Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid

Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid! This Keto pastry is super flaky and is bakes up golden brown just like traditional pastry dough! Stuffed with cream cheese and chocolate..you can't go wrong.

This recipe may seem to have a lot of steps but it's actually quite easy once you get the hang of it. 

I actually prep my pastry dough in advance so I can just roll it out and shape it whenever I'm craving a sweet or savoury pastry!

You can find the original recipe for my pastry dough here. The original recipe also offers a gluten free version if you are gluten intolerant. 

Anyways, this braid turned out delicious! It was shared with my non-keto family members who also approve! 

Before you make this, I do want to talk a bit about one of the ingredients, Vital Wheat gluten. I constantly get asked if it’s keto, what it is, where to buy it, etc. So I’ve written an entire article on it you can see here to learn more.

In summary, vital wheat gluten is the protein found in wheat. It’s what creates gluten strands and provides the soft but chewy texture in bread and baked goods.

Nowadays you can buy Vital wheat gluten extracted and separated from the wheat. On its own, it’s only a protein with minimal carbs attached to it.

It’s perfectly fine on a keto diet if you track the NET carbs in this recipe like anything else. The only people who absolutely should NOT consume it is those with a gluten allergy or who are celiac.

If you can’t have gluten, I recommend experimenting with dough recipes using psyllium husk and/or xanthan gum.

Ingredients in Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid

• Vital Wheat Gluten, as mentioned above, is necessary for this recipe and cannot be replaced. See this article if you’d like to learn more about it.
• Oat Fiber – This ingredient provides structure to the dough without adding carbs as it’s almost 99% fibre.
• Xanthan gum – a great way to improve elasticity in gluten-free baked goods. It’s used alongside vital wheat gluten to provide the best possible “crust-like” texture. If you do not have this ingredient you can still go ahead with this recipe but I’d recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
• Almond & Coconut Flour – I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) and this brand of coconut flour for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond and coconut flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
• Powdered/Granular Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener  –   I use the SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener and love it! The powdered is the best option for no-bake goods and desserts where you want a very smooth final product. But it bakes well in any recipe. **UPDATE** lately I’ve switched over to THIS brand of powdered sweetener because of trouble ordering the SoNourished brand here in Canada.
• Krisda chocolate-chips are used in this recipe as they are just 2 NET carbs per tbsp.. but you can also use dark chocolate or lily’s chocolate-chips.

Tips For Making Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid

• When you first form the dough, you want chunks of butter still visible. DON’T OVER-MIX. You want it just blended enough so you can form a rough ball and place it in the fridge. The dough doesn’t have to be perfect right away because you’ll be rolling it out several times and the butter will eventually become less “chunky” in the dough.
• Your dough should seem a little dry at first but once you get rolling it, the butter chunks should moisten it more. If you find your dough still very dry, you can sprinkle a bit of cold water on it as needed to add moisture OR alternatively if you find it too wet, sprinkle coconut flour or vital wheat gluten as you are rolling and folding it.
• If you find your dough sticking to your rolling pin or surfaces, make sure to sprinkle some coconut flour on both as needed. You can also roll out your dough with a piece of parchment paper on top and bottom to make it easier.
• When folding your dough, turning 90* and folding it again to form layers, make sure the dough stays cold and you don’t have it out too long. If you need to, throw it back in the fridge for 5-10min between rolling to keep it chilled.
• Also when it comes to the layers in the dough, you want to fold and roll it out about 5-7 times or until your butter is streaky in your dough and no longer large chunks. Don’t fold it more than this or your butter may start to melt! 
• You can always place your dough back in the fridge for a bit if it feels like it's getting too warm.

Tools I used to make a Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid

• Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested. 🙂 I appreciate your support so much guys!
• Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
• Non-Stick Rolling Pin – I didn’t use this one originally for the recipe but I highly recommend it so you don’t have to constantly flour your surface and roll the dough out with wax or parchment paper!
• Wax/Parchment Paper – Makes it easier to roll out dough that’s sticking to your rolling pin.
• Saran Wrap – To wrap the dough for chilling

Can I Freeze This Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid?

Yes! You can freeze the braid/pastry dough at multiple points in the process:

1. You can freeze the pastry dough after preparing it (at the end of step 7, instead of placing it in the fridge, just wrap it in Saran wrap and place it in a ziplock bag in the freezer instead). Then remove and let the dough thaw enough to be able to roll before continuing to step 8 and onward.
2. You can freeze the pastry itself after completely forming it prior to baking, just gently place it between layers of wax or parchment paper in an airtight container and bake it from frozen when you want it (note, you'll probably need a few extra minutes of baking time).
3. You can also freeze this after baking by placing the Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid in an airtight container between layers of wax paper. When you want it next, heat it up in the oven at 400*F for a few minutes until hot.

Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

Pastry Dough

• 5 tbsp vital wheat gluten, 50g (see above in the post for more info!)
• 1/4 cup almond flour, 30g
• 2 tbsp oat fiber, 14g
• 2 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 24g
• 1 tbsp coconut flour, 7g
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum, optional, recommended for texture
• 1/8 tsp salt (1/4 tsp if using unsalted butter)
• 1/2 cup + 1 tsp salted butter, cold, 125g
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp cold water, 95ml

Filling

• 3 tbsp cream cheese, softened, 45g
• 1/4 of a beaten egg (save the rest of the egg for later in the recipe!)
• 3 tbsp powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener, 36g 
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp stevia sweetened chocolate-chips, 30g 

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together all of your dry ingredients.
2. Cut your butter in rough slices about 1/8 inch thick and add them to the flour mixture. Stir a few times to coat the butter, then add your cold water and stir again just until you get a very rough dough that you can form into a ball. (Alternatively you can use a food processor for this, just be careful not to over-mix if doing it this way).
3. Wrap the rough dough ball and place it in the fridge for 30min to chill.
4. Next on a coconut floured surface (*OR BETWEEN TWO SHEETS OF FLOURED PARCHMENT PAPER) roll the dough out into a rectangle as best you can (it’s okay if it’s a bit rough the first time, just gently push in the edges if pieces separate – also see my tips on rolling the dough if it’s dry or sticking).
5. Fold one side of the rectangle inward, then the other until the dough looks like this (see photo).
   

   

6. Turn the dough 90* and Roll the dough out into a rectangle again, pushing down the layers you just formed. Repeat this 4-5 times. As you go, the dough will begin to form a nicer looking rectangle and the butter will become streaky and less clumpy.
7. Fold once more and then wrap your dough and place it in the fridge to cool for another 30min.
   
8. While your dough is in the fridge, make the cream cheese filling by combining all of the filling ingredients (except the chocolate chips) in a bowl and beating until smooth. Set aside. 
9. Pre-heat your oven to 400*F.
10. Place your dough on a clean piece of parchment paper and roll it into a rough thick rectangular shape. It should be quite thick width-wise as well but it doesn't have to be perfect (see photo). 
11. Cut the edges off all the sides to make them straight and even, I use a pizza cutter for this (save the scraps by wrapping and placing in the fridge and you can make something else with the little leftover dough later!)
12. After cutting the edges off, use your knife or pizza cutter to gently outline where you want the center of your pastry to be by drawing two lines in the middle of the dough (see photo). 
13. Begin slicing strips from the center, outwards all along the pastry, make sure the slices roughly line up on both sides. (Watch THIS video for help on how to braid a pastry if you need more of a visual).
14. Cut the top small triangles on your dough off on both sides so you have straight ends to fold in (again see the photo below or the video if you don't understand this step, they did it first before slicing in the video, I just do it after slicing).
15. Gently spread your cream cheese filling over the center of the pastry. Top it with the chocolate chips.
16. Time to braid! To do so, first fold your flat ends of the dough inwards (if either of your straight ends isn't perfect, don't worry, just do your best to fold it inwards). Next begin by folding one strip of dough over to the other side and press it down slightly to stick. Repeat with a strip from the opposite side, overlapping it over the one you just moved. Repeat again all the way down until you reach the bottom of your braid (AGAIN see the video for help).
    
17. Lift the parchment paper under your finished braid and use it to gently move it over onto a baking sheet. Mix your left over egg with a teaspoon of water and brush it over the braid. You can also sprinkle a little granular sweetener if you wish.
    
18. Bake for 25 min or until the outside is a dark golden brown. Slice and serve warm or store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for later! Enjoy your Keto Chocolate Cream Cheese Braid!

Nutrition for 1/8th of braid: 180 calories | 16.5g fat | 2.5g NET carbs | 6g protein | 3.7g fibre

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