant 1/2 teaspoon of jam. (The jam can melt and run, so don't get carried away.)

10. Bake the cookies until they are just golden underneath, and slightly puffed, 12 to 15 minutes or so. Using a spatula, put on a rack until cool (or cool on the cookie sheet). Repeat until you have baked all of the dough.

Sugar-Free Tomato Chipotle Ketchup

Tasty Burger with Sugar-Free Chipotle Ketchup and a dollop of mayo

As our daughter squirted a nice big blob of ketchup on her hamburger at dinner the other night, she remarked with satisfaction that "ketchup made everything taste better."  Well, that's pretty accurate.  It certainly enhances the savory, salty flavors of meat.  A nice big dollop on top of a burger or hotdog - good stuff.  Eaten in sufficient quantities on tater tots or fries to be considered a vegetable in its own right?  Yeah.  Sounds good!



Of course, ketchup is pretty much off limits to those who lead a sugar-free life, so I set out to make a new recipe for it.  The fries and tater tots - well, sadly, that's never going to happen.  But we can say "heck yeah!" to burgers and hotdogs.

This recipe offers the sweet, spicy, vinegary notes that are the hallmarks of ketchup, with the additional complex smoky spice of chipotle.  It lasts for months in the refrigerator, so it's ready any time you are for a meaty treat.

Sugar-Free Tomato Chipotle Ketchup

1 @32 ounce can tomatoes in puree (use good quality tomatoes - it really makes a difference here)

2 TB olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 chipotle en adobo
1/3 cup erythritol
1/4 cup xylitol
5 tiny scoops stevia
1 TB tomato paste
1 stick cinnamon

1. Puree the tomatoes with an immersion blender or regular blender

2.  In a heavy sauce pan, heat the olive oil, then cook the onion and garlic until they are softened

3.  Stir in the remaining ingredients, including the pureed tomatoes.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer, stirring with increasing frequency, until very thick, about an hour.

4.  Remove the cinnamon stick and let the mixture cool.

5.  Puree the ketchup again.

6.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer; it's good for a few months.

Sugar-Free Fresh Fig Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla

Sugar-Free Fig Jam with Low-Carb Bread

Perhaps you are wondering; does this woman know that she's spoiled rotten? The answer is why yes; yes I do. I live in easy walking distance of world-renowned grocery stores, three weekly farmers' markets, greengrocers, bakers, and charcuterers. My BFF Kim and her partner Michael grow unbelievably good organic coffee on their 5 acre parcel in Costa Rica, http://www.riocoyote.com/ and they roast it to order in their backyard 4 blocks from here and deliver it to me when they walk the dog. I try not to take it for granted. Growing up in Massachusetts, I never laid eyes on a fresh apricot or fig; apricots came in a can in heavy syrup, and figs came dried in our Christmas stocking. So, yeah, I have a pretty good idea that I'm spoiled.

This week I went into our local, medium-sized, family run greengrocers, Monterey Market. Their size and turnover, and very good buyers, mean that they can buy up a farmer's whole crop. This means unbelievable selection, and fantastic prices. So I walk in, and they have fresh, local, organic Black Mission figs for $2.49 a pound. Sure looks like jam time to me!

I wound up making two different batches, one with a simple flavor profile, one, based on ideas given to me by a neighbor, more complex. Both were delicious, and now I will have summer in a jar all winter long.

A few notes about proportions; although I used 6 1/2 pounds of figs (about 13 cups, once cut, cleaned and mashed) you can make a batch using any amount; the important thing is to use the right proportions of ingredients. Be sure to follow the instructions included in your pectin box. I use Pomona low-sugar pectin; if you use a different brand, be sure to follow their instructions.

Fig Jam Bubbling Away....

Sugar-Free Fig Jam with Bourbon and Vanilla
Yield: about 8 pints

I.
6 1/2 pounds ripe figs
14 tsp calcium water (1/4 cup + 2 tsp)
1/2-1 cup fresh lemon juice (I used one cup of Meyer lemon juice - Meyers are very sweet)
1/2 cup water
3 sticks of cinnamon bark/canela

II.
10 1/2 tsp Pomona pectin (3 TB + 1 1/2 tsp)
2 1/2 cups erythritol
1 2/3 cups xylitol
35 tiny scoops stevia extract powder

III.
1/2 cup dark rum or bourbon, or a combination
1-2 tsp vanilla extract


If you are using new canning jars, wash them and their lids thoroughly. Place enough clean jam jars and their rings and lids to house the whole batch in a very large stock pot or canning pot. Fill with enough clean water to cover the jars completely, cover the pot, and set it on the stove over a medium flame. Bring it to the boil, then lower heat to a simmer and let them simmer while you complete the jam. Be sure to scald the ladle and wide-mouthed funnel you will use.

While the jars heat, wash and drain the fresh figs. Using a paring knife, trim off the stem ends and any excess white, pithy inner skin. If the figs are ripe enough to have become a bit moldy, just scrape off any offending bits of skin and wipe if off the knife onto a clean paper towel. Set a large stock pot nearby, and cut the figs into small pieces, about 4 - 6 per fig, directly into the pot. Using a potato masher, mash the figs in the pot.

Add the lemon juice, calcium water, water and cinnamon sticks to the pan. Stir well, then set the pot over a medium flame. Stir frequently, and adjust the flame as necessary to prevent scorching.

While the jam cooks, measure all of the sweeteners and pectin into a medium bowl, and whisk well to combine.

When the figs are well-cooked, add the bourbon or rum and the vanilla and stir in.

When the jam has reached the desired state, remove the cinnamon sticks. Stir in the sweetener/pectin mix and stir vigorously to dissolve. Stirring frequently, bring the jam back to the boil. When it has come to a full boil, turn off the flame. (The jam will thicken as it cools.)

Using a "jar grabber" or tongs, carefully remove the jars and lids from the pot of hot water, and place them upside-down on the towels. (I use tongs and a dry towel in my other hand to make sure I don't drop the jars or spill boiling water all over my feet.)

If you haven't yet scalded your wide-mouthed funnel (optional, but totally worth it!) and your ladle, do so now. Put the lid back on the pot of water, raise the flame, and bring it back to a full boil while you put the jam in the jars.

Put the jars right side up on the cloths. Clear a space right next to the jars for the jam pot. Using your funnel and the ladle, fill the jars to 1/4" below the top (a vacuum requires air to operate.) When all are full, add the lids and rings and screw them on fairly tightly.

When the water has returned to the boil, repeat the method with tongs/jar grabber and towel, and return the jars to the pan. You will need to be more careful with full jars than with empty. Also, you may need to remove some water from the pan, as full jars displace more water than empty ones.

Bring back to the boil, reduce temperature as needed to keep at a gentle boil, and boil for 10 minutes. Using the tongs/jar grabber, remove the jars and put them back on the toweled area to cool.

Notes from Christine:

"What's with all of these obscure sweeteners?" Erythritol and Xylitol are sugar alcohols; super low-glycemic, super low-calorie, super low-carbohydrate, and good for your teeth.  

Xylitol is a little sweeter than cane sugar, has a fairly neutral flavor with a little bright, almost pepperminty quality, and can be found easily at a well-stocked health food store or really good grocery store.

Erythritol, very neutral in flavor, is about 60% as sweet as sugar, and is very difficult to find in stores, except in individual packets. As it is 60% as sweet as sugar, it takes quite a bit more to reach the right level of sweetness in a recipe, and this makes proportions difficult.  However, its very neutral profile makes it a natural for blending with xylitol and stevia, especially since stevia is so highly concentrated.  It's worth tracking it down by mail-order, or you could make a special request to a grocer to order some for you.

Stevia is a natural, calorie-free leaf extract, super concentrated and very sweet, but with a weird, bitter aftertaste and no volume; due to its highly concentrated state, one teeny-tiny scoopful (which comes in its container) is equal to a teaspoon of sugar. It is easily purchased at Trader Joe's or any grocery store.

Be aware that some Xylitol and Erythritol brands in American packaging are actually imported from China and repackaged. That is why I buy all of these directly from Xylitol USA, http://www.xylitolusa.com/ which manufactures them from North American sources.

Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam

Low-Carb Bread with Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam

 My basement is filled with glistening rows of jam now; sugar-free strawberry, sugar-free fig, sugar-free strawberry rhubarb, sugar-free raspberry.....  Too bad the California apricot crop failed!

You may be thinking; "with all the recipes out there for sugar-free jams, why should I use this one?"   Because this one tastes like fresh, delicious summer in a jar, like the best ripe strawberry you've ever eaten - not like diet gelatine.

6 pounds of ripe, perfect, organic strawberries (7 green 1 pint baskets)
1/3 - 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (I used 2/3 cup Meyer lemon juice; it's quite sweet)
7 tsp calcium water

7 tsp pectin
2  1/2 cups erythritol
1  2/3 cup xylitol
35 tiny scoops stevia powder (1 level tsp)

Makes 6 pint and 4 half pint jars of jam

If the jars are brand new, wash them and the rings and lids to remove any chemicals left from processing. If they have been sitting in the basement, check them for dust, and wash off any you find. Put the jars and rings into a very large stockpot or canning pot and fill with hot water to cover by an inch or two. Put them on the rear burner of the stove over high heat and bring them to a boil. When they come to a boil, turn the heat down and keep them hot and ready.

Following the instructions in your low sugar pectin kit, make calcium water. (I use Pomona brand.)

Meanwhile, prepare the fruit: wash it, dry it, hull it, and cut it up:  (halves for small, quarters for medium, eighths for large) and put it in an 8 quart, heavy stock pot, along with the lemon juice and calcium water. Put it on the stove and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it comes to a full boil.

While the fruit cooks, measure the sweeteners and the pectin into a medium sized bowl and whisk them all well to combine.

When the fruit is ready, get a long-handled wooden spoon ready, and gradually add the sweetener mix to the hot fruit, stirring constantly as you pour in the sweeteners. Stir well and frequently to dissolve the pectin and the sweeteners with the fruit and to prevent lumping. Bring it back to a full boil. When it looks lovely and thick, turn off the heat and get ready to can. (Don't worry if it isn't as thick as jam; it thickens as it cools.)


Clear a good sized work surface near the stove, and cover it with clean dishtowels (preferably ones you don't care about!)

Turn the heat off under the pot of jars and move it to the front of the stove so you can reach them easily, and move the jam to the back of the stove so you don't get water into it by accident. (Put the lid on the pot if necessary.) Using tongs or a jar lifter in your dominant hand, and a clean dishtowel in your other hand, carefully remove the lids and rings and drain them on the towels. Lift each jar out of the hot water, dump the hot water back into the pot, and carefully guide and transport the hot jar over to the towels. Turn it upside down to drain out the extra water. Repeat until all of the jars are drained and ready.

Turn the heat back on high underneath the pot that the jars came out of, and bring it back to a full boil while you can.

Now, again using your tongs (or a clean towel, oven mitts, or tough hands!) turn the jars right side up, and line them up to be ready to fill. If you have a wide-mouthed jar funnel (which I so highly recommend - available at any good hardware store, Bed Bath and Beyond, well stocked grocery stores, etc., for less than $5) put it on top of one of the jars.

Grab your best ladle, and bring the pot of hot jam over to your work surface. Carefully fill each jar, leaving 1/4" of space at the top. If you have a wide-mouthed funnel, the bottom should come to just the right spot. If you don't, do your best! If necessary, spoon some out to reach the right level. After you have filled all your jars, use a clean, moist towel to wipe the ring area and the top surface of the jars clean. If you have less than a full jar of jam, put that one straight into use and don't bother to can it.

Put the lids on, followed by the screw tops, and screw them down.

When the water bath comes back to a full boil, lower the heat to medium, (so the jars don't break) and again using your tongs, carefully lower the jars back in one at a time. Boil them all for 10 full minutes, then remove them with your tongs and let them cool on the toweled work area. If necessary, work in batches.

Notes from Christine:

Why organic strawberries?  If you can't afford much organic food in your budget, strawberries are a must (as are bananas, red peppers and apples.) The way conventional strawberries are raised leave tons of poison on the berry, releases gases into the environment, and endangers farm workers. 

"What's with all of these obscure sweeteners?" Erythritol and Xylitol are sugar alcohols; super low-glycemic, super low-calorie, super low-carbohydrate, and good for your teeth.  

Xylitol is a little sweeter than cane sugar, has a fairly neutral flavor with a little bright, almost pepperminty quality, and can be found easily at a well-stocked health food store or really good grocery store.

Erythritol, very neutral in flavor, is about 60% as sweet as sugar, and is very difficult to find in stores, except in individual packets. As it is 60% as sweet as sugar, it takes quite a bit more to reach the right level of sweetness in a recipe, and this makes proportions difficult.  However, its very neutral profile makes it a natural for blending with xylitol and stevia, especially since stevia is so highly concentrated.  It's worth tracking it down by mail-order, or you could make a special request to a grocer to order some for you.

Stevia is a natural, calorie-free leaf extract, super concentrated and very sweet, but with a weird, bitter aftertaste and no volume; due to its highly concentrated state, one teeny-tiny scoopful (which comes in its container) is equal to a teaspoon of sugar. It is easily purchased at Trader Joe's or any grocery store.

Be aware that some Xylitol and Erythritol brands in American packaging are actually imported from China and repackaged. That is why I buy all of these directly from Xylitol USA, http://www.xylitolusa.com/ which manufactures them from North American sources.